waterlogged

It’s been raining a lot lately – today makes eight days in a row.

Rain, in theory, is fine. God knows I lived with it for three years in Portland. In fact, it’s not that I’m complaining about the rain itself but more its side effects here in Guatemala.

First of all, an abundance of rain will inevitably create landslides, which occur regularly due to unfortunate conditions like deforestation and inadequate drainage systems. Thankfully, recent weather hasn’t inflicted much destruction in the last few days. Secondly, and far less alarming (although somewhat more distressing on a personal level) the presence of rain means that there will be no sunshine. And without sunshine, wet clothes don’t dry (there are no dryers here – come on people)

What I’m trying to say is that my host mom did a load of my laundry on Monday (read: hand washed it at the public water fountains) and it’s still wet right now, Friday night. There’s not much you can do to dry it faster. Up on the top floor, where there is no roof and the laundry flaps in breezes blowing through the valley, afternoon rains would soak and re-soak the family’s laundry. Now clotheslines line our living room, strings of pants and shirts and socks decorating our walls, and we wait for the damp air to gradually, if barely, dry out our clothes.

Let’s just say that my fingers have been crossed for sunny weather since Tuesday.