Kettlewater

It’s really cold in Gandhinagar. Okay, it isn’t as cold as other parts of India get, and it’s surprisingly warmer outside my room than it is on the inside, but I feel really cold here. I always have. It’s why, although I enjoy the even semesters on campus a lot, I’m a fan of the odd semesters: specifically September and October, when the rain has subsided, and the winds blow a cool breeze across campus. I much prefer the heat to the cold. Despite living in India for 11 years now, I don’t think my body has fully acclimatized to the country. It’s cold enough for me to always be wearing a jacket and multiple layers, to prefer pyjamas over shorts or anything of the sort, and pretty much always have socks on to keep my feet warm.

Staying here in December 2017 increased my capacity to withstand the brutal cold, but not by much, to be frank.

The sun’s out and everything, but since one of the windows in my room broke, I’ve been struggling with the cold wind entering my room. To combat this, I devised the greatest thing I’ve ever come up with: heating up some water.

Usually when I drink warm water from my kettle, I never allow for it to heat up to the kettle’s maximum. I’ll maybe shut it off within about 30-40 seconds, because I don’t have the palette or the desire to consume overly heated water. I much rather prefer warm stuff. But now, I let the kettle heat up completely – till the water inside boils and it auto-switches off. Then I warm my hands by holding the sides of the kettle. I can do this for minutes together – almost 20-30 minutes before the water is of a consumable temperature, and then drink the warm water to warm myself up completely.

 It gets me feeling fuzzy and nice on the inside, which is honestly all I can ask for in this weather. One thing I realized a little later, however, is that I feel terrible about the kind of energy I’m wasting. As a result, I do this less often: only when it’s cold enough to warrant the consumption of warm water. Otherwise I put a brave face on and make it through the day by wearing my layers and socks.

This might serve me well if I move abroad. It may not. Only time will tell.