No App Can Prepare you For UCT's Relentlessly Unpredictable Weather

Each morning I come to campus and see a variety of body armour that students don in order to take on the day. As we are approaching the end of winter, or “Bae Season” as some like to call it because it’s the time when you’re meant to have someone to cuddle with, the variety has drastically increased. We are now in the midst of a very confusing weather ritual that Mother Nature likes to perform and that is switching between all four seasons in a matter of hours.

Some choose to tackle the weather head on by getting out their raincoats and thick hoodies only to walk out of their 10 a.m. tut to sunshine and a gentle summer breeze. Others jump off the Jammies still holding on to the hopes that today’s weather will replicate that of the days of February. I see them fighting off the goose-bumps that make their way up their bare arms and legs. Either way, there’s only one word that rolls off people’s tongues when they know they are not appropriately dressed for campus.

I’ve heard some complain that they prepared their outfits according to the weather forecast but that failed because even Google can lie when it comes to Cape Town’s conditions. For those who come to campus a little later than their friends, they try and source information on what it’s like in UCT’s atmosphere. They too are sometimes fooled and blame their companions for not predicting the rain that has descended on them two minutes later. Others take on the YOLO mind-set, choosing to contest Mother Nature by which she responds in sending the rest of us into hell and then freezing it over.

I can honestly say that I have been every one of these people. I somehow lie to myself that I’m going to be OK because the sky kind of looked clear at seven this morning so there’s no need to lug my jacket around as my backpack is already heavy enough. I have also been through the phase of extreme paranoia and suited up for the worst and then realised that the only precipitation there is, is that coming from my armpits.

Everyone says that UCT has its own mind and that if you’re cold, just walk to the other side of campus to catch some sunlight and you’ll be fine. This may be slightly exaggerated but there is some truth in it. Countless times I have asked people why on earth they would come dressed up expecting to go to the North Pole and they reply by saying, “Well it was really cold by my house,” showing that just because it’s cold in Cape Town, does not mean it’s cold at campus.

I guess there’s no real way of gearing up each day during this confusing period as we transition from Lipton Ice Tea and smiles to Frigo’s coffee and grunts. We just have to learn to live with the fact that the weather will always be one step ahead of us. But hey, at least it always gives you the opportunity to spark a conversation with a potential “bae”, just don’t do it on a Jammie.

Written by: Nadia Ghumra