Rain

So I was told by many people that Nakasongola, the region of Uganda I am in, is a semi-desert. That is it rains infrequently, though not quite rare enough to be considered a full-fledged desert. When I got here, it did look dry. The ground was much dryer, packed into the reddish color from the heat, almost like bricks. It seems like this place has ideal soil for brick-making. It’s also hotter here, than Kampala at least, and Kamwenge (saying it’s hotter than Kamwenge isn’t saying much though as that region is in the hills and known as one of the coldest in Uganda. OMG, it’s so cold: it can get as low as 60 F there!) Anyways, I am confused at the supposed dryness since for the last 10 days it’s rained every day. And we’re not even in the rainy season, or what is normally the rainy season, as far as I can tell at least. I find all this strange. When it rains, the place is MUDDY. I think because the ground is not the most used to rain, it does not absorb it very well. Unlike the sand of actual deserts though, which basically absorbs absolutely none of it, it does for the first maybe inch or two of the soil that cannot be absorbed easily into the dirt below. This is ideal for “mudslides” (luckily this place is so flat that actual mudslides from hills are not an issue) and for general muddy messes. Evidently the cows are not the best for this either: the area is commonly used for cattle grazing (it’s too dry to really grow any crops so they have cows) and when they walk through an area, their hoofs unpack the dirt, which then flies off when it rains. On top of that, the reddish soil when wet effectively turns into clay and becomes the stickiest mud I’ve even seen. Every day last week after walking outside after the rain quite literally only 30 feet, the bottom of my shoes would be covered in a 2-inch layer of soot. It would take just about forever to get off.

             This was written on Thursday June 28. I say this because the date may be important to note. It hasn't rained since (this is being posted on the following Sunday).