Monsoon

I still remember when I was a little kid and we learned about the monsoon season in school. I had this picture in my head of torrential rainstorms, lasting all day and all night for days, weeks, even months at a time. There were probably thunderstorms and tornadoes. The whole summer in my head was one endless hurricane.

Now that I've actually experienced the monsoon season in person, the excitement of an endless hurricane has been washed away. To be honest, and as you might guess, the rainy season is actually pretty boring. The rainy season is just that, it rains....a lot. Mostly there's a steady rain all day and all night, and sometimes it fades to a light drizzle. You've always got to carry an umbrella because even though the sun might poke out, an hour later, it'll pour. Finally, when you're inside at home, you've got to fight the ever present and quickly spreading mold.

I do like the rain though. I really try to take advantage of the non-rainy days and get out as much as I can. Then when it rains, it gives me an excuse to stay inside and get some work done or just relax and read a book or watch a movie. I can even have a great time outside once I get over the fact that I'll get wet. Once I get outside, I usually find that it's not raining as hard as I thought. The colors are deep and the pictures can be incredible. Some days here in Jeju, there's no rain, but the fog is so thick that you can't see ten feet ahead.