Wednesday, January 04, 2006 It's raining. It's actually odd for me to type that. Not so much because I'm not used to going long periods without rain. Not even because it's really been that long. It's just it isn't supposed to be raining right now. Everyone says that Harmattan lasts until February. It's barely January. First Harmattan arrives late, and now it's over early? What the crap?

I'm not really an expert on Beninese weather, but I can say that they seem to be as scandalized as I am. Still though, it's nice to hear the rain on the tin roof (even though it overrides any other noise-making activity, including talking), to see the lightning light up my curtains and hear the thunder roll in.

Back in California I hated the rain, but here I think I sort of like it. Here, the rain is the American equivalent of snow. People don't do things in the rain; all activity literally stops and you stay where you are. I think that's why I like the rain here. In the States rain was an annoyance. Nothing about your daily activities changed, other than you had to carry extra crap with you, had to be more careful driving, and got wet wherever you went. Here there are none of those problems. During a downpour your schedule changes, and if you're lucky you're caught at home and get one of those days to lie in bed, drink some coffee (or Nescafe here) and watch the rain.

On that note, I hope the rain continues through the night.