Online Reporter
Fadzayi Maposah
Correspondent
The weather has been confusing lately. One moment we think that winter is coming to an end, and the next moment, we are looking for the same coats that we had put away.
One day one may be so sure that it is going to be very cold and layer up clothes, only to think about where the peeling off can be done. The day that one leaves the house without warm clothes, it suddenly becomes cold! It is so confusing. I would rather be hot than be cold.
Being hot may just make you uncomfortable, but being cold can lead to some health conditions that could have you seeking medical attention. When they talk about climate change, just how much do we listen? Does it seem far-fetched?
At the beginning of winter, I remember telling a colleague that I just did not want to get cold and I would probably be wearing stockings until September.
She laughed. There is the possibility that come September, my stockings and I could still be close friends!
The weather and travelling on public transport requires patience. On cold days, most people seated by the windows do not want to open the windows to allow fresh air to circulate.
There are some buses that have air conditioners, I am not talking about those buses. I am talking about the ones that have been nicknamed chicken buses.
A passenger can walk into the bus holding their chicken which will be relish when they get to their destination. There are some very creative people.
I travelled once with someone who came on board with a box that held four chickens. This individual had placed the chickens in such a way that each one had its head protruding through a hole that had been cut on a piece of the cardboard. So four sides, one chicken head per side. As we travelled, the chickens’ droppings contributed to the stuffy air in the bus.
Then when one asked if the window could be opened just a bit, the look on the face of the one near the window was enough to tell you that you were playing with fire. They would swing open the window and while you are still trying to take in the air, close it again.
Early this week, I boarded a bus early in the morning. The majority of the passengers had boarded the bus in the wee hours of the day.
One could tell from the way they were dressed that it had been very cold when they had made their way to the bus station.
From the front of the bus, I walked into stuffy air. I boarded with other passengers and quickly before the bus took off, we found seats and after exchanging pleasantries, settled in.
I was in the aisle and I longed to reach out to the window and open it. The woman sitting next to me must have noticed how I looked at the window longingly because she swung it wide open. I smiled and thanked her.
There was, however, a protest from the passenger behind us. Apparently as the bus gathered speed, the fresh air to us, was hitting others harshly. We managed to strike a deal that we would just open the window a bit. We would get a bit of fresh air and those behind us would not be so cold. So all the way, occasionally we would open the window a bit and then slide it back again.
Occasionally the conductor would ask those by the windows to let in fresh air. The sound of windows being opened and being closed even faster than they had opened competed with the music on the bus.
Just how important is fresh air? Is it over rated? Is it pre-menopausal women like me who provide fellow passengers with additional tasks of letting in fresh air into public transport?
Fresh air is important for our health. Not just for those on public transport, even those in offices, at home or other workplaces.
When the conductor was asking everyone to open the window, he was allowing a cross breeze into the bus. This can be done even in other settings.
At home, open windows that are opposite to each other, air will circulate from the different angles. It should be a custom after waking up in the morning to open the windows and allow the freshness of the day to get into the house.
Our grandmothers valued this. As they opened the windows, we would be asked to go outside “kuti muwane fresh air,” (to get some fresh air).
Now we are more formally educated than them, yet we do not know (is it we ignore) the simple things that they knew were important. There are some people that brag that they have days when they do not go outside.
My grandmothers would faint if they were still alive. Getting fresh air improves your physical and mental health. Fresh air boosts the immune system. Some of us are moody because we spend too much time in stuffy spaces!
The stagnant air in closed spaces including the public transport can cause headaches, dizziness and at times results in one feeling tired. That stagnant air allows airborne germs to be transmitted from one individual to the next.
As you read this, maybe you are in public transport, reach for the window or ask that person by the window to open it! You can also make time to be outside and take in some fresh air.
After my bus trip, I got an opportunity to sit in the park as I waited for my friend. It was good. Let us talk about that next week.
For now make a commitment to take in a breath of fresh air. It may seem ordinary, but the health benefits are immense.
I read too that fresh air improves brain function, making you concentrate better!
Could it explain why some commuter omnibus crew members are always in a bad mood?
