Only Rainbows After Rain

Having spent the first 22 years of my life in Upstate/Western New York, I am no stranger to cold weather. It was not uncommon for it to snow on Halloween and/or Easter and school wasn't cancelled for anything less than a record-setting blizzard. I suppose I have been a bit spoiled in comparably balmy Baltimore the past five years but I still like to think that I can hang when the temperatures start dropping. The thing I can't stand, though, is cold rain, and wouldn't you know winter is the rainy season is Bordeaux.

It's tragically gray most mornings now and as we approach the shortest day of the year, it's not only gray from the cloud cover but also because the sun is not all the way up yet. It makes it really tough to get out of bed when you know that you're going to spend the day being cold and damp. Even more maddening is the unpredictability of the rain. It can start off as a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky and then BAM. It's pouring and you didn't even consider bringing an umbrella. Sometimes it's the opposite: I put on my rubber-bottom boots and my rugby rain jacket only to discover that it has decided to be done raining for the day. Mother Nature taunts me, "Ohhh did you leave your sunglasses in the house? That's too bad because it's gonna be extra bright with all the sunshine reflecting off this wet pavement. And tomorrow, when you think it's going to be nice out, it's gonna pour, but only for the five minutes it takes you to walk from the tram to your apartment. Suck on that!" Not cool, Mother Nature. So not cool.

Just like in Baltimore, the rain makes people forget how to drive and it took me a long time to get to my family meetings on Tuesday. I know I am genetically predisposed to be late (my internal clock is set on CPT) but I really hate it. France is a little less hung up on strict timelines than the US but it still makes you look bad when you roll up to meet someone for the first time and you're fifteen minutes later than you said you'd be.

Even though both meetings went well, the stress of running around in the rain and being late really drained me, and by the end of the day, I was absolutely exhausted. Jason had sent me something for Christmas/my birthday but I didn't have the chance to go by the post office to pick it up because the terrible weather had set me back so much. On top of all this, we found out that our normal teacher, Mylène, has thrown out her back and will be out for the next two weeks. In the meantime, we're going to have other teachers cover her classes and combine with other levels so we don't have to make up any sessions later. It's a pain for everyone involved. Just as I was about to log this day under the "Not So Great" column, I remembered how the whole day had started: a perfect rainbow, arching across the whole sky, visible for my entire commute to school.

So what if it was gross outside and you were a little late to your meetings? It was no big deal and they were super understanding. So what if you didn't get to the post office today? The package will still be there tomorrow. So what if you're a little more tired than usual? You worked hard today. You should be tired. You are taking French lessons at a private institute with teachers who push you to be better every single day and are willing to make sacrifices of their own to make sure you're getting your money's worth. You just met two amazing families that are going to pay you to hang out with their kids and do what you do best. You have an incredibly thoughtful fiancé who scoured the internet for the perfect birthday/Christmas gift to be delivered to you right here in Bordeaux. When you have all that going for you, a little bad weather seems pretty insignificant.

So let it rain. After all, you need a little rain if you want to see a rainbow.