So last night I was woken up out of a dead sleep, which is no small feat since I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. I wasn’t sure what exactly woke me until I heard it again- an explosion. Either someone was dropping bombs and another war was starting here, or a huge, inconsiderate giant was stepping on the house.
I was half asleep still (like I said, heavy sleeper), so I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t having a dream/nightmare. And I didn’t hear people running around outside, or inside, I could only assume my initial guesses were wrong.
So I layed in my little bed, under my mosquito net, try to fall back asleep as the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life boomed every ten seconds. It literally shook the walls; the metal roof only magnified the sound. Worse, a torrential rain (yes, torrential) was falling so thick and hard that it drowned out all other sound. I can only equate it to a jet flying low overhead; I grew up next to an airbase, I’ve had many times in my life when I was talking only to be completely drowned out by an aircraft flying too close to the house. If you haven’t had the experience, the only other thing even close to this noise level is a very gusty wind, like on the beach in winter. Or if you’ve ever lived through a tornado. On top of all the noise, the lightning was so strong and so frequent, it looked like a giant strobe light outside and I could even see it through my eyelids. I honestly don’t remember being scared during a thunderstorm, possibly when I was a very young child. I think I managed to finally fall asleep an hour or two later, but the storm/apocalypse was still going strong. I tried putting a pillow over my head, which blocked out the constant flashing light, but not the noise. It was that loud. I truly feared the roof was going to cave in (well it is just a corrugated metal sheet on wood beams).
I was half asleep still (like I said, heavy sleeper), so I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t having a dream/nightmare. And I didn’t hear people running around outside, or inside, I could only assume my initial guesses were wrong.
So I layed in my little bed, under my mosquito net, try to fall back asleep as the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life boomed every ten seconds. It literally shook the walls; the metal roof only magnified the sound. Worse, a torrential rain (yes, torrential) was falling so thick and hard that it drowned out all other sound. I can only equate it to a jet flying low overhead; I grew up next to an airbase, I’ve had many times in my life when I was talking only to be completely drowned out by an aircraft flying too close to the house. If you haven’t had the experience, the only other thing even close to this noise level is a very gusty wind, like on the beach in winter. Or if you’ve ever lived through a tornado. On top of all the noise, the lightning was so strong and so frequent, it looked like a giant strobe light outside and I could even see it through my eyelids. I honestly don’t remember being scared during a thunderstorm, possibly when I was a very young child. I think I managed to finally fall asleep an hour or two later, but the storm/apocalypse was still going strong. I tried putting a pillow over my head, which blocked out the constant flashing light, but not the noise. It was that loud. I truly feared the roof was going to cave in (well it is just a corrugated metal sheet on wood beams).
The next morning I asked my host mom about what happened during the night. She told me it’s called La Tormenta… I don’t think it’s a term that needs translation.
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