Heat Index Bliss

I think we all expect to learn something about ourselves throughout life and particularly when doing an out of the ordinary and stressful activity like Peace Corps.  The single most important thing I’ve learned about myself is that my happiness and attitude are significantly impacted by the climate I am in.  Some may say I have discovered that I am a whiner, but I had already come to grips with that sometime in high school.

Here I whine about the weather.  I have surely annoyed a friend or two as I vent on my constant uncomfortableness down in the south of Togo.  Without meaning to I have even found myself in arguments with a few passionate Savanners who believe their couple months of heat (sometimes reaching above 120F during the day—yeah I know, it is definitely something to complain about) are really the most extreme and complain worthy.

For those of you not familiar with Togo: Savannes is the most northernly region in Togo and is in the savanna climate zone (very low humidity, less rain, and at times during the year extreme heat).  Maritime (where I live) is the most southernly region and is in the tropical climate zone (high humidity, relatively consistent temperatures throughout the year, and higher rainfall).

In my opinion, being in the south is rough.  While temperatures are more often than not hovering around 85-95°F we have humidity that ranges from 60-70%.  This is all year long.  As the seasons change (Dry to Wet) there are some average changes, but not by much.  Those in Savannes have a little different pattern and have times of the year when their low temperature dips into the 50s and times when the high reaches over 125°F.  One thing is consistent though, low humidity (which, I must concede causes many of its own heath issues like increased lung infections, scratchy throat, and dry skin). 

I am constantly uncomfortable—even at times when I don’t feel hot I am still sweaty and sticky.  I live in front of my fan and almost entirely in the nude if I can manage it.  I frequently have trouble sleeping because I am hot and even the most mundane of tasks like doing the dishes or watching TV leave me dripping in sweat.  I’m honestly not sure if I could survive this region without my fan so, to all my Martitimers without electricity, “Du courage.”

This past weekend I headed north to do some group work in the city of Kara and afterwards a spent a little time with a friend in Sokode on my return trip.  It was over this weekend that I fully understood what I have been missing.  Prior to this weekend I had never been further north than Pagala (which in itself still gave me a taste of the freedom from humidity).  What I found up north was sweet heavenly heat index bliss.  Heat index is the calculation of the perceived temperature by incorporating humidity.

Heat Index Calculation Chart

Kara was hotter than Vogan, but not too hot (I’ve heard there has been an extremely mild hot season so far).  It was hot but I was comfortable.  I know my body perceived the heat as I sweating—thank you plastic chair for letting me know—but I felt dry and comfortable.  I was wearing clothes heavier than I usually wear in Vogan and yet I was happy, eager to walk around and explore and take a poolside nap.  The excitement continued in Sokode when I slept soundly without a fan and walked around at high noon only breaking into a slight sweat.  I envy them and unfortunately couldn’t shut up about it.  I feel as though the Kara and Central regions of Togo find that heat and humidity balance amazingly well.  If I even had a month out of the year in which I could feel that good…

As a right this it is 7:15pm, 31°C (90°F) and 63% humidity; According to Mr. Heat Index that is feeling just about 100°F.  Now during hot season this doesn’t really compare to some for the highs in Savannes, but this is all year round.  On an average day when the temperature reached 95°F it feels like a whopping 120ish°F. Being hot and sweaty really impacts my attitude and work ethic.  So, lesson learned, while I can’t just up and move north right now, I will not be living in a tropical climate my whole life, and one day maybe my dreams will come true and I’ll once again wake up and live my life feeling pleasantly dry and comfortable.