It was dutifully folded up in my cramped closet back in mainland China. For the first few days, Taipei was warm enough to go sleeveless, and dry enough to kick up dust. But once my conference was over and it was time for exploring, there was no getting around the fact that all of those $100NT umbrella stands I passed filled a need. The supply part of the supply and demand if you will. But then it was only a little sprinkle to begin, I reasoned. At first I used a complimentary yellow umbrella with black polka-dots from our hostel.
A few days passed, and I was one of the only ones left in Taipei as my fellow Fulbright buddies trickled to other parts of the island and back to mainland China to resume our fellowship period. It was with that trickle of departing people that the rain turned torrential, and the same time that I moved to cheaper hostel on another side of town.
Without the complimentary umbrellas or a friend to huddle up with, I had a choice: buy an umbrella or dodge the rain by staying inside. I bought an umbrella, a light blue one with white polka dots, and spent the rest of my trip seeing all that I could with the laid-back pace that rainy days prompt. Weather is one of those trip-planning elements that we can’t control. If you are beach-bound, I’m sure that you won’t be too happy to see a rainy forecast right about now. You may feel like all the rain or inclement weather of any sort makes this a wasted trip. But there’s a reason to rejoice even if the weather isn’t ideal.
Okay, stick with me here, because I’m about to take you on a little trip back to Genesis. How do you think Noah felt to know that he was going to be stuck in a boat with a bunch of loud, unruly, domestic and ferocious animals, and no one but his immediate family? Animals that flew, crawled, slithered, hopped, and walked; crowed, oinked, roared, howled, bellowed, and nayed. We focus so much on the bigger picture of this story that it’s easy to forget that this was a 600 year old human being who was met with some (major) inclement weather issues, and had to be shut inside for a (major) long time.
But guess what? He was prepared. God was preparing him for years as he built the ark. So we, who may be on vacation from anywhere between a few days to a few weeks, may be met with inclement weather, too. But praise Jesus that if it’s something like rain or snow or overcast skies, the Lord prepared an inventor in advance who created things like umbrellas and galoshes, scarves and gloves. So get on inside the ark for covering—go to the museum, a music event, a mall, or the local performance theater for a show. Or, get in your outdoor ark: buy an umbrella, a hat and gloves, or whatever is needed. Change your perspective on how inconvenient things are, and enjoy your time in your ark, because it won’t be inconvenient forever. You can read about Noah and The Flood in Genesis 6:9- 9:17.
If it’s a sudden cold front, layer all of your clothes. If there are overcast skies, and you’re going for sky scraper views, go at night and take pictures from the lower levels of all the lights. If it’s snow, buy snow boots from a cheap vendor and make it your souvenir. And if it’s raining, buy an umbrella. Turn that problem into a simple purchase and keep it moving!
Dear Lord,
Please help me through this vacation.
Love,
Kelicia
About This Series:
Every post is based on my true life experiences while living in Harbin and Tianjin, China during my Fulbright grant year in 2014-2015. I’m highlighting the happy, the hilarious, and the ‘help me!’ moments of my experience from an uniquely Christian perspective. I’m combining the stories with the scriptures, and I hope that you stick along for the journey!
About the Author:
Kelicia Hollis is Detroit-born, Arkansas-raised writer,
speaker and educator. She completed her B.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia
University, her M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan.
Hollis, a 2014-2015 Fulbright Scholar, is currently President and CEO of
Polyglot International Ventures Inc. in Little Rock, a foreign language
services firm. Learn more at www.polyglotnation.com,
and connect with her at www.keliciahollis.com.
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Interested
in a graduate study abroad?
For more
information about the Fulbright Grant Opportunities and how to apply, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-programs
For more
opportunities for funded graduate study & research abroad, check out this
article from Diversity Abroad: http://www.diversityabroad.com/guides/study-and-research-fellowships/study-and-research-fellowships
