Rhythm of the Rain

It’s been close to a month since we landed in India and out of the three of us, Abhay is the first to settle into his new environment, though I guess it should have been the other way around!  Abhay doesn’t seem to mind most things we adults fuss over! For instance, he is most excited to see the chaotic traffic on the roads and is glad to see people tailgating each other as a norm, unlike in Portland! He is thrilled to be no longer fettered by the child car seat and is able to freely hop from the front seat to the back seat when the car is in motion, unlike in the US!!   He loves opening doors to strangers delivering courier or vendors selling carpets! He is fascinated by the maid who does laundry using the washing stone….a-never-to-be-seen-sight in the US! 

Anyway, whether life in India is like or unlike the life in Portland, there’s one thing about Bangalore that has had me thinking of Portland ever since we’ve arrived and that is its rainy weather!  Over the last three weeks, we’ve had no chance to miss the overcast skies of Portland and I must say that Bangalore's weather  has become almost interchangeable with that of Portland in terms of the rain…..rain and more rain! So today I read “Listen to the Rain” by Bill Martin Jr. and George Archambalt and illustrated by James Endicott. This book is a visual delight with breathtaking illustrations of the falling rain and its effect on the foliage, earth and people. The author too has beautifully captured the feel and rhythm of the rain with simple verses that goad your little one to experience the rain ….listen to its whisper, its soft sprinkle, its tip-tapping and finally feel the sound of the heavy rain hitting the surface and then again receding to a drip-dropping tinkle – truly a delight to read aloud with your little one on a rainy day! With rain yesterday, today and more rain expected tomorrow, I can’t say that I’m missing Portland!:-)