RAIN!

Rain! At last! We had scanned the skies daily looking for signs that the seven months of the dry season might finally end. Friday we heard rolling thunder at 2 a.m. and ran to the window to see if the rain was coming. A few flashes of lightning, a sprinkle, and that was all. Then, on Saturday afternoon, the first drops fell, sounding like bullets as they hit our corrugated metal roof. We waited to make sure that this was the real thing and not just another tease. The drops fell harder and harder as the unmistakable smell of rain filled the air. The downpour continued and the noise grew louder with it. We sat out on the veranda to watch the dust become mud and rivulets begin to run through the yard. Two hours later the skies cleared. The air is crisper and cleaner, the heat is lessened, and our spirits are refreshed. We have experienced our first African rain.