Caught in a shower

Just felt like writing to tell you of a quick experience I had this morning.

Today is Friday, one of my days of no lectures, but I had a bit of running around campus to do. I came to the International Programs Office to do a little internet time (love that free internet), and then to register for my exams online (which is basically just a way of insuring that you are in fact enrolled in the right courses). Unfortunately something was wrong with my schedule in the system, so I had to go to several different buildings to get it all straightened out. The people I talked to were all very helpful though, and it went pretty smoothly. All of this really has nothing to do with my story. It's just the set up.

So I was leaving one building in pursuit of another, when I realized the weather had changed a bit since I left ISH this morning. While I had worn sunglasses on the way to the IPO, the sky now was looking pretty dark. My buildings were about a 10-15 minute walk apart, so I picked up my pace, because I didn't have an umbrella with me. The Ghanaians around me were walking pretty casually though, so I didn't let the foreboding clouds and strong leave-tossing breeze worry me too much. All of a sudden, though, I realized people were running all around me. Like full on sprinting in every direction. Confused, I looked behind (where the darkest clouds were) and realized that the sky had opened up and it was coming straight for us. It was like watching a wave come at you at the shore. You know in that split second that you will get wet no matter what. Almost immediately, huge, crushing raindrops were pouring down all over me. Following the locals, I dashed for the nearest building and stood on the porch with about 10 others to wait for the shower to stop. Eventually it did. But for those 20 minutes or so, it was as if time stood still. The streets were empty, voices were quiet. Everyone was just watching the rain.

This may seem like something unworthy of an entire post. But for some reason, this little episode made an impression on me. It had some sort of magical quality to it. The sudden chaos of trying to find cover followed by the hush of watching the rain just became one of those strange memories that I'll look back on and smile.