"Noon to Night"

Yesterday morning I was up dark and early with the rain and thunder claps and all.

By the time I left for my first class (8:00) the rain had slowed but was pouring again by the time I got off the bus (8:30). I arrived with a soaked-through rain jacket. Do waterproof rain jackets lose their waterproofing power over time??

Gretel, my student, just laughed. She drives to work and was glad she missed the larger-than-golf-ball-size hail (which came later). By the way, have you ever seen a car elevator? One day she passed me on our way to class so she picked me up and drove into the parking garage and right into a car elevator. I was amazed!! The only one I had ever seen was on the Fisher Price garage!

My 9:30 student, Juan, had a different way of dealing with the morning's weather. At the downstairs laundromat, he actually walked in drenched, looked at the owner and said, "Give me any pair of dry pants you have. Those. Hanging there." Left his there to be dried, and appeared in the 5th floor offices with pants that belonged to some poor fat man. Do you think he'll know that Juan had his pants on half the morning?

Got some errands run before having to be at my MWF job at noon. It was still coming down but the jacket sufficed. I wasn't about to fall for the "15 peso umbrella" trick. "PAR-A-GUA, PAR-A-GUA. PAR-A-GUA, PAR-A-GUA." You walk 5 blocks and it miraculously breaks. You can just imagine the factory conversation in China: "Make me an umbrella that breaks in 10 minutes."

Errands included: visiting the cool new Movistar (cell service provider) building with a pay-as-you-go scratch-off card whose numbers had just disintegrated before my eyes after purchase. Service was surprisingly quick. Yes, I could have a phone plan if I wanted but I actually spend less per month with the scratch-offs than the lowest plan cost. So there's that explanation.

Take the bus. Go 10 blocks. Bus stops dead still about 15 blocks from where I need to be. Of course, rain+public transport in BA=no go. I get off, sprint down Florida Avenue off to pick up my new debit card. First bank account in Argentina. Exciting. Service = again quick. What is UP with you today, BsAs? Oh, I forgot. NO ONE GOES OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN!" Yes, of course, what was I thinking? Note to self: run more errands in the rain.

But before leaving I had to activate the card. Girl who helped me must have thought I was an idiot. "Choose your PIN." Turns away. (ok, done.) "Choose your BBVA Francés PIN." Turns away. (really, they have to be different?? ok, done.) "It can't include any personal information." Turns away. (Wow, they know my phone number. Ok, another.) "It can't have any numbers in a row that coincide with your debit PIN." Turns away. (geez this is getting ridiculous. Ok, another one.) "ok, good. Now when you access online banking you can change your PIN." (There can't possibly be any more series of 4 numbers I would be able to remember.)

I notice fog around the very short skyscrapers downtown. I get to work. And dun dun dun. 15 minutes later this appears out the window:

Along with the previously-mentioned hail. It was all over in minutes. Sky went back to grey from black, and today we're back to sunny. Just another 24 hs. in Buenos Aires.

It made news in English!:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=wild_weather_hits_buenos_air_120811 (photo credit)