Be-Wise: The Thermos, the Fanta, and Growing Older

When I travelled to China, I noticed something curious.

Almost everyone carried a thermos.

Schools had hot-water dispensers. Offices had hot-water dispensers. Hotels provided kettles. People refilled their flasks throughout the day and drank warm water, even during the summer.

One of my tour guides told me that when they were children, their mothers would always say that hot water was good for digestion. Drinking hot water had become a habit since childhood.

I remember one day after lunch, I wanted to order tea. My tour guide stopped me and took me to a Kung Fu tea house instead. It was like a bar, but dedicated entirely to tea. She explained that many Chinese people believe drinking tea after a meal helps with digestion.

When I returned from China, I found myself adopting some of those habits. I started drinking more hot water and often enjoyed tea after meals.

Lately, however, I have found myself searching for something cold.

Years ago, my mother did the same thing. She always carried cold drinks with her and preferred ice water whenever she could. At the time, I never thought much about it.

Now, as I approach menopause, I find myself doing exactly the same thing.

A cold drink feels refreshing in a way that is difficult to explain. Sometimes it isn’t the sweetness I want. It is simply the feeling of cooling down from the inside.

Especially now, when summer in Dubai has reached temperatures of 45–50°C and my hot flashes have become more frequent.

As I write this in the middle of June 2026, it is scorching outside. I woke up feeling thirsty. The hot flashes had already hit me several times since morning. After breakfast, I found myself standing in front of the refrigerator looking for something refreshing. In the end, I reached for half a bottle of orange Fanta.

It makes me wonder how much of what we call “preference” is actually our body quietly adapting to different stages of life.

Perhaps my mother wasn’t simply choosing cold drinks.

Perhaps her body was trying to tell her something long before either of us knew the language of hormones, hot flashes, and menopause.

Growing older has taught me that our bodies are always speaking.

The challenge is learning how to listen.

How about you? Have you started experiencing hot flashes? How do you cope with them?