In my posts so far I have been most
un-British. There is a complete absence
of comment on the weather. Today I’ll
put that right.
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| View of the home during the rainy season. |
When I first arrived it was the rainy
season. During the rainy season it is
hot, but not unbearable. The nights are
cool enough to sometimes need a light cover.
Rain is not continuous, just very heavy showers. It came as a surprise
to me that it doesn’t rain every day. It
is easy to know when it is about to rain because first there is always a strong
wind blowing the clouds towards us. Minutes
later the rain pelts down. The rain
pours off the roof of the home and the younger children rush to shower under
the eaves fully dressed. Their clothes
are dry within minutes of the rain stopping.
There are several large water butts at Cornerstone. When they contain rainwater they are very
popular for clothes washing. Grass grows
quickly and everywhere is green. Mosquitoes
are a real hazard in the rainy season.
Malaria is rife. To balance the
negative insects, at night beautiful fire flies hover around the ceiling of my
room.
We are fortunate that the children’s
home is on a mountainside so the rain drains down towards the town which is on
lower ground. I have been told that
people’s mud built homes are frequently destroyed by flood water. I have also heard that when there is flooding
the road on the Uganda side of the border becomes impassable and the views from
our compound are of flooded land. This
can create food shortages as most produce comes from Uganda.
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| View of the mountainside during the dry season. |
In December the rain stopped very
suddenly. The grass died very quickly
although trees are still beacons of green.
Cattle and goats are noticeably thinner.
I have found that as soon as the dry season started I ceased to suffer
from mosquito bites. It has become
progressively hotter. I find that the
plastic seats which are used here are to be avoided because I sweat so
profusely that the sweat puddles in the seat, making it look as though I’ve had
an ‘accident’.
One of my fears coming to Nimule was what
would happen to the water supply during the dry season. We are fortunate to have a really good bore
hole (a type of water pump) in the compound.
The water is good enough to drink.
The bore hole is fully functioning at all times of year, regardless of
rainfall. This in spite of the fact that
it is in constant use every day by the wider community as well as ourselves.
How do I cope? Bear in mind that there is only limited
electricity here and no modern conveniences.
I have to resist the urge to swim in the Nile as it is full of
crocodiles and hippos. I can’t just
switch on a fan or air-conditioning. So I
have had to find other ways to cope with the swelteringly hot nights. Before my arm was in plaster I took to
drenching my nightdress before sleeping.
This is no longer possible because the plaster must be kept dry. Instead I soak my hair and lay my head on a
towel. This is very effective. It also creates a use for my towel! Even during the rainy season I developed a
strategy of dressing straight after bathing, while still wet, to keep cooler
for longer, making my towel redundant.
Whatever the season, applying factor 50 sunblock is a regular
routine. Going out I use either a hat or
umbrella for shade.
Today there was a brief shower. I have been told that it will soon be
the rainy season again. I can’t wait.
