Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Well, it has been 3 months of non-stop rain and I'm fed up. This monsoon has gotten a bit ridiculous. Each time the sun peaks out, I gain a glimmer of hope. But the sunshine is not sustained, my hope is short-lived, and soon I go back to my grumblings about how I want to punch monsoon in the face. September is historically the tail-end of monsoon, but this year it is still full-fledged. Currently, it is Sunday afternoon and it has been raining, pardon, pouring, since yesterday evening (16+ hours!). My music is playing at full volume and it is barely audible; the downpour assaulting my tin roof drowns out everything. I read the news this morning and monsoon is predicted to last at least two more weeks, maybe even a month. Argh.

Besides seasonal depression, monsoon has other negative effects. I cannot count how many of my personal belongings are covered in mold. Its futile to remove the mold; it will return within 2 days. I shouldn't complain too much, because my house is relatively dry. Some Woodstock staff have respiratory problems due to all the mildew in their houses. Occasionally, I crawl into a damp bed at night, but at least my pillow isn't growing mold! I invested in a space heater to help dry out my bedroom and I've placed all the mold-doomed clothes in a heaping pile to deal with later. 

The heavy rainfall has both positive and negative effects on the region. Floods have displaced thousands of people in Pakistan and the Ladakh region of north India, among other areas. Landslides have destroyed mountain villages; one killed 18 people in Uttarakhand (the state I'm living in) this week. However, the rain also means that the threat of drought and water-shortage is diminished; hopefully this amount of rain will be sufficient to supply the region for the year. 

Recently, I've been trying to take more photographs of monsoon. While it is easy to take photos when the skies clear and the view opens up to the valley, it is more difficult to remember to take out my camera in the midst of a downpour. Here's a collection of photos from the past few weeks. Don't be fooled, the clear views are not as common as they seem. 

Evening view from my porch.

Languor (on a leash!) enjoying the evening sun.

Wow, what a great idea to have a school-wide cross-country race outside!

The cross-country track. Yes, students were running in this deluge. 

Mold infesting the wall of my office.

View from my classroom. Taken around 10am.

Roommates making the trek up to school in a downpour. We have to walk through that waterfall. 

Yep, my sandals are still covered with mold even though I've cleaned them multiple times. 

Mold on my wooden shelf.

Can you tell that they took Vitamin D pills to fight monsoon depression? :)

Students walking up to school.

Staff enjoying tea on the first clear afternoon.

View from the tea garden. 

Sunset behind AlterRidge dormitory.

Monsoon clouds at sunset.

Glimmers of sunshine peeking through the fern-covered trees.

Sunset over Dehradun.

Students walking up to school. 

Umbrella march.

A common occurrence: water coursing down a water-drainage staircase near my classroom.

Big clouds settling below Mussoorie

Mussoorie