Stepping off the plane and into the hot and humid environment of Belém was a shock to the system.  This city of 2 million in the Amazon basin is like rainy Seattle stuck in a sauna and it's going to take awhile for me to get used to the high temperatures.  In Belém there are no seasons per say because it's summer all year round.  The year is divided into the "Rainy" season and the "Less-Rainy" season.  That being said, it downpours every day in Belém, the only question being how much and for how long.

Mango trees at night in the city - photo credit Jean Santos

While driving us to our hotel, our coordinator pointed out the huge and hulking tunnels of mango trees lining the main streets.  Belém is known as the Cidade das Mangueiras/City of Mango Trees and most motorists have an extra insurance for their windsheilds to protect them from the heavy fruits constantly dropping down and busting their windshield.  While eating dinner one night with friends at a street stand under a canvas tarp, a mango fell and all of us about dropped to the floor with fear and surprise from the loud noise it made.  "You have to watch out for those," the vendor said.  "They can give you a small concussion."  He picked it up off the street, peeled some and encouraged us to try it saying, "It's delicous and free!"  And indeed it was.

"And the forecast for Belém tomorrow is rain."  .... "Really?"

Interestingly, the city of Belém has its own natural rhythm.  It rains every day at about 3pm on the dot.  The rain plays an important part of scheduling and making plans.  In the past, residents used to get together depending on the rain and would meet before or after the heavy downpour.  When I ask people about the rain most people here love it.  They like the routine it creates, the like the smell it has and the sound that it makes.  I've had students tell me just in the last week that they would really miss the rain if they lived anywhere else and that they wouldn't be able to live without it.  So far, I could really do without the rain but maybe I'll learn to love it by the time I'm done here.

Seconds before the downpour

When the rain comes, it looks like the end of days is coming and people joke about the afternoon apocalypse.  The skies turn dark and gray and heave, menacing clouds form.  After about five minutes of seeing the sky change, the water comes down in buckets.  It's astonishing to see how thick and hard the rain falls here - I've never seen anything like it.  It makes sense now why so many people told me to make sure I came to Belém with a sturdy and reliable umbrella.  I brought two just in case and I'm glad I did!

And here it comes

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