In light of the fact that we're over one week into October and the temperatures are practically breaking the thermometer, I thought I'd share my best tips for how to survive hot season in Malawi.
1. Take 3 bucket baths a day
Seriously, a cold bucket bath can cool you down for a whole 15 minutes. The only bad part is the initial pour of the cold water onto your head that takes your breath away for a second. And also, having to get all that water from the borehole and carry it back to your house..
2. Walk around half naked
Obviously you can only do this INSIDE your house as the whole village would be up in arms freaking out if they saw bare skin anywhere above your knees. However, the less clothes on your body the better. Plus, less laundry to wash! Also make sure to close your curtains if your neighbors live close by. Hint: Remember to keep a chitenje close by so that if you have unexpected visitors, you can quickly wrap yourself up to be presentable.
3. Lay on the floor
Heat rises, so stay as close to the ground as possible. Maybe bring a book or a journal and hang out down there all day.
4. Sleep outside
Take your mosquito net with you, but moving your sleeping space outdoors will really help you integrate into your community as this is a very typical behavior during hot season.
5. Take siestas
Yes, I know, we don't live in a Spanish speaking country, but that doesn't mean that we can't take afternoon naps to avoid the hottest part of the day. Just be prepared to wake up in a puddle of your own sweat...and maybe have one of those bucket baths prepared for as soon as you wake up.
6. Drink ORS
I personally hate oral rehydration salts, but I've heard that if you drink one bottle of them each morning, it will prevent that cracking lip, painfully dry throat feeling that happens nearly every afternoon during hot season. You know, when you're so thirsty that you chug your water so fast that it's dripping down your chin and soaks your shirt? Yeah yeah...pretend you don't.
7. Wake up early
Getting up around 5-5:30 AM is nice because it's at least a little bit cooler. You can wake up cool and warm up with the day. If you sleep until 8, you're going to wake up feeling like you're in a pre-heated oven.
8. Stock up on fruit
When the temperature is above 100F, you definitely won't want to make a fire to cook anything. Honestly, you probably won't want to eat at all because all you'll want is water. Fruit or other veggies that you can eat raw are a great solution because even though they won't be COLD, it's better than eating hot food and sweating your ass off.
9. Don't keep leftovers!
Seriously, food gets moldy SO quickly when your house is like an oven. You should never keep leftovers for more than half a day. Thoroughly check the smell before eating!
10. Go sit in an air conditioned building
HA!!!! JUST KIDDING. You can't find that in Malawi 😂
Pro tips:
Use that powerful sun to do your cooking for you! Make sun tea in a water bottle or cut up fruit and put it in a homemade solar drier ☀️👍🏽
Find a friend with a pool 😎👙 we love you Dermot and Heather!