The Thunder Storms of Mexico City

I took advantage of the balcony of my 6th floor apartment to enjoy the most dramatic thunder storm I've seen in Mexico so far. I also narrate a little so you can see the view that I have. The funniest part of this video (the one above) is when the thunder scares me. You'll notice because the camera shakes for a few seconds. I was laughing at myself so feel free to do so, as well.

The storms here have been INSANE. Last Friday 2 of my fellow Fulbrighters came to visit and witnessed the craziness. Nick actually saw a lightning bolt strike the building right behind mine. Tim and I missed the actual strike but saw the smoke after. Crrrrrazy.

The streets often flood since this is The City of Eternal Concrete. There's nowhere for the water to go to be absorbed so the streets flood within a matter of hours. This has made my walking commute to work rather interesting, especially since I've discovered that my most "supportive" shoes (besides my running shoes) are my Montrail Flip Flops, or my Super Chanclas, as I call them. I wore them this morning because my feet were a little sore from wearing unsupportive shoes yesterday. I figured I'd walk to work in my Super Chanclas then change into nicer "work shoes" once I got there. I didn't know that it had rained last night while I slept so dodging puddles was my favorite game this morning. Needless to say I had to wipe down my feet when I got to work. I need to come up with a better plan, or find another good pair of closed-toe shoes. I'm trying to find "Superfeet" insoles (or something equivalent) but no such luck. Yes, I could just wear my running shoes but I'm not sure I can pull of the New York Commuter look. Wait, I forgot, it doesn't matter what I do... I stand out regardless... maybe I will give that a try...

Below is the video of the same storm, just shot later that night. The storm lasted from about 5 pm to about 10:30 pm. Hours of fun for Schwabie!