Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away
I love this weather. Sitting in my apartment with rain so deafening that I can’t even talk on the phone is absolutely perfect for a writer. There’s no desire to stick so much as a toe outside of my door, no sun beckoning me to abandon my computer for golden warmth, and the sound… well, the sound of rain is calming and repetitive enough to create the perfect white noise backdrop for some hardcore creativity.
The rain can cause some pretty irritating mishaps and problems, though my reaction is not to moan or get frustrated, but to grin and nod. Just a year ago, many of these rainy events would have caused a severe increase in blood pressure, a serious downturn of mood, and the utterance of words not fit for those under 18. But Costa Rica has mellowed me considerably.
When the rains first began back in April, I chuckled to myself, “What’s the big brouhaha all about?” An hour or two of rain a day sounded perfect: plenty of water to nourish plants, provide respite from the dry heat, and serenade me with the lovely pitter patter of water on my roof. And then the rains actually began.
The first real downpour brought Emilia, my landlady, flying through her door, armed to the tooth with towels and buckets, 
poised to stop any leaks. Water flowed down my walls and threatened to dribble into the electric plugs, a bluff I’m not willing to call, and so have since disconnected all major appliances during big storms. Rain thunders on my metal rooftop daily, drowning out all sound, including that of my own voice. Lightning illuminates the sky and thunder claps louder than I’ve ever heard before. Water flows down the road in rivers, gurgling out of the overflowing underground sewers. So this is winter.
September and October are the rainiest months and I’m even told that early October brings a week of steady, 24-hour per day rain. This isn’t a bad thing at all, though. In fact, in a country where the mercury never drops below 18 degrees C (75 degrees F), downpours are perfect excuses to snuggle up in a fleece blanket, cook a pot of bone-warming chicken noodle soup, indulge in a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and host your own movie marathon over the weekend. It’s perfect. I love the rain. Bring. It. On.
Yay! Erin! I am totally jealous of your rain. I think rain is best for writers =)
I am no writer, but I am still jealous! I love the rain, and the way you describe your environment sounds like heaven. When it rains here in Phoenix(oh so rarely) I don’t even notice until I go outside. No rain smell, no rain sound on the roof, no humidity leaks in from outside … You are truly blesed Erin =)
Lovely writing. I could feel the wet, fresh air and the wooing patter of heavy raindrops on your tin roof. I lived in Costa Rica less than half a year ago, and frequently think about returning one day.
its pouring. ill make some coffee, and read my book. rain is nice (sometimes)
why did you remove blogging as your interest on facebook. was that a plea for attention? it’s 5am and I think it’s time to sleep. i am excited to come back and experience winter. me imagino que todo este muy verde. les extraño.
@Danny: I really love this rain. I think it’s mostly because it’s so predictable. In the states, I never knew when it was going to start or stop and certainly not how long it would last. Here, there’s a definite beginning and ending and it’s so much more enjoyable.
@Pablo: You know, the rain here doesn’t smell that much. I mean, there is a certain smell, but it’s not like springtime in the states. I hadn’t even thought of that…
@Simon: That tin roof patter is the best part. When the rain is just beginning and the drops are ENORMOUS and falling so slowly, it’s fantastic. Of course, that’s also my cue to barrel out of my house to go fetch my laundry hanging in the back yard.
@Josue: Oh yum, that sounds so great. Rain and coffee and a book… I’ll have to do that next time I have a free afternoon!
@elle: You want to know the sad part? I didn’t even realize that I had deleted it as an interest… Anyway, winter is awesome. You’re going to love it.
Even I just completely love rain!
This was a beautiful post!
I love the weather in CR, mostly for the temperature though. Something about sitting around in my trackiedacks to work appeals to the bum in me.
Sometimes it’s annoying that it rains virtually every but I’ve been in worse. I spent a winter in Vancouver once and got to enjoy record “days of rain in a row”. The 6 months I was there I think it was only sunny 10 times heh.
¡¿mae donde estás?!
@Narziss: Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
@Ben: I just spent the past two weekends at the beach and they made me realize how much I love the weather here in the Central Valley. Sun and sand is good for the occasional getaway, but I’ll take the cool, refreshing mountain breezes for my longer-term enveironment.
@elle: Bleh, working. I’ll try to IM you if I can climb out from beneath my mountain of work.
Rain, rain, rain!!!!
Welcome to the most rainiest countries in the world!!
Gringa,
You Rock. I loved your very descriptive, colorful and funny descriptions of your day to day happenings. You have the cutest personalities, and this guy you snatched up should consider himself a lucky guy. You are beautiful internal and external. With a sloght edge going to the internal beauty!
@Fabi: I love the rain, but I’m definitely looking forward to the tardes de noviembre and el sol de diciembre. I’m ready for them!
@JB: Well thank you, you’re very kind. I’m glad you like my writing style… sometimes I can get a bit silly.
Thank you so much for the compliments and I hope you hang around to read some more (once I get my tush in gear and post!).
I totally agree. Being from Pokhara, Nepal “the rainiest place” I am in love with the rain. It brings freshness for me. I love the sound it makes. I love being indoors seeing the rain “hitting my terrace and bouncing back” and enjoy the hot soup. Oooo I love to go back home to enjoy the rain.