Rain

I had no idea what to title this post. Really, I tried to come up with something creative, but not too-cheesy. But I couldn’t, so I kept it simple.

Today was a prime example of a rainy day. Sometimes (today for instance), I cherish the rainy days. During my time here thus far, I have seen a few rainy days (think literal, however there have been some figurative ones as well). While they have been few, I believe that I will never view rain the same way. Here is my rationale:

In the states, I have grown up in the Midwest, and even the few times I have lived away from Ohio, I have lived I Europe (Luxembourg, Belgium), I have lived in spots that are blessed with an abundance of rain. I have come to take rain for granted, and at times (mainly in cold rainy Belgium winters) I have loathed it. There was always enough rain in the Midwest. Sometimes there was not enough rain; sometimes there was too much rain. But from what I understand, in my view of things, there was enough rain to meet my needs.

I have never lived out west, and I have never lived anywhere where shortage of water was an issue due to lack of rain (I have lived in places where overuse of water would eventually lead to problems.)

I now live in a semi-arid climate, where there is a rainy season from October-March. This rain/snow provides the ground, irrigation, and the drinking water for the summer dry season. While this past winter was exceptionally wet, there was a fairly severe drought up until this year (technically there is a drought still). While the rains and snow were severe and mud houses collapsed and there were floods (both of which sadly killed people), generally the rain was still a much appreciated and wanted gift. *Note, I will live in a mud house, and this is why I should and will shovel my roof in the event of show, which will occur in my winter.

Water is a precious resource. The abundance (or lack of) influences the way that the people operate. Some villages have had years of bad crops, no substantial water for drinking/bathing/washing clothes. In years of country wide droughts (see above) food prices increase due to economic principles of supply and demand. The people who are at the very core, the local farmers, having bad crops, cannot sell, and thus have no money to buy. It influences the amount of sheep that herders can purchase, because if there is no rain, there is no grass for your little sheep. So once again economics take over and the price of sheep increases because demand is up.

So think that in June, we have had an entire day of rain. In fact, we have had two days of at least some rain. While the temperature is cold today (think near the cloud base), and people still complain about the cold or the heat (everyone here is never the perfect temperature hehe,) people do not complain about the rain that comes with it. I hope in fact that this allows the harvests to go well, and for the fall crops of fruits and vegetables to be abundant, cheap, and of good quality. Really they already are cheap; they just will stay that way. It is good for everyone around.

Oh yeah, and here is a tidbit of information for you. Morocco, due to its unique location near Europe, and the varying climates it contains, is considered Europe’s “Bread Basket.” It produces 1/3 of the fruits/vegs that go to market throughout Europe. That is like saying that the country the size of the state of California produces 1/3 of the fruits/vegs for the rest of the US. So this increases the importance of the rain.

**While Morocco is that size, that includes the area known as Western Sahara, which for all intent and purpose is a desert, and produces very little. That is all I will say about Western Sahara region of Morocco**

Album of Choice: Phoenix -“Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”

Cheers,
Me!