Pula!

In Botswana, the currency is called the Pula. The national greeting is “Pula”. The national motto is “Pula”. I’ve heard many people shout it gleefully over the last few days, but they mean its simpler definition.
Pula is the Setswana word for rain, which ought to impress upon anyone the scarcity of water and the vital importance of rain. I’m now seeing pula for the first time since my arrival. The clouds have been teasing us with explosive thunder and brilliant forked lightning for days, and only now have they opened up, with a moderate rainfall that still feels like manna..
The locals, both African and expat, have been brimming with anticipation at the hint of upcoming downpours, and their enthusiasm is very infectious. It’s hard to explain, given that it’s only been five days since I was in Vancouver, but even though I’m sitting by myself in my room at the moment, it inspires a powerful urge to charge out into the wet and enjoy it while it lasts, an impulse I’ve indulged several times.
And last it does not. Even as I’ve sat here, the light shower has largely tapered off. Damn… but still… Pula!