Those African Rains

Yesterday Becky and I took a walk with storm clouds looming in the distance, but it was so warm that the idea of getting caught in the rain was almost appealing. So, off we set on our daily trek (ok, so, we don’t actually get out every day but we try to!), this time however, we thought we would try a different direction. It was a lovely little path by the horses that roam freely and through the stinky trash piles. It was more like “Garbage Row” if you were going to name that street, that is to say, it has more garbage on it than the other streets. The sky was getting that beautiful, dusky deep gray which meant the storm was brewing closer and closer, but we kept on going, jogging past the burning trash to get away from the stench, on and on… until we got ourselves nice and lost. And that’s precisely when we reached the rain. But rainstorms out here are so welcome that it felt really good and in a matter of seconds we were soaked straight through with rivers of water in our shoes. But we chose to be in the rain- I still cannot forget the lady we passed on the path with a baby on her back and a wooden display case for her wares about a foot and a half high balanced on top of her head. And on top of that, she had her basket of fruit! In the downpouring rain!!! I really wanted to help her, but Becky said not to. I have to admit, it wasn’t as though she looked like she was having a difficult time, she was as graceful as ever. And I can just envision myself trying to help her- I would have surely tipped that basket over trying to get if off her head and had the fruit rolling down the hill into the waves of chocolate colored water. Those little green oranges and yellow limes would have looked like gumdrops in the swirling water and I would wonder for a moment if I didn't live in a lollipop world after all. Oh wait, that was a marshmallow world, with the winter snow. Hmmm, well, maybe we'll have to make up a new verse for that old Bing Crosby song! Anyway, after asking many people where we were, we finally got on the right road and joined the river of rain home. It was much more fun actually being in the rainstorm than just listening to it pound on the tin roofs. I may have to try it again soon! :)

(Sorry, no rainstorm pictures. Was I ever glad I didn't take my camera with me on that little hike! But here's Hadassah with some kids at church. They were quite entertained throwing flower petals at each other.)