Just Add Water

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth;

without rain, there would be no life.”

~John Updike

Walking home from school

My favorite time of year has begun, the rainy season.  We've had rain every day for the last six days. Maybe it’s just the PNW in me, but I love rain!! It makes everything so beautiful and green. There is that wonderful, home-sweet-home smell from the rain. Kpalime is known for getting the most rain in Togo and for having a mild climate compared to the extremes in other parts of the country. It’s like the Seattle of Togo. 

It's not dinosaur poop (my first thought), just yam mounds

When the rain started, farmers instantly got to work. Corn is growing like weeds now. Yam/manioc mounds have been made anywhere and everywhere someone could possibly find a spot for them. It’s been several months since the dry season started back in October/November, so people in Kpalime are looking forward to having corn again to make their pate. 

What I love most about this season is the beauty all around me that I get to see every day, the strong wind that blows through before the rain starts, and falling asleep to the sound of rain hitting the roof. What I don’t like is how the unpaved roads turn to mud, the terrifying thunder that makes me jump, and the power outages. I’m happy the dry season is over, but it’s odd to think that I won’t be in Togo when the next one comes to Kpalime. Time flies, only 19.5 weeks left.

hibiscus in my compound