The Wonder of Weather

As you've heard about the Pacific Northwest, it rains often. We've found that it's normally sporadic enough that it doesn't really bother us. Well, the huge numbers of worms that come out and die on the sidewalk bother me, but the rain itself doesn't.

Today it rained. Did it ever. As it began to completely overtake the world outside the windows, I was supposed to be walking to the other side of campus. Fortunately, I was able to grab my 3 students before they headed out and we walked down the hallway instead. Knowing there'd be distractions with the big windows and the circling conversations, I still thought the cafeteria would be better than a classroom with soaked students and a sopping teacher.

The rain fell and fell and fell. It really was unbelievable; however, the distraction for me was found in my Saudi Arabian student. She was mesmerized in a way I have never seen before. Her eyes at times strayed to her books but were practically glued to the window. At least six or seven times during the class she randomly stated, "I love rain" or "Canadians don't like rain but Saudi Arabians, they would be outside saying wow" or "Teacher, it doesn't stop."


Sadly, the class ended and I could no longer watch her childlike fascination. As my next class started, it was still raining but none of the students seemed to even notice. One of them began his speech, and the outside world was forgotten.

But then we could hear it. The rain had turned to hail and it was loud. Almost all of my Chinese students turned their faces to the window, forgetting what was being presented. As soon as the current speech was over, those same students stood as one, walked to the windows, and took in the events beyond the glass. They had all heard of hail but, coming from the southern part of China, getting hail was a rare occurrence for most; two had never experienced it. They were completely consumed with awe, and I was engrossed once more in watching.