I don’t remember feeling this hot, ever. You could cook a meal in this heat and I’m not even exaggerating. Usually, when I do my laundry, it takes an entire day, sometimes even two for it to dry completely. Yes, poor people problems.

Can’t afford a washing machine or dryer! Anyway, like I was saying, it has been so hot lately that whatever I wash dries up in a matter of hours. Personally, the worst thing about the heat is the dust.

I don’t know if it’s as bad where you live but my neigbourhood is covered in dust. People park their cars overnight and in the morning, you’d be forgiven for assuming they drove miles given the dust ‘coating’ their vehicles. A short walk from my house to the main road leaves me covered in dust too, well, my shoes at least. 

It’s so dusty I have to carry a damp piece of cloth to wipe them off before getting to office because I don’t want my colleagues to crack jokes about me walking to work. That’s not to say that they too haven’t turned up with dusty shoes a couple of times! All this dust and heat just leaves me wishing I had rich parents or were rich myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to be out and about in this unfriendly weather. Here are three things I’d do to deal with the heat if I had lots money.

First, I would stay home all day and only go out at night when it’s a lot cooler. For those times when I had no choice but to leave my air-conditioned house, I would drive my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned office or a plush venue with clean cool air. However what I have to deal with now are overcrowded buses with windows that don’t even open all the way!

Secondly, I would also probably have a pool, shared by only close friends and family. The rest of the time, I would take as many as five refreshing showers because I wouldn’t be worried about the water bill. My reality can only accord me two, one in the morning and the other before bed. Anything more is not an option. 

If I was a rich girl, I wouldn’t worry about dehydration. I have been reading about heatstroke deaths in Egypt, Pakistan and India and on days when it’s gets very hot here, I worry about the possibility of fatalities. Think about it, there are people who can’t afford clean drinking water. To stay fully hydrated, you need at least 8 glasses of water daily. 

There have been days I have had to buy up to 4 litres of water in a single day because our water dispenser malfunctioned since nearly everyone at the office has been flocking to it for a much needed cold drink. Knowing how things work around here, it might be December before it’s repaired or we get a new one so until then, I could be spending  up to Rwf2,500 daily on water alone if this heat doesn’t let up. I’m definitely feeling the pinch.