the expanse of the heavens

One time a friend told me that Africa is big sky country. That's putting it mildly. The african sky is so beautiful that it sometimes takes my breath away.














Let me try to paint a picture for you:









-you wake up with the dawn - the sun is already so strong that it burns through the curtains and plays with your morning dreams. The sunrise is mild hues of pink and corral, and it passes quickly into regular morning sunlight.




-during the morning, very few clouds mar the sky. It is blue as far as the eye can see - a deep azure like Longfellow's poem. Even if the morning air is cool, the sun begins to beat down in waves of dry heat.








-in the afternoon, the clouds begin to gather for their evening performance. They are magnificent - cirrus on top of cumulus and stratus. They look like varied brush strokes on a canvas of sunlight. The sun sometimes outlines the clouds or streams through them. The light turns orange and fierce, but the expanse of the heavens stretches far beyond what two eyes can take in.

-by sunset, you are eagerly anticipating what the sky will provide tonight: streaks of deep orange or pink, a flaming globe hanging low. no one can predict the glory of sunset in africa - some days it is understated, with lilac tones gently making waves across the world. other days you think the sun has disappeared, and then it rounds a foothill to blind you in its fierceness.


-dusk passes, and the moon arises - talk about your star performer. Every night the moon is beautiful. Last night it was a waxing crescent - soon it will be full, hopefully before I leave. It shines brightly enough to lighten the dark street where I live. The darker the night, the more brightly it shines - I could stare for hours.

-the night sky is littered with stars: so many that you want to throw your head back, let your jaw hang open, and just gape. I get in trouble for doing this while walking...










Not just in Uganda is the sky painfully beautiful - Kenya and Zimbabwe are the same. A colleague once told me, "There is something magical about the birds and the sky in Africa, take deep breaths and drink it in."