Rain

I witnessed my first Bangkok rain last night. Rain poured from the sky in sheets. It hit the tin roofs with so much force that I did not even recognize the noise coming from outside as rain. It started raining at 5:30 pm. I remember thinking that I will head out to dinner when it slows down. But an hour passed and the rain out not let up. Realizing that I had to brave the rain to get food, I rolled up my pants and put on my jacket. Little good that did.

Outside the apartment, the water was ankle deep already. No wonder this country floods so often. At home the meteorologist would have surely been interrupting television programs saying, "Conditions good for flash flooding" but people seemed to be going about their business. I sloshed down the street through the cold water. The glowing lights of the market seemed so far away as I was hopelessly trying to dodge the splashes from the motorcycles zipping by me.

At the market, the rain sound like a thousands hammers hitting the thin metal of the pavilion. Vendors had wrapped all their goods in plastic. Consumers were bundled in rain gear. But all else was the same. I purchased dinner and some fruit for breakfast, then started the wild, wet journey back down the street.

This morning there was no hint of water. Except for the moistness of the air and the students learned the English idiom "It's raining cats and dogs" during English Club.