Weather

Sunday, August 12, 2007

One of the biggest differences between the time I left for the United States and since returning is the weather. It has gone from being mildly hot but bearable to moderately hot, humid, and rainy/flooding here in Dakar.

You stateside readers may say it can’t be that bad, with respect to the record highs facing much of the United States this summer. You are right, it is not unbearable but the difference between here and there is that a small floor fan just isn’t the same as air conditioning, an indoor job behind a desk is far different from outdoor manual labor, and from a sanitary standpoint, a flooded street in the U.S. could possibly be compared to that of Evian water instead of that found in a dirty toilet bowl.

I have always been a believer in the little things in life and how they work together to affect the larger picture. When it comes to the ability to adapt to the weather in the United States, it is the little things that we often times take for granted to make the unbearable, bearable…air conditioning in homes, offices, cars, constant electricity, well made sunglasses, smoothies, etc. One thing that I enjoy about my experience here in Senegal is to see how Senegalese handle situations and compare it to the way American’s handle it in the States.

When it comes to weather, the reliance on electricity is key in the United States. Here, while some offices and homes have air conditioning, it is far from the majority and expensive. Instead, shade structures are constructed, hand held fans, hand towels, and cold water are sold in plastic bags on the side of the street, and those with outdoor jobs often take a mid-day siesta during the hotter months. During the summer months, the power situation can be iffy at times making electronic floor fans iffy. While we always say in wolof, “Tangana trop!”, when it is hot, life goes on and doesn’t typically slow people down too much. It is not too often that the weather makes the front pages of the newspapers here in Senegal.

The one thing about the increase in temperatures here in Senegal that I really just don’t remember from last year was the amount I sweat. I am not talking about how much I may sweat outside walking around, but when I lay on my bed to take a nap or for the night. Well, anytime I wake up, I look down and my bed is literally soaked…actually, it is more like an outline of wetness of my body…its kind of neat. Just by looking at it, one may think I wet my bed a lot.

Hope you all stay cool and manage to find a pool to relax in. If you are bored and want to compare a portion of your life to that of many Senegalese, turn off your air conditioning for a week, don’t use it in your car (rolling down your windows is ok), and eat a lot of rice. Miss you all.