The Rain Blog

Within 10 minutes of the start of the downpour, the few drains there are in Chokwe have reached their limit and the level of water begins to rise in the street.  As Charlie and I sit back to watch the rain fall with a couple Fanta Laranjas, I can’t help but think that if it rains like this for very long, we’re not going to be able to pass the 80 kms of dirt road that lies between Chinakanini and Mabalane.  This Friday trip was our last to Chokwe before the start of the school year, so the implications of us not being able to make the return journey are weighing heavily on my mind.  Luckily after 45 min. the rain stops and we’re able to puddle hop to the market and grab the first chapa (mini-bus) to Chinhakanini.

By the time we cross the Limpopo River and reach the small village, the rain has stopped.  Spirits are high as we quickly run into some friends who know a guy taking a truckload of stuff to Mabalane.  The goods are tarped over, but I know my seat is a sixer of glass bottles.  Ten minutes into the trip, the rain starts.

Normally, the trip over the dirt road takes two hours, is hot, and leaves pain shooting through your joints (which were contorted to fit as many people as possible on or in the vehicle) and butt (large, flat-bed trucks are typically your only option going to Mabalane).  This trip was different.  This trip took four hours due to the care the driver had to take to prevent us from getting us stuck.  Because of the slow speed, the sensation of being vaulted off a quarter inch thick sheet of steel was replaced by slow rocking on and off my six-pack whenever we hit a pothole.  Instead of being pelted by the Moz. Sun, I was enveloped in a wet, grey cocoon.

One hour in to the trip and I’m vowing never to forget my rain jacket again.  Around two hours into the trip I notice the halfway tree, I am starting to notice shriveling in my fingers, and don’t know if I am going to be able to take two more hours of this cruel punishment.  Three hours in, I’m near hysterical and realize that I’ve never sat this long in the rain before. Closing in on the fourth hour we finally see Mabalane.  I let out a relieved sigh and the rain slowly comes to a stop.  After four hours in the rain, we reach our destination, and the rain stops!  I have to laugh to keep from crying.  Upon reaching the house, I get into some dry cloths and make some hot chocolate, which we just bought in Chokwe.  What a trip.

Saturday and Sunday were both relatively dry days.  Monday, the day of the parent, student and teacher reunion, came around and it was an overcast morning.  Just as we were finishing “Patria Amada” the rain started coming down and continued all day Monday.  And Tuesday.  And Wednesday.  And Thursday.  Friday and Saturday were more or less dry days, but by then the school week had been abandoned due to the rain (many students have to walk considerable distance to get to the school).  On Sunday, the rain returned with a vengeance.  The only comparison to the noise created by the rain on our roof is the sound created when an end-loader bucket is dropped into the bare bed of a truck.  This continued through Sunday night and into Monday. 

By the time the rain stopped, the swollen Limpopo was reaping havoc across the river valley; Chokwe, Guija, and many other smaller towns inhabiting the valley, which from my best estimates is near 5 miles wide in some areas.  I found out later that South Africa had opened up several damns upstream, which served to augment the water level greatly.  On that Monday our energy went out and remained out for nearly two weeks until repairs could be made.  The rocks under the railway we’re wiped out in some areas, in others the line had actually been parted.  The paved road was completely displaced in some areas and heavily damaged in many more.

Luckily, Mabalane is above the flood plain.  Life here continued as normal without energy or the Thursday (quinta-fera) market that brings in vendors from Maputo via train.  Some people were worried about what would happen if more flooding occurred and we weren’t able to get more rice, flour, pasta, and other essentials, but life is slowly returning to normal.  Onions, garlic, plant leaves and bread were never in short supply and now tomatoes and fruits are returning at a somewhat elevated price.  However, we haven’t seen much more than a drizzle since that last Monday and in this heat, I could sure use a little rain right now.