Pula

siLozi, the language of maLozi who live in buLozi, share some words in common with siSotho, seSwazi, seStwana, etc. It derives from the days of the Mfecane, when the power of the Zulus in present-day South Africa caused a displacement of tribes northwards that included the Makololo, who conquered the Luyi / Lozi kingdom and ruled for two generations before being overthrown. Or something like that; the Mfecane could almost be equated with a meteor dropping into the ocean of southern Africa, and the effects echo nearly two centuries onwards. The long and short of it is that maLozi (the Lozi people) speak a language that is a mix of the Bantu languages you might hear in other parts of Zambia, and something resembling seStwana or seSotho, though thankfully without the clicks.

One word siLozi share with their southern neighbors is "pula" (rain). It has a much deeper meaning in drier Botswana; pula means rain; it also can mean prosperity, indicated by the word being used as the name of the currency of Botswana.

It came as a blessing in any language to have rain fall here; it's difficult to describe the heat in terms other than Philistine; more importantly, you can see the anxiety in the eyes of farmers, particularly those growing maize. The advent of rain is akin to the advent of spring in the Upper Midwest; people seem to burst forth in activity. I'm doing the same ... we're putting together a demonstration plot next weekend and it will mean a couple of days of hard labor, but looking forward to the opportunity to grow anything at this point.