The Commute

People say every day is an adventure, and really, this is so true here. Yesterday afternoon the black clouds rolled in, and it started pouring. By my four o’clock class, the hall was flooded and I had to wade through floating plastic cups to get to the English room. At five, water was creeping up to the lip of the ledge, so I unplugged the cords on the floor, put the keyboard on one of the desks, cleared the bottom shelf of books and threw the padlock on the door, hoping for the best. The front of the schoolyard was a small pool of swirling basketballs and blue garbage bags, and kids were huddled under the overhang on the steps, squealing and throwing things into the small reservoir. I guess the kids considered this a special time – the student bathrooms were covered in water, so they were allowed to use the toilet next to the office. Simple joys. I thought it was pretty fun, myself - this was a new thing for me. I wrapped my computer in a black trash bag and stuffed it into my backpack then climbed on my bike. The streets were already teeming with water, washing trash from the sidewalks. The sides of the road drop off, so everyone was competing for the small strip of higher ground in the middle - most streets didn’t even offer that. Potholes dot the area, which make for rough "blind" riding... six inches of water, then a foot and a half - no way to know when you're goin down! The best strategy was to follow the tires an SUV – they blaze a pretty good trail. I didn’t expect to jump the wakes of cars, but I guess anything goes. Water was up to my shins while pedaling – a lot of work! It rained most of the night, and I kept thinking about the state of our school. I headed out this morning, and the traffic was nuts – everyone trying to find a dry route to their destination. Well, I don’t know the city well enough to change my course, so I just started swimming. What I really could have used was my sweet little kayak! I walked my bike through knee-deep water, laughing with my fellow waders. “No problem,” two guys said. I was better off than some - my long legs make for a miserable bus trip, but they put me at an advantage for these conditions, and for one of the first times, I was grateful to be a giant in Asia. One poor little guy barely kept his handlebars above the water. Sticks kept getting caught in my spokes and I cursed the big jeeps that moved through the streets like barges, throwing waves into the basket of my bike. I finally made it to the school, which looked like an ant colony rebuilding its nest. Everyone was in repair mode, bailing water from halls and classrooms with dustpans and buckets. They didn’t complain, didn’t worry – just went to work. I spent the morning in a puddle, sweeping water over the lip of the door with my sandals while the kids worked. My pants dried out by lunch, and now it’s sunny and hot – really, no problem.