Winter

Would you believe it if I said it is freezing here? No, probably not. Most people (us included) are surprised by how cold it actually gets in Botswana. Of course, it's not so much how cold it gets as it is how the cold affects everything.

Imagine a house with concrete floor right on top of the foundation which is level with the ground. This house is all tile floors, all concrete walls, all windows thin and rattling in the breeze, all with no insulation to speak of. This house (the style of all houses/buildings here) is like a little icebox... it catches the coolness and traps it. Nights get down to freezing - no cloud cover 'desert effect' brings really, really cool nights. The house tempers to the cold around it, and traps that cold, no matter how warm it may get during the day. The walls and especially the floors are always cold to the touch.

It's a seeping sort of cold. We layer on clothes - sweaters and jackets over shirts, socks over other socks. Scarves, gloves, and hats, even in the house! All the layering has a purpose, because if you go out during the day and end up walking in the sun, you will probably start to overheat and want to shed a few layers. Some days it still gets up above 80 when in the sun, so you can imagine how hard it is to decide what to wear in the morning that will last you all day!

We have friends from Alaska staying with us, and even they think it is cold! Mornings I wake to see my own breath in the air, and it is so hard to roll out of the little cocoon I've made for myself to go shower in the frigid bathroom.

I just keep reminding myself of how in a few short months (maybe even weeks?) I will look back on this time with great fondness. As I sweat great drops of perspiration, I'll remember these cool mornings and wish for them to come again. :)