The rain. It’s like a super effective antidepressant during these times of drought.  It was supposed to visit us a month ago, so its late arrival is very well received. The gigantic black clouds that can’t be missed act as a welcomed harbinger of the one hour downpour they will provide. On a 90 degree Sunday afternoon, when kids are doing whatever they can to not move and stay distracted from the heat, these black skies are a promise that relief is not far away.

Because of the daytime heat, most of the smaller kids are already lounging around in only their underwear. But for those who aren’t yet semi-nude, when the first drops hit their extended hand they strip down like it’s a race.  

It only takes a minute or two for the rain to hit so hard you stop to wonder how it’s even possible. For the younger kids, this downfall means only one thing: play time.  Once nude, they sprint to the puddle-filled back yard to get as wet as possible; it only takes twenty seconds for them to get the dirt and sand…..everywhere. For once, their imaginations are in full swing. Ten year old boys are pretend fighting and this time it’s a bonus to get thrown down to the cool ground. Fourteen year olds are trying to teach the five year olds how to do somersaults, but no one seems to have much luck since the rain makes it hard to see. Other boys have taken their scarves and folded them into little whips so they can play helicopter. For some, riding naked on a bike through the quicksand-like puddles are their choice of entertainment. It is these kids who make playing soccer amid these puddles near impossible. Coupled with the rocks, flopping children, and the sand/water mixture that splashes into the eyes at every attempted kick, our soccer game only lasts fifteen minutes.

For the older kids, who are equally excited about the rain, this means work time. There are about half a dozen large cement basins that need to get filled asap. After that, they’ll use the buckets to fill the wash bins in the boys and girls toilets. They occasionally stop to splash their face with the cool rain, but then they continue and don’t stop until the rain has ceased. Some of the older girls find the younger ones and use this opportunity to take a real shower (since they use buckets normally). Shampoo bottles are passed around and soon half the children are running around with a head covered in white lather. Many of them have just received major haircuts since the lice was so bad, so their washing takes only a minute before the rain has done its job and rinsed it all away.

Children are shouting, yelling, singing (Ten Little Indians), and performing their own rain dances. The thunder and lightning sporadically make an appearance but no one pays any attention. Some start to wash their clothes under a rapidly emptying gutter; others get my attention by shouting, “Molly! Snake!” and then tossing buckets of water on me as I hesitantly turn the corner to see this non-existent animal.

When it stops, it’s very sudden, and things quickly go back to normal. The naked boys find their clothes and go back to playing UNO. The girls finish up the laundry and conclude dispersing the water. The ground is now thick and mushy and every bike, classroom desk, and piece of hanging clothing that was forgotten about before the rain hit is soaked. But it doesn’t matter. It’s still 83 degrees out and the sun is starting to set. By tomorrow morning we’ll be crossing our fingers that we’ll get another dose of this wonderful rain. The sooner the better.