The monsoon has officially started. The rain on Friday poured down harder than I have experienced in my entire life. I had to walk to the bazaar to pick up things for a dinner party on Friday night. I waited as long as I could for the rain to stop, but it didn’t, so I ventured out in my rainboots, umbrella and raincoat. I was soaked after five minutes. The rain was beating down so hard it was coming through the top of my umbrella. I ran from shop to shop and got what I needed, and spent an hour sitting and talking with my tailor waiting for it to slow a bit. It didn’t, so I began the half hour walk back up the mountain. The roads are so steep that the rain was flowing down with the force of a river. I struggled to stay standing as I forged the flowing water, but the water was so high it filled my boots and felt as though I was walking through a waterfall. I couldn’t help but remember last summer in Rajasthan; every time it rained I ran into the streets with joy letting the water soak me from head to toe and cool me off. This time, I couldn’t wait to get home and dry off.
I changed my clothes and headed up for school. When I got there, I was not on the schedule for next week. There had been a mistake and therefore I hadn’t gotten the times or teachers I requested for the coming week. After arguing with the principal, who was trying to fit me in to some classes, I ended up with a random bunch of teachers and the worst times. I have two in the morning, one mid-day, and one in the afternoon. It was a frustrating day, and only got worse when I arrived back home to see that my roof was leaking and water was pouring in through my door, which doesn’t close all the way.
The rain finally stopped and it was the clearest it has been in the four weeks I have been in Landour. For the first time I could see far enough to see the snow-capped mountains. It was a nice treat after a terrible day!
After my day on Friday I decided I needed a break over the weekend. A bunch of us from the school decided to go down the mountain to Dehradun and see Harry Potter. We took a taxi down the hairpin turns that make everyone car sick, and two hours later were back to the blazing heat of Indian summers. I missed the mountains the minute we hit the heat! There was AC (thank god!) and it was a pretty nice theatre. The movie was in 3D, and the quality was terrible, it was dizzying to watch the 3D, and the only seats we could get were in the 4th row, which didn’t help. Indian movies have intermissions, so it was nice to be able to take the glasses off for a bit! People were answering their phones and talking throughout the entire movie, but the seats in the theatre were reclining, and much better than the ones we have in Rochester. It was a great break from the mountains, and worth the treacherous trip down for a relaxing afternoon and a taste of American culture.
The rain hasn’t stopped today, and there has been no electricity all day. It has forced me to do some homework. Back to the grind next week.
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