Bay Area has been experiencing some rainy days for the past few weeks now, have heard that this is unusual for this time of the year. Looking at the weather forecast for the rest of the week doesn't help either, as all one can see are showers and more rain.
What this means to folks living here? Extended travelling time, backed up traffic on highways 101, 280, train delays and just staying indoors to keep away from the downpour. Of course, when folks talk about spring break and the arrival of spring weather, we just seem to blink and move away.
I can only imagine how much i used to enjoy the rare rainy season that hit Chennai when i was in school and college. During school days, heavy rains would clog our gutters and create huge puddles of water and the route and area to my school Adarsh Vidyalaya would just be a mess. Buses would run sparsely and getting from home to the busstop would be a challenge, auto drivers would demand outrageous amounts to drop us off, even if we were a bunch of students and finally one person's dad would manage to drive us to school. And then, with more thunder and downpour in the later morning, we would sit speculating about our plans for the afternoon when a notice would come around from the principal's office that school would end at noon that day and we could all leave early..........hooray!
And then, college days, the rain meant getting the same notice from our department head or requesting permission to go home early because of the rain and bus schedule to get drenched in the rain in our salwars (O Ho..Megam Vanthatho Song from Mouna Raagam, nyabagam) and 5 of us huddled together in each others laps in a wet auto would end up going to Udhayam theatre in Ashok Nagar (closest to our college) to watch a movie in the afternoon.
In the evening, when we used to go home, hot pakodas or savories for the rainy weather would greet us and we would end up enjoying the rare rainy months in Chennai.
Alas, after 5 years of being away from home, rainy weather is no more fun, but just an end to another regular day at work.
My Rainy Day Schedule- I am leaving early for the day and will go home and make myself a steaming cup of hot chocolate and snuggle on the couch with my latest James Patterson novel.
6 comments:
I used to love the rain during my school days, because any hint of a possible shower would only mean one thing... NO school. yaaaayyyyy! :)
Just like you said, bajji/pakoda used to greet us and we played several indoor games to our hearts' content. Aana college'la apdi ellam vaal aatta mudila. Adaadhu mazhai peidhalum, vidadhu varanum nu soltanga! Erichala irukum, I hate getting drenched. :(
Mazhaila nanayama, veetlendhu pakkardhu dhan pudikum. :)
Yaa Rainy days in Chennai are so much fun people would be outside doing lot of activities.Watching people rushing home at work ,poeple crowded in Tea Stalls , Popele stopping their vehicles and taking shelter in shops.Small things that makes us happy in our home land are lost when you come to a sophisticated foreign land .
Yeah, a rainy morning would brighten me during my school days too(though nervously hoping for a holiday to be declared!)! It used to be a big challenge to not get wet inside the PTC bus(water, water everywhere; not a seat to sit!)
Hot chai and cuddling on the sofa with a book... looks distant past!! :)
viji- hmm....guess you grew up at college.
raz-yes,Rain in Chennai, wouldn't that be a wish for all.
shiv_shankar- thanks for pointing that out, yes, lots of activity on the road in Chennai on rainy days.
me_too-PTC buses will run sparesely,in that, the seats would be wet, bcos of the watter dripping through the window's black rubber shield, seems so remote.
the day after u post this, it turns out to be bright and sunny :)
but apparently not for too long :(
PS: what patterson book r u reading?
Balaji-
I know, can't stop wishing for some nice sunny weather. I am really hooked into Patterson these days and am devoring his books at a rapid rate...currently Cat & Mouse.
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