April showers bring May flowers

I am surprised to see that in truth, April truly does bring rain. I've never really paid attention to WHEN it rained. Ukraine has a different climate than I am used to. The last two weeks or so have had some small modicum of rain most everyday. Today was no different.

I was sitting in my classroom after class and I glanced up to see a few teens standing by the gate of the church. I could tell they'd just been to our small gym under the church and they were playing around. After a few minutes they left, but I kept looking out the window. It was bright and sunny yet the clouds were dark. Music came from a few doors down the street as someone had what looked like a bar-be-Que, obviously because of Easter. I went outside and stood there, feeling the weather. It didn't feel hot or cold, an odd temperature in between. The humidity made me sweat just a little. From the stairs outside the ELC I could tell that the air was thick with moisture, not quite noticeable up close but clearly evident on the horizon. After a few minutes I went back inside. With the windows open it was just as muggy as outside, but it was too late to close them.

I resumed doing nothing important on the internet for a while before the music stopped. There was a palpable change in the humidity. Within seconds what I imagine had started as a soft dribble (giving the neighbors a chance to get inside) turned into an absolute downpour. I was excited. In a matter of moments, dry ground manifested puddles and the road began to shape-shift. I stood on the balcony-like path connecting the stairway to the ELC under the cover of the metal awning holding my arms out in the rain. The cool water was amazing. The release of the water made in considerably cooler and more pleasant to be in. After just a few minutes the rain had finished its transformation of the roadway into a tiny river, large enough for a team of mice to go rafting on, if they so desired.

Within the hour the rain stopped. The air felt fresh, clean, cool. The puddles dried up, and the sun shone on.