i get off the bus, my jacket zipped up to my chin, hood in place and the umbrella firmly blocking the rogue rain from reaching me. i can only see my feet, as i walk up the slope, refusing to let the rain touch my face. by the time i reach school i realize i can't see the rain. because its not rain anymore, its something white. and soft. and melts on your fingertip after a swift glimpse of the crystal structure. its snowing in barcelona!
students are out in the lounge in the first coffee break and are running out with the blackberry cameras in hand. i don't want to go in, i want to experience fresh snow! its so beautiful as the flakes dance their way down. the wind makes them change direction, swirl around, its almost a balle performance, complete with pristine white. my seat is close to the window, and right beyond the projector screen i can see the snow dancing. the trees resisting the snow from perching on their leaves, the wall has just begun to accumulate it. after school, the students unleash the child in them, and hurl snowballs at each other. snowflakes on the coat lapels, intertwined in the hair, and about to go down someone's collar. when you walk, you foot sinks into the soft powdery surface, and its almost like walking in a fairytale.
and then you reach the street. the cars are under a thick pile of snow, you still have your camera out and are clicking pictures everywhere, when you reach the first intersection and see cars stuck. children standing outside school, wailing in the cold, parents scrambling for umbrellas, coats, anything they could get to make their children comfortable. and then you start slipping. the snow is ice now. the colour has changed and so has your fairytale experience. as you keep walking on to metro changing your mind about taking the bus, you see the mismanagement. its not a calamity, yet, its the sheer inability of human being to predict and hedge against natures variability. thankful for having my waterproof and hooded long coat, but regretting my sneakers, i trudge along. the snow is now turning brownish, you see more people piling into the metro station than ever. scramble for the tickets, scramble for the train, and then wait. the train waits for more people to get in, and stops for longer duration at each stop. when you finally walk back home from the station, the snow has turned into slush, and your sneakers are now soaked. the street is just a brown mess. when the snow piles on your umbrella, you just realize another one of the forms snow can mean. beauty, cold feet, weight, traffic jam. and so on.
and yet, in all this you see the highlights of human nature. despair for the parent in his inability to protect his child. and then another parent making her children jump, to throw off the snow on their coats, to generate some heat in their bodies and to have a light moment to forget the despair. and then the crowd cheering every time the train moves towards the next station. and even more when you see the announcement that classes tomorrow have been cancelled.
hail (no pun here) snow!
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