My Primary Occupational Hazard

To say it rains a lot in Wuxi now would be a bit of an understatement. While this pretty much sucks overall, it does have the fortunate side effect of giving me even more things to be amused at on a day to day basis. For instance, I've never seen a group of people love umbrellas as much as these students seem to. This was a scene I recently witnessed outside a classroom:

This collection actually wrapped around the corner of the building, but sadly, my camera couldn't capture the sheer abundance of nylon and aluminum. While these umbrellas may seem very harmless whilst sitting, waiting for their owners to retreive them after lecture (unless a student comes late ... what happens then? How do they get in the classroom?), they are a rather dangerous and fomidable obstacle when they are seen in action on the road. I've mentioned before that part of my daily routine is riding to class on my bike. As of late, this has been a bit complicated because of one of the primary occupational hazards of teaching in Wuxi: Students with umbrellas.

Students who carry umbrellas are responsible for 99% of the close calls that I face on my bike every day. This is due to the fact that most of them hold their umbrellas out in front of themselves, like a shield. While this strategy may prove useful in attempting to prevent their flimsy contraptions from popping inside out, it has the unfortunate consequence of completely eliminating their field of vision. Not good - especially for the rest of us on the road. 

While it was bad enough trying to weave through traffic jams comprised of literally thousands of other people and bicycles on a good, sunny day, the additional element of the umbrellas has really taken my morning adrenaline rush to the next level. Now, not only I am battling the wind, the rain, constantly deflated tires, and squeeky brakes, I am also weaving through hordes of head-phoned clumps of people who are making their way to class and now have no straightahead or peripheral vision. Excellent.

Now, I have become quite an able-bodied biker in my short time here. I can bike with one hand, I can bike up ramps, I can bike down ramps, I can get off my bike while still in motion (and I look oh-so-cool doing it, I'm sure) ... I have even mastered the art of sending text messages while I bike, a little something I picked up from every other person on the road. However, I don't know how much longer I will be able to fight throngs of people who are plowing blindly forward, their umbrellas getting caught in the wind like billowing sails, as their fragile little bodies risk being whisked away into the lake at any given moment.

As one of my coworkers aptly stated, "It's just too much power for these people to hold in their hands."

How true. It's called a hood, folks. You oughtta give it a try.