Rains Down in Africa

No one’s on time in this country. In a country where 10 o’clock really means 11:30, you might as well not set a time and just set a ball park. "You can be here after lunch, yea?" That’s about as good as saying: be there at 3 because that’s when they’ll get there. The rainy season makes this timely issue even more of a problem. Liberians hate the rain. They HATE it. So when it starts to rain the streets are empty. Everyone has found even the smallest bit of covering to stand under until the rain passes. Because of this fear of rain everyone is even later than normal and thinks the fact that it was raining is a justifiable reason. I told you to be here at 10. “Yea.” Ok, well what time is it now? “It’s 11:45. There was rain.” So you’re late. “Well no you said 10.” Yea and it’s 11:45. “But you said 10 and it rained." I wonder how many more times we can say it’s 11:45 and she can then reply with: you said 10 (yea, you're late!).

It rains for 6 months out of the year here and you’re telling me that being almost two hours late because it rained is ok? Apparently it is, because every single person was late to this office on Saturday. It’s moments like these where I think: how does this country function at all!? For 6 months people are just late because it rained. Not just late, super late because during the dry season they are late. I’m way too timely for this.

Their fear however is understandable when you also realize that with the wet season comes sickness and death. People are dropping like flies. Someone is very sick every week and it’s the norm. The rain brings an upsurge in malaria, typhoid and cholera. If you’re growing up in a place where you associate rain with deathly illness then, heck yea let’s all stay inside until the dry season returns. Unfortunately I love the rain. You need an encyclopedia with pictures to figure out what all these bites on your arm are (mosquito? I don’t know, wait for the fever). “My arms hurt.” In an achy way or a workout way? “I can’t tell.” Well if the aching spreads, it’s clinic time, baby. “Maybe it’s 12 hr work day pains???” I’d take that over any illness.

Can’t wait for July. The rains only get worse. My raincoat in a bag has its work cut out for it.