The Rains Came Down and the Suds Came Up

I love the rainy season. While it means I have to be extra vigilent in anti-mosquito precautions (I've adopted the practice of using knee socks once the sun goes down. I seem to have a hard time keeping my toes and ankles in the mosquito net at night), and having to time my bike travels by the color of the clouds, it also means that I can have real showers. Yup. I wait until it monsoons, and then strip down (well, I cover myself in a cloth, but hey, it's pitch black by this point anyway) and go outside. My (host) family thinks I am going to catch a cold, but I can tell you the satisfication felt by being truly clean is enough to combat any potential illness due to bathing in the rain. I've tried washing my hair via a cup and a bucket, and yes, I can do it, but it is not as satisfying or as clean. However, get a good downpour, stand under the drainspout, and you can thoroughly wash your hair in seconds. Sadly, my wonderful bottle of North American 2-in-1 got misplaced somewhere along my journey up to Lawra. I hope that whoever found it is enjoying their superclean and wonderfully smelling hair. I've managed to find a bottle of rather retro-looking shampoo, which did an ok job of cleaning my hair, although it was definitely not formulated for my (very obviously) non-African hair. So, last night I opted for Sunlight dish detergent. It was incredible! As I was combing it out afterwards, I could feel that it was dry, and apologized for any damage I am doing to it, but oh it felt clean. And this morning it still looks and feels clean. Fortunately, the heat and humidity means that my hair is staying quite wavy, which makes it easier to hide the dirt. I am still looking forward to my salon wash and cut on December 19, and know I will revert back to my daily showers, shampoos and blowdrys, but in the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the rains when they come.


Ok, I am now totally laughing. I am in Africa, supposed to be leaving a positive impact, changing the world, and I am here typing a post about my hair. C'est la vie.