This is the heat they talk about

The last few weeks have been really hot, I mean 45 degrees plus and the nights hot too. I am fortunate to be in air-conditioning but the drain on the electricity is such that often the power simply goes out – not only no power but also no internet (slow at the best of times) until things fire up again.

The nights in the garden have been more than balmy – hot, with perspiration running down my face. The locals say it should have started to rain by now, but not so. We have had a couple of heavy showers but they only served to raise the heat from the earth. On the weekends, I walk to the centre of town and to the apartment to see how work is progressing. In whatever way, one needs to face the heat and not flee from it although I must say, all in moderation...

I’ve been out of Maroua to two towns where I was involved in student assessment. There are hamlets and villages of thatched, mud-brick huts along the way and the landscape is dry. People walk the pot-holed roads, cycle or travel on motorbike and there’s always the possibility of cattle crossing the road. The local food is good – simple and tasty – and African hospitality is such that our hosts had something organised to share in the local tavern at the end of our assessment tasks. Conviviality is very important here and people do spend time together – chatting, waiting, sharing.

Then back in town, life goes on in the heat. And everyone is feeling it – a common form of greeting is “how are you going in the heat?”. I try to sit outside in the mornings and evenings to acclimatise, so to speak, and then there’s the pool, the precious swimming pool where the air seems to be that much cooler. I think it’s like living in a cold climate only in reverse. An air-conditioned office is an agreeable temperature haven just as a heated office is in cold and icy climes – a real plus for settling down to work!