Big Water Coming

Ancient City under water

"The big water arrives tonight."  That's the word on the street.  Or at least we think it is.  We've heard rumblings all afternoon about the "big water" coming from the mountains.  Rushing rivers?  Released dams?  We're a little hazy on the details.  We do know that the rice paddy speakers near our house have been particularly active this evening.  Typically they stop talking to us shortly after the 5:00 "news" and some singing.  Tonight they keep crackling on.  Naturally we just make up our own story to go along with the noise.  It's probably some kind of warning system about battening down the hatches for imminent flooding.  But it very well could be a friendly suggestion from the government to name our first born child Big Bird.  We haven't got a clue.  Our Vietnamese skills are stuck on a reef, and we are literally taking on water.

English speaking friends (who seem to be in the know) suggested we take our "valuables" upstairs tonight to get them out of the flood zone.  Valuables?  We thought for a minute and tossed our moldy running sneakers and our computers up the stairs.  It was the easiest flood preparation I've ever done.  Actually I've never really prepped for a flood before, but doing so in a house where you really have nothing is quite simple.  The couch may get a little wet, but at this point I am training myself to be "one" with mold.  Why not just snooze in a colossal colony on a damp weekend afternoon?  My biggest concern is where the dog will relieve herself if the path to outdoors is a flood zone.

Now we just watch and wait.  It feels like the night of a blizzard in Vermont.  We're all just hoping it's bad enough to prevent us from getting to school in the morning (if we need a boat to get out, we're allowed to cancel), but not bad enough to effect our power or electricity.  Is that too much to ask?  The whole electricity and water thing is a bit disconcerting.  Our house sits in a rice paddy - just a few hundred feet from an enormous power tower (which now sits in 5-6 feet of water).  We'll just stay away from water, metal and electrical appliances for the next few days until the water recedes.  Once daylight comes we'll take lots of photos, because I'm quite certain we'll never own waterfront property for this price again.

If I could find a spoon without ants crawling on it, I'd pop it under my pillow.  If my filtered-water ice cubes weren't such a precious commodity, I'd flush a few down the toilet.  So for now I'll just turn my pajamas inside out and hope for the best while I sleep and pray for a happy rain day.