Being from the Pacific Northwest, rain is not unusual. I think we (North-westerners) are all born with the skill of managing to stay nearly dry when it’s pouring outside. You know you just wear a hoodie or put your head down, shoulders up and speed walk to get where you need to go. The rain doesn’t really bother me much and I’m used to days, weeks and months of gloom and sunless skies. I’ve learned how to drive in the rain and avoid hydroplaning. I know that you never wait for a dry spot in the clouds because you will be waiting forever. And when the skies cleared and there wasn’t anymore rain, I’d feel out of place. Like, “What is that bright, ball of fire in the sky?!” as I shield my face from the sun. That’s what being an Oregonian (Northwest at least) is about.
The sun makes me feel happy and my mood changes according to weather. I’ve been so spoiled by the weather in Guam. It’s sunny and perfect everyday. I always wanted to be an island girl I just didn’t realize that; although, there aren’t the usual four seasons there are the dry and rainy seasons. At first it’s just a little rain during the day, then there is thunder and lightening and then it rains all day everyday for a month. The rain is so intense and the skills I used in Oregon for staying dry don’t work here at all! The rain gushes down the streets and it feels like it’s going to flood. Last year it did flood, thankfully not where I lived. Somehow, overnight it seems, all the puddles evaporate and you’re left with the thick, heavy, humid air…until it rains again. Even though the temperature may be 77 degrees, it’s still an unbearable 95% humidity!
As I’m writing this, it has been raining all day. My first year on Guam I arrived near the end of the rainy season. Last year I’m pretty sure there was one full month of rain and the season lasted from around July to November. It’s hard to plan anything because, riding on the scooter, we never know when it’s going to rain. We are also usually confined to our house. Just a few minutes in the rain during Guam’s rainy season will leave you drenched all the way through to your underclothes.
It’s not like in Oregon when it rains everything is green. On Guam, when it rains everything looks grey, bringing out the grey in all the cement buildings. It’s not until after the rain ends that everything is green and beautiful again. Guam is actually quite ugly when it rains because the ocean water mirrors the dark sky. Then one day you wake up and the grey skies are gone and everything is back to normal. You’ve survived the rainy season!
