Saturday 10 April 2010

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Life is full of ups and downs, arrivals and departures, sines and cosines. Even fire (dry season), rain (rainy), and sunny days that you swear to god will never ever end (any time of year, really). Since I’ve experienced- nay, endured one rainy and two dry seasons, I decided to make a “pros & cons” list for both. If you ever want to visit West Africa, feel free to use this list as a guide when choosing which personality of the region you’d like to “experience” (ou bein, endure). But keep in mind that the best current feature of West Africa (me) won’t be around for too much longer.
(Note: This was formatted in a nice little chart before I had to edit it because Blogger screwed it up)

Rainy Season
(April-September)

Pros
· Built-in excuse not to have to be anywhere
· Can wear a hoodie, drink tea, and watch the rain on the front porch
· Everything is green and alive Much better selection of produce au marché

Cons
· Rivers are now where the roads used to be. Good luck getting around.
· Laundry takes two days to dry; clothes grow mold if you go too long without wearing them
· Instead of evaporating, sweat likes to stick around and keep you company
· Tons of mosquitoes! (and bugs in general) Mud everywhere (on feet, pant cuffs, splattered up back of pant legs, in house, etc)


Dry Season
(October-March)

Pros
· Cool enough at night to sleep
· Roads aren’t laced with canyons and riverbeds (still though, good luck getting around)
· Don’t have to bring rain jacket absolutely everywhere
· Can put off doing laundry till last possible minute cause clothes dry in about 30 seconds (read: can wear last pair of underwear while washing all of the others)


Cons

· Everything is dry, brown, and dead
· Nose constantly feels like it would be clogged or runny if it could only muster enough moisture to produce some snot
· Lips crackle like Rice Crispies
· Feet are constantly dirty from walking through dust all day
· Have to dust and sweep the whole house daily


Although it’s nice to be able to see kilometer after kilometer unobstructed by plant life during dry season, I personally prefer rainy season. The ubiquitous millet and tall grasses that tower overhead make me feel more like I’m “in” someplace and less like I’m “on” someplace. This opinion may have roots in the streets Philly or the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, but I prefer jungle (concrete or otherwise) to desert.

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