When I arrived in Bacolod more than a year ago, one of the things I first noticed is the intense heat, especially during the day. Manila can be hot but the weather here is worse. I sometimes feel like the sun is so enraged that it wishes to burn all that’s under it. While suffering the heat, I was reminded of the time when I joined a group of friends hike towards the Taal crater. On our way to the crater, we observed fumes coming out of the rocks. I just finished reading Dante’s Purgatorio then, and I imagined that’s how it must be like in purgatory. The heat of Bacolod sometimes also feels like you’re in purgatory.
Being a person who loves the cool weather of Baguio and Tagaytay, my initial reaction to the heat was to get cooped in an air-conditioned room most of the time. But it hindered my movements, it affected my mood and it limited my productivity. Fears of dehydration, heat stroke and sunburn also came into my hyperactive mind. I didn’t like it at all. So soon, I decided the heat should not enslave me. I needed to go out to work and I want to live a normal, happy and healthy life.
I know my fears were real. The sun can really burn your skin and can cause the appearance of premature age spots and wrinkles. Heat can make you dehydrated. Dehydration brings discomforts like headache, parched lips, dry and itchy skin, drowsiness and tiredness. Also, we should not to forget, the sweating and the possible smell. Morbid though it seems, but to top it all, I also heard of someone who came here to attend a funeral only to be brought to the emergency room and die of heart attack.
So how am I coping with the Bacolod heat? How do I stay fit and happy and live my life to the full? First, I had to face the fact that we only have a sunny and rainy season here. Either it’s sunny and terribly hot, or it’s uncomfortably raining outside. Nothing in between. With this fact accepted, I have to change my habits a bit. Whenever I go out, I always bring an umbrella. I told myself that using an umbrella isn’t “uncool”. It is rather uncool and foolish to suffer the consequences of the scorching heat of the sun. Since I cannot live without a bag, it was not so hard to make sure that it has in it, my three-fold UV protect umbrella. I also use a 100% UV protect sunglasses. Having astigmatism is bad enough. Migraine due to the sun’s glare is worse. To avoid dehydration, I make sure I drink lots of fluids. At least eight glasses of water per day. So as not to be bored, I also take fresh juices. Bacolod is blessed with a supply of a variety of fruits the whole year. Lastly, to keep life happy, I regularly go out with friends to explore the many refreshing and invigorating sites Negros possesses – waterfalls, mountains, lakes and beaches. I just make sure I have enough water, sunblock and sunglasses and a mood for adventure.
