Friday 10 June 2011

r is for rain

In Guyana, we don’t have four seasons; Life is easier as we have two summers: a wet one and a dry one (officially Rainy season & Dry season). In actual fact, in Mahdia there is never a truly dry season; Even in the dry season it normally rains twice a day, at around 5AM and then at about 5PM, so we can easily rely on the rain water for everything. This is wonderful, because it works like natural AC, bringing temperatures down quite a lot. Especially at night the rainy season can be pretty cool.

When it rains it pours, especially if you are in the rainforest, as the name suggests…

[Extension of RH Hotel, the only one in Mahdia - When it rains, you can't see 2 feet ahead of you]

The energy with which the rain falls here reminds me of the Atlantic Ocean back home on a stormy winter’s day. It is so powerful and godly, making me feel tiny and defenceless and at the same time grateful for the chance to experience such intense beauty.

I love falling asleep to the sound of rain and thunder, as well as the random brightness that illuminates the house when lightning strikes. 

Waking up to the loud thunder is scary and really makes for the perfect cuddle moment.

It has been too much lately and some villages and towns are flooded. Mahdia is on the top of hills, so it’s almost impossible to flood. I heard a theory about this the other day whereby the Patamona tribe (the local tribe) were the weakest, so they always built their houses on high spots, borderingthe savannah and the forest, so that they could easily run and hide away in the lush forest if they were attacked. For that reason, the Patamona are more fortunate when it comes to excessive rain.

I haven’t read the papers yet, but hope the situation doesn’t get too bad and I also hope food is getting to the villages suffering with these floods.


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