I bless the rains down in Africa...

In the early part of the rainy season last month, we had monsoon-like downpours that thundered down for an hour or so and then just as quickly dissipated. After the first month of intense nearly nightly thundershowers, the climate is shifting. Now it’s sometimes gray all day with a light misty drizzle. Last month, you could clearly see a sliver of the Atlantic from my office balcony, but recently, clear days are rare as the rainy season progresses… Despite the lack of view, when it starts to pour, I like to stand out on my little balcony and watch the street scenes. Small children play and splash in puddles. Sometimes they even bathe in the flowing fresh water. Schoolchildren in uniforms take off their shoes and race home, protectively shielding their notebooks. The Nigerian UNMIL soldiers abandon traffic duty and doze under the awning of the Ministry of Defense. Teenagers crowd under shared umbrellas. The market mamas pack up their wares and sit in shop entrances, gossiping with their friends. For a couple of hours, all activity halts and everything is quiet and cool…