Winter in Botswana is mostly contained within the month of July. Strangely, adjusting to the seasons reversal in the Southern Hemisphere has been one of the hardest things we have encountered.
At night here, with no central heat, our apartment gets cold. We counter this by using two small space heaters and these neat little blankets we bought months ago.
The north side of our apartment warms quickly as the sun hits it. That has been an adjustment too, for those of us used to seeing the sun in the south.
Some of the first nights of winter seemed very cold, and we were afraid that we would be very uncomfortable, but most nights haven't been too bad.
Regardless of the night temps, once the sun rises, it warms quickly. By 11 AM or so, it can be very warm in the sunshine. I see people wearing shorts at mid-day most winter days.
Today for example, the low was 39F and the high is 80F. Pretty good swing eh? Apparently this is due to the lack of cloud cover. Clouds condensed water and the limited moisture here means few clouds. The clouds act as a blanket at night to reflect solar radiation being re-radiated by the earth. No blanket makes for a much colder night. The same thing happens at home, it's just that we have a LOT more cloud cover.
Genesis 8:22 is a promise from G^d, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." The key phrase here is the first part, "While the earth remains...".
It's important to keep in mind that phrase. This earth is not permanent, and it is NOT our home. It's easier to see that when you are a long-time visitor in Africa, it is harder when you are "at home". But home will pass away one day... unless your home is heaven.
At night here, with no central heat, our apartment gets cold. We counter this by using two small space heaters and these neat little blankets we bought months ago.
The north side of our apartment warms quickly as the sun hits it. That has been an adjustment too, for those of us used to seeing the sun in the south.
Some of the first nights of winter seemed very cold, and we were afraid that we would be very uncomfortable, but most nights haven't been too bad.
Regardless of the night temps, once the sun rises, it warms quickly. By 11 AM or so, it can be very warm in the sunshine. I see people wearing shorts at mid-day most winter days.
Today for example, the low was 39F and the high is 80F. Pretty good swing eh? Apparently this is due to the lack of cloud cover. Clouds condensed water and the limited moisture here means few clouds. The clouds act as a blanket at night to reflect solar radiation being re-radiated by the earth. No blanket makes for a much colder night. The same thing happens at home, it's just that we have a LOT more cloud cover.
Genesis 8:22 is a promise from G^d, "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." The key phrase here is the first part, "While the earth remains...".
It's important to keep in mind that phrase. This earth is not permanent, and it is NOT our home. It's easier to see that when you are a long-time visitor in Africa, it is harder when you are "at home". But home will pass away one day... unless your home is heaven.
Every year my favorite morning is the one when summer breaks. I go to bed at the end of a warm day, then open the door early the next morning to a surprising cool breeze. The clean feeling air feels like a signal that we've survived another hot summer and made it to the other side. I love that morning. I can't imagine how awesome it would be if it came in July. :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know what you mean. Our pleasant winter has already dissolved into summer, without much spring. Looking fwd to get back to some real cold in USA.
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