How knowledge of Science Helped Me Survive Winters: 2 Narratives

Below I share two narratives where I used my knowledge of science to protect myself from cold winters. This article was originally written in mid December as a personal memoir, but I now have decided to publish it on my website.

I must also admit that I have failed to follow my own advice on clothes. Today is 2°C and I have not wore wool/acrylic, leather yet. While I managed to “survive”, I also lost 3 kg of weight which had a huge impact on already underweight me. Now I need to bulk up before I drop below 40 kg. But that would be a long way too go as my goal is around 70-75 kg.

About My Second Home

I have been coming to this place, referred to as second home hereafter, ever since I was a child. I mention in my short autobiography age 7, Started long distance cycling(total 10Km + a day), despite being underweight(BMI less than 13). This is the place where I came.

It is around 5.5 KM from my home. Ever since start, the facilities, resources are scare as this is a rural area. There is still no water supply or plumbing. Electricity goes off, there is no power backup. Public transport is scare and requires significant walking. Lot of stray dogs and dangerous people. Though when I started coming here again, at age 18, I singlehandedly renovated this whole place and brought my stuff.

Things I did were: nailing bedsheets as curtains for privacy; nailing nails on walls to organize items such as belt, keys; bought a higher quality broomstick, which had a significant effect; brought cooking utensils, hotplate; a bigger bucket to store water, so less refills are needed; replacing plastic water bottles with a big steel utensil; extra lock; installing WiFi; UPS as a power backup for wifi; sealing all openings to prevent pests; installing a makeshift scarecrow; hired an unskilled laborer to clear up dense vegetation; separate footwear for rooftop and inside room; separate clothes for manual work; makeshift pots for plants; an elevated space on rooftop to get a view of surroundings without exposing oneself; blanket; elevated sleeping platform, kind of a foldable bed, but not foldable and short.

Makeshift scarecrow at my second home

As you can see in this photo, I have created a scarecrow and did some arrangements. Firstly, the curtain you see here is pretty heavy and pigeons aren't able to lift it. Then I have added bricks under the gap, in windows, sealed of the backside with another curtain. This all combined with negative reinforcement of me visiting there would probably discourage them from coming here.

The scarecrow was made using a simple old pipe, cardboard boxes to simulate body fat, and a rope that came with those boxes to fasten them. And another box to serve as a head.

I also created and installed a DIY, hand free, male urinal on rooftop, behind the curtain. The advantage of it being on rooftop were: privacy; sanitation; and encouraging physical activity. The liquid would be dropped on wasteland beneath only due to gravitational forces. And I have water and a mug there to create more pressure. Also the area gets sunlight between a specific time, so I keep curtain opened at that time. I pour soapy water in it to clean it too.

I already had PVC pipes there. So I drilled a small hole in the wall, but left some space for thermal expansion, using hammer and a nail, lubricated it with water, and inserted the already cut pipe into it. However the pipe was too short, so I had to take a bigger piece and cut it. I didn't have proper measuring equipment, so I eyeballed measurements, which required going in and out, leaning on wall, a few times. I had to make sure that the pipe wasn't long enough that liquid stays in it, but not too short that requires squatting to use. After that, I put two vertical bricks under it to increase it's height and pressure.

Finally I made it, but on that day I didn't have a funnel material and the opening of the pipe was too tight. So instead I tested using water. I ran back to see water dripping. I thought about measuring exact time it takes for a particular amount of water to drip but it would have been absurd. A similar experiment I did at age 16 where I categorized fluids on based of their relationship with heat and force.

The next day, I found a plastic bottle randomly on street. I cut it into two pieces, a funnel and mug. Fortunately, the neck of funnel just fit the pipe perfectly.

It's not fancy, it's male only but it just works. It can be adjusted a bit for user height, if just in case somebody else needs it. I had taken a photo too but I'm not attaching it here for obvious reasons.


Using Principles Of Science To Survive A Cold Night

This happened at my “second home”, where I spend most of my daytime, but this day I was sleeping there too.

I woke up, alone, in my “second home”, at cold midnight, feeling hungry. Not a new thing for a chronic insomanic, and underweight me. The temperature was supposed to be 7°C, but due to tile floor, which is a very good conductor of heat, and wind, and howling of stray dogs, I estimate that my room temperature must have dropped too near 3°C.

I managed to deduce that the hunger was caused by cold. I was sleeping on floor with only a thin sheet underneath, and a thin blanket on me. So to cope with that, my body produced more heat, hence more calories burned.

So I took my unsweetened peanut butter jar, and ate a big spoon straight from jar. However, I did not gulp it down in a second. As I know that saliva is required for digestion of fats and chewing stimulates secretion of digestive enzymes. So instead, I faked chewing and moved it with my tounge for 2 minutes before swallowing it, even though it was uncomfortable, but now I am simply used to it.

Then I did 7 squats, specifically a lower body exercise because my feet were cold.

That and peanut butter made my feet warm again. But still, I must do something of cold floor. So I gathered up newspapers, rags and put them under my sheet. I also put a roll of newspaper and my backpack near my chest.

Then I snugly wrapped the blanket to my body and curled up in fetal position. By doing this, I was able to reduce surface area, dead air space, and hence sleep within a hour.

I have learned from this lesson and bought a new blanket, elevated sleeping platform, warm clothes. While the blanket is still kinda lightweight, I’d rather compensate it through clothes. Blankets bring laziness, and are unergonomic, suffocation.


Dealing With Cold In Open

Let me share another quick story that just happened few days ago of this event.

Time was around 7:00, it was extremely cold, and foggy, due to pollution. I reached to my “second home”. There I saw that door was locked and I did not have keys. Worse, there were some stray dogs were roaming there and not at much distance, few suspicious men were standing. I was not much afraid of cold, as much afraid of the people, dogs there.

While I did have my EDC bag with pb, pepper spray(the same which I reviewed earlier, its backfires), phone, lighter, steel water bottle, but no knife. Though, even If did have one, I would not have used it for self defense. Because it is simply not a good self defense weapon. There is a popular saying, In a knife fight, both people go to hospital. The winner goes upwards(for treatment), and the loser goes downside(morgue).

I “equiped” the steel water bottle in my hand, and took a shelter near the wall, even it meant decreasing the distance between people and me, but it was better than standing in open. Then to warm up my body, I started doing some exercise.

A man, whose whole body was covered in blanket, asked me in Hindi that what I am doing here. I lied to him, in Punjabi, “I do not know Hindi, only Punjabi”. I was hoping that he won’t reply but he asked me same question in broken Punjabi. I then again lied that I was waiting for someone. Then he thankfully got silent.

Finally, after 15 minutes, my father arrived and provided me keys.

I quickly opened the door and then as quickly locked from inside. So that no air, dog, or person comes.