In which I ignore my summer sabbatical from blogging to talk about the weather

Rainy season never ended in Jakarta this year. Normally by September, I'm breaking a sweat two minutes after I walk outside into muggy, thick heat. But this year, month after month has brought thunderstorms or plain rain up to several times a week. Someone told me it's El Nino or La Nina, but I'm not complaining. I've always loved a good thunderstorm, and rain in Jakarta beats down the pollution, cools the heat, and leaves us with blue skies and fresh air.

Of course, enjoying rain is a something of a luxury, one that I usually enjoy from indoors or inside a taxi. For many people, rain is a inconvenience and a hassle that does more than just snarl traffic beyond ordinary wretchedness, but I love the ingenuity and preparedness that I see in Jakartans. If you're out driving when the first drops start to fall, you'll see lines of motorbikes pulled over on the side of the road while riders retrieve rain jackets, ponchos, waterproof pants, or even large garbage bags from their storage compartments. Street vendors stretch tarps over their carts, and people find any kind of roof under which to wait out the rain.

I was not so prepared last week. When I decided to make a quick trip to the grocery store last weekend for some last-minute ingredients to round out a salad for a potluck, I knew that I was flirting dangerously with the growly-looking weather. I would have stuck an umbrella in my purse, but somehow I've lost both my umbrellas. I made it to the mini-bus before the heavens opened, but by the time I needed to get off, I knew that I couldn't avoid getting very wet. I dashed into the grocery store, getting some laughs from the security guards, who laughed again when they saw me walk out.

My grocery list?
2 yellow peppers
1 candy bar
1 umbrella