10/28/09

It is so incredibly hot here! At first I was excited about going to the hottest country on earth because I feel like I’m always cold, and I thought I was pretty good at dealing with hot weather. I think I severely underestimated how hot 100+ can feel. The evenings and mornings are definitely bearable as it cools down considerable at night here, but the afternoons are absolutely brutal. I have Hausa class outside in my concession every afternoon with a language trainer and two other volunteers, and although we are sitting in the shade and I try to gulp down as much warm water from my Nalgene as I can, I still get headaches and nausea and my skin feels like it’s burning. I’ve even developed a little bit of heat rash on my hands. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when hot season rolls around in April. Other than suffering from the heat, I’m so grateful that haven’t gotten sick here yet. We learned how to filter and chlorinate our drinking water the other day, so I guess I’ve been doing a good job so far.

Today was a market day in Hamdallaye. It was very crowded and there were so many interesting things to see. There were many animals--goats, donkeys, cows and camels—as well as vendors selling spices, dried fish and staple foods. There were clothing stands and tailors as well, and many of us bought fabric for skirts (pagnas). It was difficult to choose among the large variety of colors and designs in the hot, crowded market, but I’m happy with my choices, a navy blue one with a gazelle pattern and a turquoise and blue geometric star patterned one.