Monsoon Madness

It is funny how weather affects our lives so much.
If we are meeting someone we have an automatic topic: "How about that weather, huh?"
It can be used as a scapegoat, or a true reason for not doing something or feeling poorly.
It often dictates what activities we can do, or how we can do them.

With weather being so important, it is no wonder that the latest monsoons in Nepal have consumed so much of my thoughts. The monsoons here have actually made the news in Canada, they have been so important.

When we agreed to come here I didn't realize what the monsoons would be like. I had a vague idea in my head about rain and things feeling soggy, but I didn't understand what it would be like to experience it. I was completely unprepared.

At first I was very thankful because the rains were a relief from the intense heat. I thought "who could complain about this?". Soon I began to understand why people like to complain about monsoons here. A few days of rain would get anyone down, but 16 straight days of heavy rain (pretty much non-stop) seemed interminable. I thought that it would never end. I actually forgot how hot it was and how I was hoping for relief.

There are some side-effects that come with intense monsoon rains:
-mudslides.
-floods.
-mold and damp.
Villages and schools were washed away as the land turned into mud, then mush, then a landslide. One landslide washed out our water pipes and so we had the irony of living with a water shortage in the middle of a downpour of rain. Rain had no place to drain and ended up flooding homes and making travel and living impossible; this also lead to death and lots of disease. Clothing, books, paper, electronics, and anything else not sealed away in plastic ended up damp and then moldy due to the high level of constant moisture in the air.

I just had no idea that any of this was really going to happen. I was told about it, but experiencing it for yourself is quite the thing. I think that the mold, the cold damp and the lack of sunshine bothered me the most. I actually ended up turning on a space heater because the damp made me feel so cold.

But then, a couple weeks later, the rains started to stop. The sun came back out. The mud and drains dried up. We took out all of our bedding, sheets, and clothing and put them in the hot sun to try to get rid of the damp. I started to go outside more, and I put the space heater away. I was really happy, and vowed not to complain about the heat again.

And then....the rains started again. This time I was ready for it. They didn't hit as hard this time, or maybe I was just braced for the worst? Whatever the reason, I didn't have to take out the space heater again and I saw the sun a bit more.

I hear that we are near the end of monsoon season. The rains come less and less now, and mostly at night. I still see clouds, and I appreciate it when they pass over the sun and lessen the intense rays, but they don't stay for long. People are starting to come out of their homes and be social again. I am watching less movies and reading less books, as the outside is more appealing now. My sheets and clothing are dry, and it only takes a day for our laundry to air-dry. The flowers are out and the rice crops are thriving. Yes, things are starting to look positive. I can say that I have looked a Monsoon in the face and Survived!

So, "How about that weather, huh?"
(-Kristy)