Water

It is raining. It has been raining for three days. This is par for the course everywhere I've lived - except for Amman. In DC, rain makes things kind of inconvenient - it's harder to walk or ride your bike to work - the the bus usually takes exponentially longer to arrive. Though annoying, as soon as the dark clouds arrive, women embrace the opportunity afforded them to add new accessories to their outdoor wardrobe - wellies and fashionable umbrellas, indicative of their personal style, pop up across North West. When the rain arrives, it flows down the streets ( to drains (for the most part) where it is taken to a huge water source - the Potomac river (which, is extremely polluted but that's a story in and of itself).

In Amman, however, rain is a different animal. Jordan is what they call "water-poor", extremely water-poor, the fourth poorest in fact, so rain is a very very good thing. If you've even flown over Jordan, you've noticed that the landscape is extremely arid with rare patches or curling swaths of green. Those spots of green are very important because they let us know that when there IS water, things grow! Farmers who are able to irrigate (and some do quite creatively) have lush green crops. The challenge accessing and capturing water.

The past few days are testament that the city simply isn't equipped to capture this vital resource when there is precipitation. This is due, in part, to the infrequency of rain (though there is a designated 'rainy season' from November to April word on the street is that it's very infrequent).

As I write this, I am experiencing one of the consequences of living in a desert city when it rains. My roof is flat. Completely flat and, therefore, my ceiling is leaking. I have four towel stations set up and a fifth towel drying in preparation for it's next round. It was kind of quaint at first, you know, your first apartment is leaking, aw. But now, we're getting a bit fed up - not just with the water on my floor but because I know this is happening to thousands of houses across the city and if the water were effectively captured, it would be of great use.

I tried to go out to run some errands and it was; the streets have become rivers. There aren't any street drains so water rushes across the highway and side streets making driving treacherous and soaking the few, brave pedestrians. The unguided water plunges freely down neighborhood steps.



























It just feels like such a waste.

I realize that by living here I have become one of those people who talks about the weather more than it might be comfortable for my western friends. Here, it is completely normal to discuss the rain and the cold ( anything under 50) etc. It's normal because when it rains stores close, people don't go to work, they don't go out at all really - much like DC with two inches of snow. However, I was skyping with a few friends the other day and became a bit self-conscious at the frequency and excitement with which I told them, "It's RAINING! Has been for a few days now!" Anyway, now you know a bit more of why.

Oh, also, it started hailing a few mins ago: check it the ice on our balcony above!