Expatiperro

No, this post does not refer to confusion regarding racism or the KKK (though these costumes found in Holy Week processions could lead to that uncertainty). But what does have me wondering if I have been transported to the South is some bizarre weather that's struck Barcelona this past week- namely, thunderstorms and hail.

In normal years, Barcelona doesn't get much in the way of rain. The large amount of rain that the city's received this year has been an anomaly, surprising the locals, though it's pretty normal by San Francisco standards. But things have gotten weird since I've been back from Sardinia. Last Friday night, there was a huge thunderstorm that hit the city for a few hours. For someone who hasn't heard thunder for almost a year, it was a shock for me, but oddly enough also made me feel less homesick, like I was visiting my relatives in Louisiana and not 5,000 miles away. Anyways, this storms caused some massive beach erosion, lots of fallen trees, and the papers even dropped a few mentions of the "G-W" phrase as a possible cause (if you're having difficulty, think Al Gore, not George W.).

This was followed up on Thursday by something even weirder: a hail-storm. In a span of five minutes, the day went from sunny and warm, to cool and end-of-days-ish. Pellet-sized bits of hail fell for about 5 minutes, completely interrupting a class I was holding, though no one really cared. And just as soon as it started, the hail stopped, the sun came out, and everyone acted as if nothing had happened (which might have been even more surprising than the weather in the first place).

At the least, the wild weather has made me feel a little more at home, and has made my days a little more unpredictable. It's also giving me a great excuse to plan some weather-themed lessons, which for an idea-starved teacher is the greatest gift of all. So it's time for my students to put their wellies on and go outside- though sadly there's no Southern BBQ as a reward for getting through class.