'Gainst My Window...I Can't Stand The Rain

I feel like all I've done in the last few days is eat and study and get rained on. Which is kind of accurate. It's kind of cool hanging out in the computer room at the PGI library, where people in white coats and stethoscope necklaces swim in and out. And when I get my bag checked as I leave the library now, I think the old librarian dude recognizes me. It's like my Lamont away from home (yaddadasayin tho, where my Harvard peeps at?)

But when it rains here, it pours. You think you hear white noise and then realize it's just raining outside, like movie rain for hours on end. As I was leaving the library one day, I realized that it was raining really hard. I had an umbrella on me though, so I was like, no sweat. But as I was opening my umbrella it, well, sort of...basically it broke in half. "Oh God!" I said rather loudly as I struggled to put the two halves back together. Caught up in trying to bring my umbrella (ella ella eh eh eh) back to life, I soon realized that I was ankle-deep in water. Not fun. I had my jeans rolled up and all, but my favorite silver flats were basically soaked in muddy water. The exit out of the parking lot was basically flooded. I saw a couple of guys trying to get out another way, so I followed them, tore-up-from-the-floor-up umbrella in hand. Squish squish I went through the soaking grass. Alas, the other exit was flooded as well. Rickshaw drivers proved to be the heros of the day, pulling up rickshaws to the sides of the road so people could get out unscathed. I got onto a rickshaw alright, but didn't stay on for long because there was no way I could go from Sector 12, where PGI is located, all the way back to Sector 44B, home, (Chandigarh is a totally planned city, constructed as a grid of sectors) unless I really felt like chilling in the rain for another hour.

So I tried to find an auto. This is quite possibly the most difficult and aggravating task I have to accomplish on a daily basis. I recognized one of the auto drivers and went over to him. Face scrunched up because of the rain, I said I needed to go to 44B. He shook his head no. "No?" No, he repeated. "Why not? You took me the other day." "Because it's raining." "Then where are you going to go?" "Home." And then he proceeded to chill there for a while longer. I rolled my eyes and cussed a little under my breath. Seriously, homie? No shit it's raining. That's why I need an auto. Why the fuck are you still standing here if you're not looking for business?! Ain't nobody stopping you from going home.

Once I got home, I took a nap to make myself feel better. When I awoke, I saw that the rain had stopped. Apparently the nap had really worked, because I jumped out of bed and decided to wander out to Sector 17, the shopping sector. I was home alone because my mom had gone to get Moneek from the airport, and I was feeling adventurous. Or maybe I just wanted to prove that I could brave the drivers and the weather and the Sector 17 shopkeepers myself. Fine, I admit I called for an air-conditioned taxi, but I braved the rest. Newly purchased Indian suits in hand, I went to all the little jewelry shops I could find, determined to find perfectly matching earrings for each outfit, because you know that's how I do. Much success! ...Except for the random fact that at one point this bird was trying to eat my foot or something. Seriously. There I am looking into a store window and I feel something on my foot, and look down to find a bird hanging out on it. So random, haha. Once that ordeal was over, I proceeded to ball out, wiggling my way through crowds, bargaining my way through the sector. I have to give the salesmen a lot of credit too, though. When I was unsure about a pair of earrings, they would have me come behind the counter where there was a full-length mirror, encouraging me to try the earrings on and helping me hold up the kameez of my suit. "Bohot acha match, Madam. Very good. Ek dam fit." I felt rather accomplished, even if the rain had owned me earlier. I even remembered to pick up a couple of balloons for the little kiddos I live with at home. Yay.

And if you didn't already get it, the title of this entry is a Missy Elliott reference. "The Rain". Quite a funky and revolutionary song, I recommend.