Rain Rain Go Away

It started out like any other work day. Kelly and I were biking to work at 7:00 in the morning. Ok, I noticed that it was a little darker out than usual, but I didn’t think much of it. (This may be since Kelly has become “The Girl Who Cried ‘Rain.’” She’s always calling “rain”, even when we live in a desert and it didn’t rain for
five months. More often than not, it’s just another day of thick pollution smog.)

You can probably see where this is going. It started as a light drizzle when we were already on campus, just five minutes away. Within 30 seconds it was a thick downpour. It’s amazing how wet you can get in just a few minutes of heavy rain.

I don’t own an umbrella yet, but I do have an over-the-bike rain poncho, courtesy of my awesome assistant. I’ve had it since September and never used it. How was I to know this was the one day to NOT keep it at home?

Luckily I was wearing a dark dress that day, but it did make for a rather uncomfortable beginning of school.

Because of the unpredictability of the weather, (or my bad luck in the universe), it was sunny all day until the minute I was ready to leave. I actually took my kids out to the playground during the day without a problem, (other than some large puddles), and walked through campus to the cafeteria in bright sunshine.

I had swimming, so I still had to ride my bike. They were giving out super thin garbage bag-esque ponchos, so I grabbed one. Even though it didn’t cover below my waist, it did keep my backpack dry. When I got out of swimming, it was not only pouring, but with the added finesse of thunder and lightning.

It was kind of exhilarating, pedaling through the streets of Wudaokou in a crazy storm wearing just a dress and a yellow garbage bag. I thought at least I’d have the run of the streets, but I should have known better. All the usual traffic was still out, just more properly attired than myself. There were just as many carts and bikes, and the cars drive just as damn fast, with the added oomph of spewing water from their wheels. There were massive flooded parts of the street, with no way to go around them. By the time I got to my complex in Liudaokou, I was as soaked as when I was in the pool, and thoroughly laughing. I got some of the weirdest looks and double-takes since I’ve been in China, and that’s saying a lot.

Lesson Learned: I should really start checking the weather.