after the thunderstorm...

You might have heard about the heavy thunderstorm, which hit Perth last Monday. I am still fine, but more about it later.

Last Sunday I played some tennis in the morning with Kon (Jims Brother) and his friends. We played 3 against 3 - that was fun, but not really exhausting. For the beginning it was ok, just to get some practice again. The balls are heavier to hit - you can feel the higher air.

In the afternoon I went with Jim and Evi to the Kings Park again to enjoy the beautiful weather and the nice view over the city. After a sight seeing tour I finally knew where to catch which busses to get to school and back home.

On Monday, school started. Arrived at Phoenix Academy, we were given a short tour through the campus before we had to write the Cambridge entry-test for the rest of the morning. There are 14 students in my class, from La Réunion, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Korea and especially from Switzerland. “We” are the biggest fraction, although not everyone speaks German (which is anyway forbidden in the classroom, otherwise you get caught by the yellow duck…).

By the time school finished, we have been talking in the backyard, while suddenly a heavy thunderstorm moved on. I decided to leave, after a lightning hit somewhere nearby, producing a blackout at school (also concerning the wireless lan). Waiting for the bus, it started first raining, then hailing. I stood under the shelter of the station, pressing my hand against my ears in order to not to get deaf, because the hail stones of golf ball-size were producing an unbelievable noise. I’ve never experienced that before. After a few minutes everything around was white, covered with hail, the street was flooded completely. Totally soaked, we finally got into the arriving bus. The driver told us, that there were hailstones of tennis ball-size in other places and cars with broken front-windows…

Fortunately we were not hit that much, but there was no way coming through downtown, water covering the streets a meter thick or more…. It was just devastating and the traffic broke completely down. In the next bus, on the way home I’ve been standing for more than an hour on the same spot. Finally I decided to get out, walking towards home. After walking for a while, outside the city, the traffic was running again. So I finally got a bus home (after a 3-hour-journey, which usually lasts 30 to 40 minutes…).