So, usually when someone says it’s a rainy day, they say it with a sense of melodrama, sadness, and melancholy; like it’s a bad thing. We even make songs about sadness in terms of rain, “it’s a rainy night in Georgia, a rainy night in Georgia…” or childhood songs asking for this sad/bad thing leave like, “Rain, rain go away, come again another day…” I am sure that just reading the title of my blog it evoked some since of immediate sadness, that maybe Aisha is sad, or not feeling well, or having a hard time. And well depending on the perspective and cultural context, your assumption is correct. However, here, while I am in western Africa and more specifically in Burkina Faso, a rainy day is a joyous occasion.
I guess I will explain a bit about the seasons here in Burkina Faso. There are two major seasons in Burkina, the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season starts towards the end of June/early July and goes through mid October (roughly 4 months). It usually rains about 2 times a week and very hard rain. You usually can tell the rain is coming because it is really hot and then all of a sudden clouds come out of nowhere the next day or that night there is a down pour. I would say that it is about in the 90s and then after the rain the temperature cools off for a day or so. Everything everywhere is green and plush and looks like a beautiful portrait. Then from the end of October through late January is a dry cold season (about 3 months). During the day it is in about the 70s and 80s, but at night it can get to the 50s and 60s. it might not seem cold to you, but if you live in a house without a heating system and no insulation, 50s is a hard chill to shake off…think about the last time you purposely put your thermostat on 50 degrees or when your furnace stopped working and the temperature dropped below 60 in your house…it was cold! There is also a dry wind during this time in December. From March to May, but mainly April is the dry HOT season! I mean it is hot! Most people cannot sleep inside of their house during the hot season at night time if you don’t have a fan or air conditioner (air conditioners are rare) because the house has heated so much from the sun’s rays all day that it feels like an oven inside of the house. It’s hot during the day and it is hot at night. I would say around 4am is when it starts to feel semi-cool, but by time it feels like that, it is nearly time to wake up all over again. It is definitely in the 100s during the day and I would say at night it is in the 90s, but it almost feels like the earth under you is releasing the heat that it has been trapping all day so even though you feel relief from the sun beaming on you, it is still pretty hot. During both dry seasons everything looks pretty brown and deserted.
If you are following well, then you know right now is the rainy season. It is actually toward the end of the rainy season because the rains are becoming sparser. It was really hot yesterday and earlier today and well…now it is raining. There is so much going on that makes me feel like everything will be alright, just based on the fact that it rained. I am nervous/excited because the girls who are coming to live in the boarding house will be moving in tomorrow because school starts on Monday, October 3 (happy birthday Quinton). My sister called me and then my dad called me a couple of hours later. About 5 minutes after my dad called the sky started to turn dark and rain clouds moved in. It has now been pouring outside for about 45 minutes and I am sure it will continue for some time. According to the culture I am in, the rain is a sign of God’s blessing for the crops and prosperity. If you arrive from a trip and it rains, it is a sign that you are a blessing to the location. And so, the rainy day is a celebration and a sort of high five from God that you are here. Considering the rain today and the feeling I had when I talked to my dad and sister, I must say that I agree that this rain is a sign of the many blessings that my family and God is showering upon me. I am taking it as a sign that my work will be a blessing to the people of my town and me. So counter to the popular American culture, I will rejoice and with a big smiley face say, “IT’S A RAINY DAY :-)!!”
(written October 1)
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