Rain

by Pa Rock
Cultural Explorer


The rains on Okinawa are usually light and don't tend to last more than a few minutes, but his afternoon we had a major thunderstorm with lots of thunder.  Small lakes formed in the low spots, and little rivers run along beside the roads.  Unfortunately, it all began just before time to leave the office, causing me to have to navigate all of the weather madness from behind the wheel of my little car.

It took twice as long as usual to get home, though thankfully I didn't come across any accidents.  We were warned at our island orientation to be extra careful while driving in the rain because the local asphalt is made, in part, from crushed coral and can be very slick.  I drive slowly even on dry days, so I managed to get home without incident.

Okinawa does not have an underground fresh water source, and has to catch rainwater in large reservoirs.  Today was a good day for collecting drinking water!