Daily power cuts and 45-degree heat

Picture on right: effects of the sudden heatwave on my hands - prickly heat rash. It's itchier than it looks!

Every day for the last 5 days we've had 4-hour power cuts in 45-degree heat. We started our ESL classes last night using gas lamps and candles to light the rooms, while students used their mobile phones to read the books.

Now, I know that it's hot back in Sydney, Australia, and apparently NSW will be the hottest place on earth this Sunday....but have news reporters ever heard of Niger or Mali? As it's been in the mid-forties here every day this week, it's certain that the more northern cities are at least a few degrees hotter again (One explanation is that on many of the meteorological sites we check, the temperature is only being recorded in a handful of major cities in northern Africa).

Competitions about maximum temperatures aside, veteran missionaries here have told us that power cuts are more the norm, so last year when we didn't get many during hot season it was unusual.

We'd been told that the cool season lasted until late February, and since we're leaving BF in early March we figured we only had to endure a week or so of intense heat. Two weeks ago, it was still 19 degrees when we woke up, and we had to wear socks around the house to keep warm.

Come 1st Feb, the heat arrived and the power departed. Apparently, the electricity company did not plan for this early arrival of the hot season, and so power cuts are shared among the various 'quartiers' because there isn't enough juice to power all the air conditioners and fans that are suddenly being used au maximum.

We are thankful that the power has come back on each night by 10pm, so we can actually put our fan on and get to sleep. BF didn't want us to leave without another proper taste of the hot season. I'll be ready for our three-day stay in icy-cold Paris on the way home.

Cathlin