Cosima Underwater

In writing it looks so innocent, but in reality rain is a wonder and at the same time an extraordinary problem in the desert. It has been raining non-stop since yesterday, and in non-desert places the non-stop drizzle with a little bit of wind would be nothing to write home about, but here it is.

It’s the first drench in more than half a year. It made all the dusty plants turn into a vibrant green. Nature is a marvelous thing, wondrous, and so efficient and adaptable.

On the downside, the birds who where in heavy flirting mood just a few days ago huddle together on my window sill looking sad and cold. The swimming pool will overflow in less than half an inch. The streets are lakes. And drivers who have never heard of aquaplaning lie in the hospital. No drains in the desert. All these new, shiny buildings, built with 60 billion (or was it double that amount?) of debt, seem to soak up the the rain, not repel it.

Tomorrow the movers will come, and pack up our stuff. They may have to swim.

Censorship is a strange thing. The newspapers write that the economy is picking up. Word on the street is that Dubai owes roughly 10 billion to various Japanese companies. They built the metro. Maybe that’s why only a handful of stations have opened. The Koreans finished the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai, but they have stopped work on a bridge crossing the Dubai Creek. I don’t think the news will get better, it will get worse. Next to go are the fancy restaurants and shops.

My Bavarian Beauty will travel to Beirut. A Lithuanian girl wanted to buy the automotive marvel, but didn’t get a loan. Local banks have no money to lend. So a Lebanese man bought her for his son in Beirut. Cash, no questions asked. I think he got a very good deal. I would have loved to bring her to Hong Kong, but her steering wheel is on the wrong side.

We will be in Berlin in a couple of days, where it is forecasted to be -10 Celsius. That will be a mighty change to the system.