Our rooftop has been craving rain. Leaves that happened to fall on it which have turned yellowish for quite some time-seem to alight on the angry and seemingly hot tile panels. The little creatures hiding underneath, probably unable to survive the heat, are sprouting their heads. The heat, too, hasn't spared me, as it, without restriction, passes through the ceiling of my non-airconditioned room, tormenting a noontime nap and pestering long-wished daydreams.
One late afternoon, a few weeks ago, I was awakened by the all-too-familiar sound of the falling rain. Happy that it might kick off the start of a heavy downpour, I ran out of the house and noticed how the soil bounced back slowly with each raindrop. I looked at how the leaves of plants, supposedly celebrating the bath, fell down - too frail for a shower now, too delicate for a touch.Later on, the usual indescribable aroma of a parched and thirsty land tainted the air. One by one, I observed the crickets slowly appearing from nowhere, welcoming and rejoicing in the puddles. The squirrels didn't mind the flying insects and vice versa. The blades of greens and the rain were a great combination especially if the former hit the latter at a perfect angle.
The rain had been my profound comrade especially during my younger years. It saved me from things I hated doing: the afternoon task of watering the plants and mom sending me on an errand. Its occurrence gave me profound delight, as I was fond of making paper boats and sails.
In the past, I never heard anything about El Niño. This phenomenon, as defined, is a weather condition brought about by the invasion of warm surface waters from the western Equatorial Pacific Basin to the eastern equatorial region and could prevail for more than a year. There would be irregularities in rainfall and temperatures; strong winds and drought can be experienced in some areas. The abnormality could have crippling effects on the country's economy in general.
Indeed, El Niño affected the Philippines. Last month, dailies indicated that there had been food shortage in some parts of the country due to agricultural products that had been greatly ruined by the persisting dry spell. More importantly, the impact of water shortage has affected more and more people. In fact, some provinces have rationed the drinking water, which is supposedly unlimited in supply.
While my country was experiencing summer the hard way - even in the driest of dry spell, households in Brookings still managed to water their lawns in the hottest of mid-day. Back home, I was taught to water the plants on the coolest part of the day, either early morning or late afternoon, to conserve water. Here, on the other hand, people do not care which part of the day they water their lawns and gardens.
The water crisis in the Philippines is reportedly about to come to an end. Water levels in dams are rising to normalcy. I am uncertain if it is appropriate to be in euphoria over the three strong typhoons that visited the country not long - which brought days of endless rains. They have wreacked havoc in many depressed areas but the positive side is that they have brought an abundant water supply that will last the next couple of months.The rainy season in Brookings started in time for the opening of the new semester. Everything has turned green and gone are the angry hot tile sheets that long for rain. The squirrels are happy atop the trees as red ants navigated the sink to gather food for the rainy days.
The cold begins to penetrate through the glass-paned window of my room. I went out of the house, felt the breeze and my comrade leisurely turned up to soak me with assurance that the coming months in Brookings would be all right, that everything back home would be all right.
This is also posted on the Collegian site.
Read more of my Collegian articles.
Labels: Collegian Newspaper, USA Blogging
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