BECA Travels: Rain

Rain

This is the rainy season in Ghana.   It begins in January and lasts into our summer, with the rains dying down a bit by now.  This year, however, there wasn’t a lot of rain in the earlier part of the year. Instead, we’re getting quite a bit now.  The first night we were here, we were awakened by a big storm beating down on the metal roof.  Then we didn’t see any more for a few days. In the last several days, we have had a lot of rain, both at night and in the daytime. What’s wonderful about the rain is that it cools everything down.  Just before it rains, it gets very humid so that you are dripping in sweat – and then the rain comes. (If anyone else knows Midwest summers, you’ll understand.) Since people hang their laundry out to dry, the rains moisten the clothes again, meaning re-washing. 

During the health education play we “shot” at a local school last week, the cast was making its way through the play, we were catching it on video, and the 100 children of the school were sitting on desks set under trees to watch.  All of a sudden, it started pouring, and the children, carrying their desks, ran to the school. We covered the equipment as best we could, and the cast stopped the play.  We all sat under the overhanging roof of the school for a half hour or so.  When the rain stopped, everyone went back to their places and the play continued.

The “breezeway”  - the metal-covered area I described earlier – is the best place to be in the rain. It’s a good place to talk or read or simply watch the rain.