Cyclone Edilson

Yay the excitement upon hearing that a tropical cyclone is on its way to Mauritius is something else.

Nounou Lysie is a staunch believer in Meteo Mauritius, and watches the weather report every night. Why you ask? Because she believes that Shabd is like the weather. Sunny day equals good day for Shabd. Rainy day equals bad day for Shabd.

Bizarre as nounou Lysie’s reasoning might be, in her own way, she has a point. Shabd is the outdoor type. Sunshine equals many uninterrupted hours of play outside. Rain or windy weather means he’s cooped up in the house having to contend with indoor activities. And let’s face it, compared to the millions of exciting discoveries just waiting for him outdoors, staying in is hardly a treat!

We woke up on Thursday morning to Class 3 cyclone warning – no school, no work, no public transport system operational. In other words, one is to stay indoors and stay safe! I’m very proud to say that we stayed true to the Mauritian way of keeping busy during a cyclone, we cooked chicken curry and foolka (fried puffed bread). Then made some crunchies for tea! What a treat.

While mummy and papa cooked, Shabd played indoor soccer. He read his books. He drummed a cool two beat rhythm on the djembe. He hugged his teddies and took them for a tour around the house. He played in his pirate ship. He lied face up on the floor and contemplated the ceiling…Voila! Half an hour had passed! What in heaven’s name was he going to do for the rest of the day?!

Suffice to say, we survived the day all cooped up together. It was nice. We napped together. We ate together, mostly. We played hide and seek. We played “let’s chase Shabd”. We sang nursery rhymes and clapped our hands to the beat. We read the Tigger story Shabd loves. We sang at the top of our voices. We “woofed” and “neighed” and “quacked” together. We tried to figure out what sound an elephant makes. We danced to the music on radio. We had a fantastic cyclone Edilson.