Kerempt

Ethiopia is in the midst of its rainy season, called The Monsoon. Each year, the rains fall hard in July and August and continue into September. It is the season of the kerempt or "big rains", and the sky is often overcast. There is so much rain that sunlight during these months is reduced to about 2 hours/day. Those gray skies sound like Milwaukee in the winter on a good day!

The rains are important agriculturally, as well as for power generation, but it sounds like they also take a toll on daily living. A friend suggested this could partially explain why the courts close each year, as the rains turn roads into swamps and make transportation difficult. Apparently if someone is looking grumpy you can call them "kerempt fit" which means summer face - to reflect the icky weather!

I checked the weather. It's raining hard in Addis today. It will rain again tomorrow, and probably for the next several days, maybe the next several weeks. And here I sit so far away. Just thinking about rain in Africa...and wondering about a little guy.