Yes you heard (or rather read) it right: I find rain romantic. I grew up in Mumbai with an annual rainy season or monsoon. The monsoon can bring the city to a stop, but never our spirits. Rain means hot cups of warm spiced tea with milk (Chai), and fried onion fritters (Bhajias). This is a common way to enjoy rain, all the while watching Bollywood movies where the hero saves the damsel in distress in torrential rains, after which they dance in this very rain to celebrate love and life.

I find myself longing for rain (very, very secretly) even in the low countries after a dry spell of a few weeks. I have had my share of being surprised under open skies to free, cold - extremely cold - showers, but that does not dampen my spirit. It just makes me crave Chai and Bhajias.

So while I empathize with my Dutch friends around me, I secretly also wish they discovered their own Chai and Bhajia to enjoy the beauty of Dutch rain from their beautiful windows.