weather

weather is a funny thing. it has been so hot and dry that my whole body feels like it is cracking, not unlike the gritty brown earth that seems to stetch on endlessly here. i had almost become resigned to the fact that i had arrived in a place where i would perpetually feel dustier than those kids you see in the pictures of the 1930's american dustbowl era, when, i encountered a storm.
i had decided to take a trip a little bit out of town to visit the Okavango River Lodge, to investigate if it was somewhere I might be able to stay long-term (they rent out chalets and tented rooms along the river). There had been noises of thunder in the air at the house when I left, but the sky looked fairly clear and it seemed unlikely (to me at least) that much of anything would happen, given the fact that it hasnt rained in months and months. But alas, no sooner had I passed through town and out the other side towards the lodge, the sky darkened to the color of a bad bruise and big rain drops started splattering. i went to switch on the wipers,fiddled around a bit, but no go. hmm, so what to do when it starts raining, your wipers dont work, and you forget what your driving instructor had said about switching gears when its slippery on the road? i did the sensible thing and pulled over (lesley had said storms here usually pass through when they come in a matter of minutes). but minutes went by, and the rain drops only increased in size, then turned into literally sheets of water, rushing at the car with what felt like hurricane speed winds (imagine little brush trees being uprooted and bouncing around the ground everywhere), long streaks of lighting, and thunder. oh, and the car was sort of leaking at this point (well, water was coming through the cracks in the doors and ceiling). i looked ahead and all i could see was black sky, and i looked behind and could see blue sky in the direction of the house. So i turned around and headed home, figuring the okavango riverlodge could wait
So Im not really sure what the point of this story is, but maybe just to say that not being able to get to my destination because of the storm was plenty worth it, just to know that soon my fingers and toes and face will be much happier--the rainy season is coming!!

ps. and i did make it to the lodge later that afternoon--it is on a beautiful spot along the river and might be my new home in the future...i'll keep you all updated