Does anyone in the Maroua market sell kiddie pools?

Its official, the hot season has finally arrived. How do I know? I'm stuck to my chair right now, thats how. Actually I just went online and checked Google weather for Maroua, Cameroon. A mild 108 degrees is predicted today. 115 tomorrow. Its my second hot season here and I must say that so far it is not nearly as unbearable as last year. I still have to survive the height of it in April so we'll see if I'm still singing the same tune a month from now.

I believe the main difference is I've modified my daily schedule to suit the climate. Being an impatient first year volunteer last hot season I think I tried to fight the heat and go on about my day as normal. That is just not possible and I paid the price in the form of severe heat rash, dehydration, weight loss, and just generally being uncomfortable.

This year I have no illusions about my ability to function in this type of weather. Every morning I'll wake up around 5:30 when the morning call to prayer rings out across Bogo. At this point it feels somewhat cool, but probably somewhere in the low 90s. The first cold bucket bath of the day gets me ready to head out into the fields, orchards and/or tree nurseries. By about 9AM the heat is fully upon us, and I retreat to my home for cold bucket bath number two. Before it gets too close to midday I head to the market and pick up any food or household needs; sometimes just to shoot the breeze with friends.

By 10AM I am in full relaxation mode. My shaded porch is the coolest spot in my house, but the tin roof and concrete walls bake in the sun and getting as far away from any buildings is the best way to stay cool. Most folks choose to spend the midday hours outside their homes under the Neem trees that line the streets of Bogo, and seeing as its about 10 degrees cooler under their canopy I understand why and have taken to doing it myself.

Its hard to get much accomplished when I can only work about 3 hours in the early morning, so after napping or reading the day away I often try to visit farmers, orchards and tree nurseries in the afternoon after about 3PM. Its still hotter than the hinges of hell at 3PM so 1 hour is about all I can muster.

Despite the stifling heat, the guys are still out playing soccer in the evenings from about 4:30-6:30. Every other day I'll join in the evening practice and scrimage, but this time of year I need an extra day to recover. Cramps, dehydration and exhaustion are guaranteed. The morning after a practice it is obvious to everyone that I'm hurting. Limping around town and making painful grunting sounds when trying to sit down on someone's rug or work with them in the field are dead giveaways.

Evening temps are better but only because the sun is no longer beating down upon us. There is a steady breeze that blows through my concession at night. The only problem is that it is even warmer than the stagnant heat still leftover from the daytime. Cold bucket bath number three helps cool me down enough to go to bed. Timshel has started knocking over his water dish into the sand, and then proceeds to dig a hole and sleep in the cool and wet trench. I left a full bucket out for him the other night and once he knocked it over into the sand he slept like a rock. He is very grimy now as a result, but I'll let it slide until the heat subsides.