What the rain brings

We have been experiencing a big amount of rainfall since Sunday which resulted to flood in various places in Luzon. I was one of those who braved the bad weather and made it to work in one piece. My day (or night...since I work the night shift) would always end with an hour of communication skills training with four young ladies who have taken the roles of Associate Process Trainers. In one of our sessions I asked them (as an activity) "what memories, good or bad, does the rain bring you?" Majority of them said that the rain makes them feel sad. I'd have to agree, the gloomy weather does indeed affect one's mood.

Although, the rain brought me funny, good memories...which would later on result to me getting sad. One certain memory was when I was in my junior year in high school when I met this guy who would be my crush until I went to college. He was a senior from the all-boys school across the street from my school which happens to be exclusive for girls. I met him through a joint rehearsal for a concert that would feature the boys' glee club and our girls' glee club. He immediately caught my fancy and I made sure that when the day ends, he will know who I am. To cut the long story short, he introduced himself because I shared an umbrella with him because it rained that day. Now it's been eighteen years and I wonder where he is now. Well...Ericson dela Cruz, wherever you are...I hope you're doing well and you were my crush for four years. LOL

The happy memory that left me sad was when I would walk the streets of Aachen with my fiancè. It rained most of the time I was there and there was this particular time that after we visited the Aachener Dom we went to this quaint little Italian restaurant called Bella Italia (I think). Rain was splattering the windows and we got a corner table overlooking the busy cobble-stoned street. The restaurant was buzzing with people but we didn't mind because we stuffed ourselves with glorious food. I also realized that whenever we ate Italian food, it was almost always raining. We became  regulars in the Pizzeria Spaghetteria Atzori at Jakobstrasse which is a stone's throw away from my fiancè's flat. The place is usually packed with people so we would end up taking it back to the flat.

Remembering all that made me feel a wee-bit sad and I wish I am there right now. The two of us dropping by Atzori and ordering a box of pizza each with penne arrabiata.  (T.T)

 

The rain also brought me one of the most unforgettable days of my life. When he popped the question, it was drizzling. He later took me to the observatory which showed a spectacular view of Cologne and the Cologne Cathedral. We ended the day with coffee with our friends in a little coffee shop near the Rhine (Rhein in Deutsch).

 

The rain truly brings out different memories...happy, funny and sad. But it doesn't have to leave you feeling gloomy. Clichè as it may sound, but there is always a rainbow after the rain. That is something to look forward to, right? :)

The view from the observatory on a rainy afternoon.

Sealing the engagement with a lovelock with our initials (C & M) and throwing the keys into the Rhine.