Thunder and Sleeplessness

Most, if not all, of the expedition assumed that today would begin with the usual routine - waking up at sunrise, having a snack and heading off the the building site unless their team was on catering duty or a rest day. The reality was much different: a thunderstorm with torrential rain just after midnight brought forward the start of the day. Everyone was ushered inside the barn and were told to grab anything in the porch of our tents as they were at dire risk of being drenched. The place we'd been eating in for the past few days was transformed into a temporary bedroom, with people sprawled out in every corner. The rain persisted for several more hours with peals of thunder breaking up the deafening downpour of rain on the corrugated roof.

The time we'd all assumed we'd be getting up came around with the usual dose of insects and sudden light. A wake up call of African radio coming from the house opposite our campsite roused those not stirred by the light from their poor sleep. Despite the miserable circumstances during the night, many were laughing at the night's turmoil by breakfast.

Work started a later than usual on the building site - at 10am rather than 7. The conditions were a little more uncomfortable than previous days thanks  to the immense humidity and typically high temperatures. Some team members from teams 1 and 4 chose to attend mass in the mission's church: a three hour service in Swahili which appeared to  form the foundations of the community.

Lunch and the long break that followed was a welcome relief from the heat for all teams. Games of cards were the primary source of entertainment for many, with others writing journals or sitting quietly to compensate for their lack of sleep. 

Work restarted in the slightly cooler but still sunny afternoon. Progress on the build was quite rapid considering the universal lack of sleep and soon enough it was time to head back over to the campsite for tea.

After our evening meal, the usual routine of card games, mini board games and talking resumed. All seemed to be well until the first peal of thunder echoed across the chatter. We all hoped that it was simply a clatter of pans or a faulty engine, but with a second peal we all knew that another storm was setting in.

As I write this, the rain is bouncing off the  barn roof and lightening illuminates the sky every few seconds. I only hope it is a shorter storm.

Sarah