The first time I ever experienced harmattan in its “real” form was in 2016. I had just gotten admission into the School of Basic and Remedial Studies (SBRS) in Funtua, Katsina state. It was in the far north, of course. I had written my online entrance exams and I was already given admission. I took the second bus leaving for the day at the popular park in Ojoo, Ibadan. Nobody told me it was going to be so cold up there, and nobody told me my journey was a night one.
I am not one to be fazed by a little cold weather and stuff, and I do not have lots of sweaters. My mama begged me to at least carry her sweater, just in case; hard geh like me, no o, wetin go con do my steeze. I refused to carry the sweater because no cold a hard girl like me cannot chest.
The journey started at about 4 PM in the evening. I bade my mom farewell, and I was so happy to be going to the North again, yes again, that was not my first time up North. The journey was a rather fun one. I was probably the youngest in the bus, I was about 18 at the time. My seatmates just saw it fit to buy snacks for me on the road. They praised me for being brave enough to embark on a journey of about 20 hours all by myself, and I didn’t cry when bidding my mother farewell.
The weather was relatively okay, and the temperature dropped as the night grew. If you travel at night often, you would know night travels are especially peaceful because the weather is cool. The cold first hit me at about 12 AM the next day when we entered Kogi State. I sat by the window, so I was receiving the cold firsthand. As the hard girl that I am, I chested it. The cold grew as we went further up North. It was grossly impossible for me to withstand the cold any longer as I was shivering a lot. My hands were frozen, and my feet were so cold, and I regretted rejecting my mother’s advice and offer of warmth. One of my seatmates shaa gave me his sweater to keep me warm a little bit.
When we got to Zaria, Kaduna state, my seatmate that lent me his sweater alighted, and we proceeded to Funtua. By the time we got there, the air was so thin that my nose was hurting with every breath. When I got to my destination, the sun was coming up, and I had never been more grateful for the sun.
Ever since my experience in Funtua, I have always looked forward to harmattan. It has slowly become my favourite season all year.
Harmattan is not what it was, due to the damage to our ozone layer, the weather keeps getting hotter. Harmattan is for cold, but now you barely enjoy the cold; instead, you just get dry air, excessive dust, and very hot sun.
Funtua cold is exceptional; the school’s location was an outskirt. There were plenty of trees in the school, and that, in itself, aided the cold breeze that blows all throughout the day. I enjoyed my time in SBRS though; even the cold was beneficial in itself. You barely had the need to use sunscreen and retouch your makeup.
Fun tip for this new generation harmattan is, always wear sunscreen, use umbrella and wear protective clothing.
