Bring The Rain

The dark, grey clouds loom over the Rwandan hills before charging across Lake Kivu. The rain here can only be described as stealthy, you never know when it’s going to hit and before you know it you are soaked to the bone.

This morning as I was walking back to the HEAL Hospital after having coffee a couple minutes down the road I was brutally attacked by the wet beast, and the worst part was I could see it coming. Harper and I were casually strolling when we noticed cars a block away switch on their windshield wipers. Harper, a seasoned expat resident of Goma, whipped out her rain jacket, it might as well have been in a holster. I felt as though we were under fire as she said, “go on without me!” Being the rookie that I am I thought that I could out run the gnarly squall.

I rounded the corner and I could see HEAL Africa's logo guiding me like the North Star only a block away. I could make it! Man oh man was I ever wrong. I splashed through the growing puddles with my flip-flops spraying the back of my jeans. It was as if Mother Nature decided turn on her pressure washer. I was instantly soaked through and quickly found shelter under a tree across the street.

Harper joined me soon after and all we could do was laugh and worry about our laptops. We waited under the tree, getting dripped on for several minutes before we decided to bite the bullet and make a run for it. When we finally arrived at our destination my shirt was see through.

As we entered the room we were greeted by snickers of the dry people hunkered down inside. The rain sounded like hail on the tin roof above us as I watched a mini waterfall explode out of the gutter overhead.

Next time I will not be so naive.