Be careful what you wish for

I wanted rain, so now I've got it. I never specified that warm rain would be much nicer. It's the coldest it's been in Taiwan in 12 years, or so I'm told. And the rain just adds to the fun. It's been raining at my travel times for the last week.

I know that people won't give me much sympathy when I say that the weather at night drops as low as 55 degrees (about 13 Celsius). I'm sure that if you had weather like that after a winter in New York, or Muncie, Indiana, or Seoul, South Korea, you'd be in your shorts, out washing the car.

But don't forget that Taiwanese homes are not heated or insulated. Everything is concrete and cold tiles. And I ride a scooter to my likewise unheated school. You begin to get a chill that won't go away. I know it's easy to run out of a heated house, into below freezing temperatures in a bathrobe and check your mail. Or walk from your car to McDonalds without putting on your coat.

I've often said I'd rather be too hot than too cold. Taiwan seems like the right answer most of the time, but when it's cold, there's just no fighting it.

So now, to be clear, I'm wishing for warm rain and temperatures to return to normal. Thank you.