Island- a piece of land surrounded by water.
The rainy season is fully upon us, and all of Lagos- our mega city, seventh largest economy in Africa is now a proper Island. If it rains for five minutes we will need boats to get out of our streets and navigate on the roads. No wonder people are always buying jeeps.
It is almost funny that in the middle of this flooding problem celebration is on in Lagos.
The best place to be when it is raining in Lagos is inside your house, (that is if water will not come and wash you away). But we can’t always have good things in this life, so on some weekday mornings, the weather gods will be like, let’s splash Lagosians with some water and watch them squirm.
I hate it when it rains in the morning on weekdays.
Lagos is a smelly place when it rains, from the smelly water overflowing from gutters and canals into the road, to the pile of rubbish leaking out disgusting things and people coughing and throwing out phlegm everywhere.
But we can’t be angry everyday it’s raining now, can we? I mean this rain will fall when it likes, how it likes till December.
Here are some ways I deal with Lagos on a rainy work day.
Look up- keep your eyes up. You don’t want to see tiny worms swimming in puddles, or phlegm or wet decomposing rubbish. Look up.
Please avoid stepping on overflowing water no matter how small or low. If you have to, when you get home, sterlise your feet- soak in hot water with Dettol and scrub. Do the same for your shoes if you are going to put them inside your house again.
On this puddle issue, please do not walk by puddles too. We all know our Lagos drivers, they will see water and keep up their speed. Whoever gets another unwanted bath is not their business.
There’s always something beautiful to see. Last week I saw a woman with a baby strapped to her back, she had a big umbrella covering both of them but our little madam had her own tiny pink umbrella. For some reason, school children draped in full nylon are always laughing and sharing stories on their way to school as the rain hit their faces. The clouds squeezing out water are also a beautiful sight to see. Sometimes the rain and the Sun have a showdown, look, you will see some beautiful sky scenes.
Please if you are driving a car, especially Jeep owners, slow down when you see water on the road, bikonu. Don’t be giving people unwanted baths.
If you, like me, use danfos to get around in Lagos, you know how irritating it can be when wet skins are pressed onto your own. Pay for two seats.
Hey unless you want to continue swimming when you get home do not forget to shut your windows. Set an alarm for around the time you usually leave your house, it doesn’t matter if the sun is out. Shut. Your. Windows.
Here is wishing you the best from the rain from a grumpy Lagosian.