BERITA KAMPUS
Issue
Written on 6th April 2024
AS THE HEAT BUILDS, USM STUDENTS FIND WAYS TO COPE
Hang Zhengchuan along with her friend walking in the lane near Indah Kembara with umbrellas as a shield to protect them from the heat. (Picture by Sharvena a/p Kanapathy)
MAIN CAMPUS, 6 April- Almost half of peninsular Malaysia recently has been experiencing peaks at least 35 degrees Celsius for three straight days, according to the latest data from the Metrological Department, which expects the hot and dry spell to last until mid-April.
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The weather forecast in the area of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Gelugor have stated “excessive heat” to be expected since the beginning of the new semester which was on 27 March 2024. Even though it was officially declared that all the classes to be conducted online due to the month of Ramadhan but there are still number of students that had to return to the campus to attend their classes and labs physically.
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Due to the severe heat, stepping out between noon and 4 P.M is out of the question, and students are getting creative to beat the heat.
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Sharllyn Anissha Thurairas, Biological Sciences 2, usually keeps 2 umbrellas with her in case she misplaces one of them anywhere.
“I used to dress up for my classes before this, but now it is just loose shirts, high buns, tote bags, thin socks along with thick layers of sunscreen on my face,” said Sharllyn.
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Sharllyn mentioned that to help her body to stay active so that she can survive the day, drinking a lot of warm water in a day is the key in helping her to stay focused during her classes.
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“I also recently bought a table fan to get through the heat at night as I prefer studying in my room during night,” added Sharllyn.
Sharllyn Anissha Thurairas taking her notes with a table fan on her table to cool her down from the heat. (Picture by Sharvena a/p Kanapathy)
Hang Zhengchun, Masters in Linguistics and English, always steps out of her dorm around 8 A.M till 9. A.M to get to her classes.
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“I always try to get out early then I would stay at the Bricks, library or anywhere that has air conditioner meanwhile waiting for my classes to start,” said Hang.
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Hang further added that reapplying sunscreen, lip balm from time to time is crucial to avoid looking so dry throughout the day.
“If I have no classes, I would usually spend my whole day by going to the shopping malls around Penang such as Queensbay, Gurney as it is so cold inside there,” said Hang.
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Liu Jiaxin, Management 1, always travels by Grab and Kumpool from her hostel to her classes almost every day due to the weather.
“Before this I loved walking around the campus with my friends to head to my classes, but now we would just order Grab to travel from one place to another” said Liu.
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Liu mentioned that sometimes back in China during summer it would be much hotter compared to Malaysia, so it hasn’t been a hassle for her to cope up with this weather.
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Text: Sharvena Kanapathy/Photo: Sharvena Kanapathy
Created on 6th April
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