So about a month ago Katie and I decided to give up fans for lent. To the average North American this decision probably doesn’t mean much. Temperate summer climate, cold winters, and air conditioners have rendered fans unnecessary and obsolete. Needless to say, it’s different in Tchad. Lent crosses the peak of the the hot season in Tchad. Tempertures rose above 40C and we consumed water by the liter. There are no air conditioners. There was only heat and many sleepless nights.

The conversation leading up to our decision went something like this:

Katie: What should I give up for lent this year?
Dan: I usually don’t give anything up.
Katie: Ok, but what should I give up this year?
Dan: Fans, you should give up fans.
Katie: Ok.
Dan: But that was a joke.
Katie: You’re going to give them up too.
Dan: Dang.

Fortunately, the electricity was cut most of the time, so I didn’t have to worry much about my stength of will. But there were a few days where my host parents sat beneath a huge fan in their room set to top speed, while I spent the night sleepless in the heat of my concrete bedroom. Oh yeah, concrete absorbes the heat during the day and lets it out at night. This is all well and good if you are a reptile, but as a human I did not appreciate the sauna I slept in each night. Thank goodness it’s over. The hot season is almost over too, so three cheers for that.