MY FIRST—AND LAST—PERFORMANCE DURING PRIDE SEASON
Yesterday's choir performance and my body's inability to handle the heat.
On Friday, queer chor schweiz performed during Anna Rosenwasser's reading of her new book, "Herz." The event took place at Schenkhaus in Zürich.
queer chor schweiz promo photo on the website. See if you can spot me. (Source)
Rosenwasser is an LGBT+ activist and writer turned politician, and currently serves on the National Council for the Social Democratic Party. The event was sold out.
Schenkhaus is a cultural event space and while roomy, it probably seats 50 people max, so it was an intimate venue. I thought we would sing our set and then I could leave, because the event would be in German. The program wasn't revealed to us until moments before the concert. That's when I learned that we would be singing in between the readings. For an event, I think that's pretty cool. We started at 19:30 and the reading ran until 21:15.
We had a short and sweet rehearsal before, and I really enjoyed performing with the choir again. The reading was interesting and I managed to understand like, 50% of it. It also inspired me to write a book and do my own reading someday!
And now, onto the reason why I've decided to skip pride season—i.e., the summer months—entirely.
Switzerland + summer = HOT
While riding the tram with a few other members, someone wondered if Switzerland will ever equip their buildings with air conditioning. Yep, you read that right—there's virtually no air conditioning in public spaces like restaurants and venues. Grocery stores and public transportation have air conditioning, but it wasn't like that when I first arrived. I remember that because one of my American friends came to visit and complained about the bus not having A/C.
I can understand why supermarkets already have A/C cause you know, produce and all. And I'm assuming public transportation was the first to be tackled because of tourism and maybe because it was easier to implement.
But even the offices I worked in lacked air conditioning. I still remember people shutting the blinds in the summer to keep the interior cool. A main reason I moved out of my last apartment was because it got a lot of sunlight, to the point where my plants roasted and pulling down the blinds midday didn't help at all. At one point, I was even sleeping on a yoga mat in the living room on summer nights because the bed was too warm to sleep in.
So yeah, Schenkhaus didn't have a/c nor fans. Rehearsal was fine because it was only the choir, but once the audience came in, the air became stagnant. I wasn't sweating nor did I feel particularly hot, but the lack of ventilation gave me a huge headache. I drank water in between our songs but the headache persisted, and I was using every fiber of my being to get through the evening.
When the event was over, I pretty much sprinted out of there, only saying goodbye to people I met along the way. I hoped that by getting fresh air my headache would go away. Instead, the sudden change in temperature made it worse. A/C was blasting in the tram and I started to feel nauseous. On the train ride home, two business bros sat next to me and talked NONSTOP in my ear. It was all too much. I couldn't even listen to the 2 Mello album I'd been listening to all week and had to switch to the Bridgerton soundtrack for something slightly calmer, lol.
Luckily, the business bros got off halfway, and I had remembered my grandmother telling me about pressure points to pinch when I'm feeling nauseated. While my nausea didn't disappear, it did subside a bit.
Daniel had to pick me up from the station with sandals because my cute Camper shoes were too painful to walk in. I got home, popped an Ibuprofen, and waited for it to kick in. While I showered, I decided that I would have to skip the summer programs completely. I had already written to one of the board members that I would only go to one event per weekend, but the night had been so torturous that every part of me was screaming, "No more!"
As I hurtle towards 40, I'm learning that pushing my body to the limit is no longer a challenge but a warning.
It no longer feels worth it, no matter how much I enjoy the singing part. I always knew that I preferred the cold and until Switzerland gets with the A/C program, my health comes first.
Heat exhaustion
Growing up, I experienced heat exhaustion frequently. 中暑 (zhòng shǔ) was a term I heard a lot. I still remember one summer I developed similar symptoms of nausea, headache, and extreme discomfort. It was right before a piano recital. I sweat profusely and I couldn't sweat at all. My grandma decided that I needed gua sha. Gua sha is known in western society as a beauty regimen, but it's also a practice to relieve pain and other symptoms. However, rather than gently massaging one's face, my grandma used porcelain spoons and even coins to not-so-gently scrape one's back. When done properly, your skin becomes streaked in dark red and even purple. That's when you know it worked.
I hated this. You'd think that she was skinning me alive. I remember protesting and crying, but after it was done, I felt a lot better. I could sweat again, and I probably went on to perform in the recital with no problem.
Maybe it'll cool down in June (the weather is fickle), but I also read that it's going to be the hottest summer of the year. I have no idea about the venue in Basel, and like I said earlier, I don't want to simply equip myself with Ibuprofen and push through the pain. I'll just rejoin the choir in the fall, which is the main program anyway.
I was really looking forward to singing with my fellow queers especially during pride month, but yesterday was a painful reminder that it's ok to prioritize ME. As I get older, I'm learning to respect and listen to my body. I'm not sure if it's a temple, but it's definitely a fixer-upper.