Mud Day

Most of us are familiar with snow days.  Days where it snows too much for the busses to get kids to school.  Sadly, we only had one while I was living in Telluride and we called it a "powder day"!  Today I experienced my first 'mud day'.  It was really just a mud delay.  The road on the way to UPEACE was covered by a minor slide and buses were delayed.  We were all on buses ready for a day of class when it happened.  So, students dutifully filed off to their homes and coffee shops while waiting the mud to be cleared.    School eventually happened but on a late schedule with most activities cancelled.  The campus is now closed and we are going to an alternative campus tomorrow and next week due to excessive rain. All extracurricular activities have been cancelled.

It has been raining excessively here.  Yesterday I made the mistake of not wearing a rain jacket and found that rain boots and my umbrella are clearly not adequate for this type of rain!  Today, during the delay, I went to mail my dad's birthday card only to find it in tatters in my backpack.  My notebooks are soaked as well.  A tica woman suggested I dry them in the microwave.  Didn't work.  I now have a hot and greasy wet notebook.  It looks like the waterproof backpack cover I bought will be put to use after all!

Since I have been here students and ticos alike have been commenting on the sad state of my umbrella.  When your modest host family makes fun of something you own, you should consider replacing it.  Today I did.  I went with Vihn, a Danish student.  We went to a store that he knew had nice umbrellas.  I could hardly bring myself to pay $11 for a new umbrella and Vihn couldn't understand my angst.  Ah the Danish.  They must live so well in their semi-socialist world.  I chose a purple umbrella with pink hearts.  The store owners said I must be in love.  I parked my umbrella outside of my house.  When my host sister arrived she asked whose it was.  When I replied 'mine' she immediately asked me about my 'novio' (boyfriend).

I am finding the rain to be mentally challenging.  It is getting to me.  Coming from the sunshine state, I am having a serious reaction to not seeing the sun for almost a week.  Everything is exaggerated.  I found myself needing to move, right?  But today my house was intolerable and I was about to couch surf in traditional college student style until I found a new place.  Then I realized that might be extreme.  Just like this weather!

Drying Notebooks

Drying Notebooks

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