The Ten Plagues of Dar (In the Rainy Season)

1. Rain – Non-stop, you can’t expect an umbrella to possibly keep you dry, hard driving tropical rain every single day for a week.


2. Floods – The entire two kilometer ride to Jaden and Rowan’s school is one giant puddle. Seriously… there is no dry land. Calling Noah…


3. Potholes – Dar is famous for its urban potholes. This time of the year each pothole is the size of Toledo, Ohio. They swallow your car whole. They are so large that I often wonder if we can make it out the other side in my four wheel drive.


4. Mud – As often follows rain and floods comes mud. I’ve ruined at least three pairs of shoes in the last week. Next time I go home I’m buying us all old fashioned galoshes.


5. Leaking – You should see my office reception area. The sewage pipe overflowed, leaking smelly, awful smudge everywhere. Water seeps through my office window panes


6. Frogs (or are they toads?) – At any break in the rain (at night) the frogs start up with their synchronized croaking – so loud it is impossible to sleep. They are amazing because multiple frogs start and stop croaking at the same time. And although each frog sounds like it must be the size of a cat, when you finally meet one (or run over one) crossing the road, it turns out they are the size of a hamster.


7. Millipedes, Centipedes and Preying Mantis – Creepy crawlies have invaded our house. They are everywhere. And sometimes they are scary-big.


8. Couped Up Children – Kids everywhere are going crazy. Stuck inside, Dora the Explorer and her peppy cousin Diego the Animal Rescuer are our only release. And when the rain stops and the kids go out to play, mud cakes their shoes, their clothes, my floor and my furniture.


9. Washed Out Social Events – Sadly, the biggest crafts sale of the year was almost washed out entirely last weekend. Outdoor parties are held inside in cramped quarters. It is finally cool enough to enjoy sitting outside at night, but alas…


10. Ruined Sundays – Sunday is family day. We spend it at the pool. Not only has it rained through the past three Sundays but it is actually too cold to swim here on the equator.

I’m starting to worry that Moses is going to show up and lead on us a forced march to the Promised Land. My skin gets all dry and scaly in the desert. So keep your fingers crossed that the rains end soon.