If anyone had told me that it could rain this much or be this cool in equatorial Kenya, I would not have believed! But it has been 10 days of rain that happens on and off day and night, and we are not in the rainy season yet. The temperatures have turned cool, like winter in Los Angeles, probably in the 60s. So the obvious pitfalls mount. I have light-weight jackets and sweaters. The 3 skirts I brought for school are fine; hope nobody is tiring of them besides me....Saturday is a wonderful leisure day and last Saturday I found myself at the tailor getting a skirt made! The fabrics are very pretty so I found a fairly subdued cloth for a flared shirt--thinking a wild pattern on the one mzungu (white person/foreigner) in town might be over the top. So for $12, I should be decked out by Nicholas of Kenya in my new fully-lined skirt for next week.
My shoes are another whole issue: between the dust and the mud, they are taking a beating. I have decided to not destroy every shoe that I brought, so my 2 pair of school shoes are about to crash and burn. But now that the rains have come, my gum boots are the answer. They were $8 at Bata, the shoe store on every corner in Kakamega, and I love them....I got a yell the other day asking me why I was wearing gum boots and it wasn't raining......but here there is no telling when it might rain, so I am happy to just wear them all the time!
The slicker and umbrella are part of the daily baggage in my backpack, but even with the erratic rain, I haven't gotten dumped on yet... I obviously need to carry the gear to keep the monsoons at bay.....
The real upside to the rainy season is the drama. The sky is leaden, and it gets incredibly dark as the rain passes over. It pounds the roof and is truly noisy. The claps of thunder and the flashes of lightening make me stop what I am doing, to look and listen. Often the electricity gets knocked out as well. We run for our flashlights and reading light! But I suspect there is also some electricity rationing going on. Many afternoons there simply is no electricity, but by dinnertime , it magically is back on. Our stove has 3 gas burners so we don't miss too many meals. The only trick I anticipate is not running out of gas.......
oh dear, so much wetness! It's been quite chilly here, also, and we continue to get showers, but without the drama you describe. Can I send you a sweater or a fleece? Did you get my e-mail about other stuff? Don't mildew.
ReplyDeletexxxooopam p.
Rain predicted for LA tomorrow and I have no gum boots!
ReplyDeleteMake sure you get the exclusive license for your new line of "Nicholas of Kenya". It's certain to be a hit back here in soggy SoCal. Truth be told, we're back to the pattern of weathermen threatening, but little rain materializing, so the market for gum shoes is probably still a little limited. Thank goodness for the cooler temps!
ReplyDeleteHmmmmmm...........Nicholas of Kenya and gum boots......by the time you pick up sticks and come home you may have a plethora of goodies for a small boutique. Should we start to look for a store front in Malaga Cove for you?! XOX, Hanner
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