The Rainy Season

Patamea, January 17, 2013
BANG!


The enormous clap of thunder startled me awake. I had just fallen back to sleep after being awoken by strong winds and torrential rain when the lightning struck. It must have hit a tree right outside my house or some other nearby structure because the volume of the thunder was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. The flash of light and the roar occurred at the exact same time, evidencing the proximity of the bolt. It echoed through the valley for a few seconds but it echoed in my head for much longer as my heart raced. I wasn’t able to go back to sleep for about half an hour while I tried to calm myself down after the close call.

This was last night. I’m now sitting in the main room of my house at the folding table I use as a desk listening to the next wave of rain march into the valley. The rain hasn’t been constant the last two weeks. Rather, it comes in waves. It’ll rain for anywhere from a couple minutes to a few hours then stop for a similar range of time only to start right back up again. I’m told it’s the rainy season and they certainly don’t call it that for nothing. It has rained so much in the last couple of weeks that my front yard has turned into a swamp and the dry riverbed running parallel to the village is now a rushing white-water river.

Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for nearly a decade one might expect me to be used to relentless rain showers for days on end. However, as anyone who has ever called the Oregon or Washington home for any length of time can tell you, the rain there feels more like a prankster hovering over you wetting you with spray bottle. It’s a weak but constant rain there. Not like in Samoa. Here, the rain falls like it does in the Midwest, in sheets, with strong winds and the occasional flash of lightning and rumble (or BOOM!) of thunder. It’s almost deafening sometimes. More than once, I’ve had to ask someone to repeat themselves (and not just because I didn’t understand what they said).

Another interesting thing about the rain in Samoa is the effect it has on all aspects of life. This morning I went to go brush my teeth only to find the water was off. We were warned that this could happen but this was the first time I’ve experienced it. I’m not sure of the mechanics behind why the water shuts off but it will surely come back on relatively soon. Also, my phone has been telling me that I’m apparently not allowed to make personal calls. “Emergency call only!” it exclaims across the top of the main screen. It has allowed me to get plenty of reading done. I’m currently reading Carl Sagan’s Contact. I haven’t seen the movie for years but I remember being disappointed with it. The book, on the other hand, is better by leaps and bounds as is so often the case. I just finished The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It was entertaining. Reading the reviews online is almost equally entertaining with a stark contrast between those who loved it and those who would rather eat rotten eggs than ever even hear the name of the book again.

The rain continues outside my window. I think I’ll go read some more.