Africa Smells

Again I tried to write this really eloquent blog/e-mail about my encounters in Africa when the power went out and I lost the entire thing. So here is my second attempt at describing the smell of Africa.
Africa smells. When you tell people that they smell they automatically think back to the last time they had a shower. For an African it was probably within the last couple of hours. Africa itself gets showers hourly as well. I think of all the smells in Africa this is my favorite. Africa after a rain shower, it has a dry sweet smell that leaves you feeling chilled but hot at the same time. I love it and it makes me think of summers in eastern Washington. Africans walk and do things slow It is their way of not rushing life. Americans rush everywhere and I think by doing that they miss out on the smells of life. Not all the smells here in Africa are pleasant, but it’s amazing because they are distinctly African. The smell of sweat on a body after a scorching afternoon, the smell of the latrine you don’t want to go into but know you have to, or even the smell of a cockroach infested room. These are some of the smells I don’t like but have learned to appreciate. Then there are the incredibly pleasant smells like the overly sweet scent of a jackfruit. Or the smell of a fresh banana smoothie. I even love the smell of the busy market. That is the most variegated scent of all. It is the combination of dust and sweat and fresh produce and the scent of perfume. The smell of Africa is on my clothes and in my skin, when I breathe I can almost taste Africa, it’s the food and the weather and the people. I know I will miss the smell of Africa when I come back to the states and rush to class and not even notice the smell of America.