Rain

In Florida, in the summer, it usually rains for about an hour in the late afternoon.  You can almost set your watch to the rain storms that blow through.

In Samoa, the rains usually come in the early morning hours.  An hour or two before sunrise.  I’d prefer that the cooling rains come when I’m trying to get to sleep in the humid night rather than just before my alarm is set to go off.

Today we had rain.  It began about 4:00 a.m.  It continued, just a drizzly sort of rain with a slight breeze, until almost 6:15 a.m.   I turned off my fan and snuggled under my thin sheet, letting the curtains slap me in the face.  That may not sound restful to you, but compared to lying in a pool of sweaty sheets, it’s heaven.

The lightening sky made me realize my alarm would be going off soon so I got up.  I looked out the window to check the weather and saw the pigs in front of my fale.  Using their snouts to dig up large chunks of lawn.  It is the dogs’ job to keep the pigs from digging up the yard but they were sleeping.  I hate having to walk over the chewed up lawn so out I went, mu’umu’u flapping in the breeze.  For those not familiar with Samoan, think muumuu.  A large, roomy caftanesque kind of nighty. 

I was the only one awake so didn’t want to raise a ruckus to chase off the pigs.  Instead I used my flapping mu’umu’u and my fierce face.  It worked.  The pigs headed to the swamp and I strolled back into my house.

I left for work at the school at the usual time, a little before 7:00 a.m.  I noticed that there was no one else there. While I’m typically the first teacher, usually there are at least a few children.  Nope, I was alone.  I opened the office, turned on the copier and computer and prepared for the day’s lessons.  A few kids had joined me, but no teachers.

At 7:50 a.m., when school usually starts, there were two other teachers.  One in his classroom and one selling food from her canteen.  The kids were in the hall.

Over the next hour, as the other teachers arrived, they explained that it was cool and rainy.  Too hard to get out of bed.  Damn my palagi obsession with being punctual.