Yesterday I walked off to work in the middle of a rain storm. Today is a typhoon, but yesterday was just the front getting pushed along, and it was a huge amount of water that fell. I sat at home waiting for rain to slow down, but it just got harder and harder. Luckily my umbrella and shoes held up until I got to the local train station.
Unfortunately my luck didn’t last once I arrived at Hyogo station. There was even more rain here, so I went over to the taxi line to catch a ride – but there were about 60 people waiting for a taxi. So I figured I had to forge through the weather. Bad idea.
About halfway to work the rain penetrated my shoes and I could start to feel moisture between my toes. Just before arriving at the office it started raining inside my umbrella. When I arrived inside my office I had to walk past the concerned receptionist, as my shoes slurped on my feet with every step. How classy!
Up in my office I dumped out the water from my shoes into the garbage can – about 100 mL each. Then I squeezed out my socks and went around barefoot for an hour until my classes started. Most of my students showed up without socks – I guess I wasn’t the only one – but by the time the day ended my socks and shoes were dry enough to wear, although they were still a bit moist.
Today there was a typhoon warning, so I’ll try this all again with a different pair of shoes and an extra pair of socks. Kuniko is giving me a ride to Hyogo, so maybe that will help a bit. Wet and wild around here!
