Monsoon!

Last week, Bhubaneswar was a pressure cooker. The temperature was escalating every day, the sun was unforgiving and the air had become suffocating from the humidity. Going outside midday was not an option. Power outages were occurring daily. Newspapers were reporting of villagers performing special rituals that haven't been done since 1987 in order to coax the rain to come.

And then the monsoon finally arrived. When it first started pouring, people on campus cheered. Honestly, I wanted to run outside myself and get cooled by the water. It was a relief. Almost instantaneously, the temperature dramatically dropped, and I could wear jeans in the evening again. I started to wonder why everyone warned me against coming to India during monsoon season. It was wonderful.

Then today I began experiencing in earnest some of the problems with monsoon season.

Problem 1: The shower
I have failed to mention that the campus, like most places in Bhubaneswar, does not have hot water. I am the first to admit that I am a big baby about taking cold showers. However, when the thermometer was reading 44 degrees Celsius, it was tolerable - sometimes even pleasant- to be soaked in the icy water. Now that we're at 30 degrees Celsius, I have to give myself a pep talk to turn on the tap and then brace myself for the shock of the frigid water.

Problem 2: Walking at night
There are hardly any sidewalks in Bhubaneswar and most of the small roads are unpaved. As a result big muddy pools of water form in the street, and walking home at night is like navigating a minefield. In slippery sandals, we try to dodge the camouflaged mud puddles, while at the same time being mindful of the crazed traffic. Risks abound as motorbike drivers balance umbrellas in one hand as they speed by and cars and trucks transform into the enemy that at any moment can wield its power by charging a puddle and spraying you with dirtied rainwater.

Problem 3: The mud
It's everywhere. Caked on my feet. Splashed on my pants. In the bathrooms. Tracks running down the hallway. It cannot be escaped. The mud gets so bad (and the water levels so high) that some areas in Orissa become completely inaccessible.

This just might have something to do with why people prefer to visit India in the fall.