Listen to the Rain

I´m studying this evening in my guest house room, working on grammar exercises, and anticipating my last day of formal language study. I am also listening to the rain.

Every day, since arriving in Antigua, the rain has arrived earlier in the day and lasted longer into the night. Unlike Xela, the air here is always moist, with more heat arriving earlier each day.

The cloud cover was very thick all day. I am not sure what this would mean for a hike to the summit of Pacaya volcano on Saturday. Besides getting close to the lava flow in the caldera of an active volcano, the appeal for me is to see the highlands and the peaks of the mountains as far away as Atitlan to the west and toward Belize to the northeast.

The rain is off and on very intense and driving and soft and somnolent. The flowers all over town and the green countryside are a beautiful contrast with the dry conditions when I arrived on Holy Friday. Then, because of all of the activity and traffic of Holy Week, the air of Antigua carried grit that you could crunch between your teeth. Considering the passage of almost five weeks, the change is impressive.

Looking forward now to a week in Nicaragua in July, I know to expect this rain every day, all day. I hope to be able to use my Spanish well in Nicaragua.

Many years ago, my parents had a good collection of literature. As a teenager, I read Somerset Maugham´s short stories, including, ´Rain,´set in the South Pacific. As this rain falls on Guatemala, most likely upon all of Central America, this thin strip dividing the Pacific and the Caribbean, I am reminded of that feeling of the short story, of the way rain not only washes but penetrates the surfaces, erodes and reveals ... what? True intentions? Real character?

This particular rain has been falling all day. Now, it is perfect for sleeping. Good night.