The Rains

Excerpt from my personal journal:

Wednesday night it rained! I love it when it rains here. The sky goes really dark and cloudy. And then the tops of the clouds flash orange as the lightning starts. And then the winds really pick up. And then there's a mad rush. All the stools and chairs and cauldrons and charcoal stoves and pots have to be rushed under cover. They try to gather a few hot coals to keep the food cooking on the patio. And then the rush for cover kind of goes 'backward' as the women scurry to put all their pans out under the eavestroughs to catch rainwater (for drinking). It's a sight to watch - we wait desperately for the rain to come and when it finally does there's this frantic flurry of activity to get out of the rain, while at the same time there are these hidden smiles of relief on everyon's faces.

Rain is a serious problem right now. I heard Krantomah say the 'd' word on Saturday - drought. He said that the rains better come soon or 'the drought will be worrying us'. I actually didn't want to think of that possibility - but it's a real threat. I heard that, if in the next couple of weeks the rains don't start, then there will be a food shortage - that's scary. It's just this realization that if there's no food, there's no food. Period. It doesn't matter who you are, white or black, rich or poor. There's just no food.

Anyway, Wednesday night I was almost giddy. I was laughing I was so happy that we at least had one evening of rain. I ran to my room, as it was already 8:30, and put my own bucket outside and brushed my teeth on the patio. And then I went into my room, collapsed on my bed, and just listened to the raindrops on the tin roof, thinking how "romantic" my situation was - ha - I don't know why it felt romantic, but that's just how I felt. My surroundings, the sound of the rain, the giddiness I felt - it was great.