Summer Swelter

Laying down to sleep, I knew my consciousness wouldn’t be subsiding for a while.  Even after the sun has gone down, it takes 2-3 hours before a person might dare to say the air has “cooled down.”  The mosquito net around my bed is a lifesaver, but it seems only to trap the heat produced by the Mozambican sun hitting our tin roof.  I could feel my sweat being soaked up by my pillow and bed sheets.  Every breeze seemed a gentle nudge towards comfort and sleep.

It’s part of Moz culture that most people eat and rest from 12-14, and it doesn’t take much imagination to understand why.  In our first weeks of living in Mabalane, Charlie and I would make the mistake of making trips to town or the penitentiary in the late morning/early afternoon.  Within the first five minutes of leaving the shade of the house, we would be sweating and more than aware of the way the sun seems to be dodging the clouds in the sky.  There is one or no trees on the road to the market, depending which path I decide to walk.  By the time we reach the market a solid layer of sweat has soaked through my shirt and my mouth is dry.  We’ve “inconveniently” forgot our water bottles; guess we’ll have to spring for the chilled bottles of water they sell at the barraca or Portuguese store.  The return journey is always hotter, it seems.  The cold water helps, but the sun is relentless and by the time we reach home I just want to sit in the shade for a while to cool off.  If there’s a breeze, it’s a godsend.

However, those days are typical.  On the bad days, I’ll sit in the shade reading, writing or planning a lesson, but I’ll still be hot.  There’s been more than one day when my sweat starts beading shortly after I get out of bed and continues through the day until after I’ve fallen asleep.  On days like this a sheen of sweat covers my arms and legs, and I wish for rain or a breeze.  Because we don’t have a refrigerator, the warm water we have hardly seems to quench the thirst brought on by ceaseless sweat and we easily drink 2-3 liters of water each.

I tell you what though.  I’m currently writing this on the shaded east side of the house as the sun sets on what was a mild day.  A steady breeze is coming out of the south and in front of me lay dancing bushes and trees as far as the horizon.  Yeah, I was sweating constantly from 12-15 today, but I’ve come to appreciate the simple shade and breeze.  Sweat is a cheap price to pay for the way I feel right now.