“The rain begins with a single drop.”
If I just stayed in the house, I’d think today was a perfect day filled with sun and a cloudless blue sky, but I’d be wrong. It is a cold day with a chilly wind. I ought to wear a parka for my dump trip because the dump is our version of the Russian tundra. This time of year it is always wintry cold especially when there is a wind.
In Ghana, the harmattan winds blow dust from the desert during our winter months. The sun is blocked behind the dust. There is no rain. The air is dry. My lips and the heels of my feet cracked in the dryness. I walked on tiptoes until my heels hardened. The harmattan nights are cold. I slept under a wool blanket. I loved the chilly early mornings. I’d drink my coffee while sitting on my front steps. My students dressed in layers. I relished the chill.
The days were often three digit hot, but it was the driest heat. I remember I really didn’t mind. I walked across the compound to class. The classroom doors were always opened. The windows had no glass. The wind blew through bringing the dust.
Around March, the harmattan begins to lose its hold. The days get humid. The nights get hot. I’d sleep outside in my backyard. Each morning, I’d scour the sky hoping to see clouds, hoping for the first rains.
I remember my first year in Bolga when the sky darkened and the first rains fell. Those first storms are mighty. The raindrops are huge and heavy and make rivulets in the sand too dry to absorb the water. I remember the lightning bolts. I had never before seen lightning so up close. It was tremendous.
Each time I returned to Ghana it was during the rainy season. I loved the rain. It brought sensory memories, throwback memories. I could smell the wet ground. I could hear the heavy drops plunking on the tin roofs. I got wet when I shopped in the market. I was back to that first year and the terrific rains, to the sweetest of memories.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Bolgatanga, chilly nights, desert winds, dry winds, dust, harmattan, hot, Peace Corps Ghana
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April 2, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Hi Kat,
Today the sky is partly cloudy with a slight risk of severe thunderstorms later today. The temperature is a pleasant 79°.
Here we don’t get the tropical wet and dry seasons. We get most of our rain in March, April, and May. Then the gates of hell open up and we get three months of hot dry weather, followed by wet October and November.
The new and improved Texas Rangers are 2 and 0 atop the American League West standings. They scored 12 runs on Thursday and 17 yesterday against the Phillies. I won’t make any judgement until the first of September.
April 2, 2023 at 9:19 pm
Hi Bob,
It stayed in the 40’s both during the day and now at night. That will be the weather for the next few days. It will be in the 50’s later this week.
Our summer months are part of the rainy season in Ghana. I love how green everything is and how tall the fields of millet are. The contrast between the rainy and dry seasons is unbelievable.
The Sox won by a walk off yesterday and won again today. They are 2-1. I am still getting used to the new players.
April 2, 2023 at 11:10 pm
A line of thunderstorms came through the area this evening. They dropped some quarter size hail in our area, but we weren’t home but in Dallas. We drove through some heavy rain on our way home. More thunderstorms forecasted for tomorrow evening and Tuesday evening. It’s springtime in Texas. 🙂
April 2, 2023 at 11:19 pm
I don’t remember the last time we had hail. It had to be years ago.
We haven’t had thunderstorms though we have had a lot of rain. We tend to get those storms in the summer. Spring here doesn’t seem to make up its mind. The days are in the 40’s or 50’s but the nights drop to the 30’s.