Bad Luck and Bumbershoots

Istanbul is rainy, very rainy. I’m not just talking a few sprinkles here and there or the ever enjoyable “singin’ in the rain” weather. I’m talking about a never-ending, can barely see three feet in front of your face, ‘there’s no way I’m walking from Hinton James to class in this weather’ rain. It was pouring when I returned to Istanbul last night after a lovely weekend in Ankara – thanks Mehmet and Resa!! – and has not stopped since.

When my alarm clock went off this morning it was accompanied with thunder booming in the distance and the constant pitter-patter of the rain on the lobby roof just below my window. Not the way I planned to wake up at all. To make matters worse, the torrents of rain didn’t stop for my walk to class which is equally comparable (for all my fellow Tarheels) to walking from Hinton James to Dey Hall both in distance and tiring-ness. Despite having an umbrella I managed to get quite wet, no thanks to the numerous cars who so thoughtfully flung entire puddles of water at me as they sped by. At this point, I would have been better off with a raincoat or perhaps a tarp. Note to self…next time packing to leave home for 4 ½ months, make room in the suitcase for such things.

In the words of Chad Martin, “Gene Kelly, Mary Poppins and The Penguin are among the few people in this world who are worthy of using umbrellas. Their coordinating style and use of them as practical devices - dancing props, flying mechanisms and hidden weapons - has made them appropriate owners of this otherwise useless apparatus. So, to the rest of the world, I ask that you leave your umbrella in the tacky, oversized vase by the front door.”

Here’s the question that’s been bugging me all day though: Why is it considered back luck to open an umbrella indoors?

The most common reason stems from the days when umbrellas were used mainly as protection against the sun. To open one indoors would be to insult the local sun god (especially Ra) and invite his wrath on everyone in your household. Good rationale I must admit, although it seems that the Turks were never let in on this little secret.

Sure this wasn’t the first day since I’ve been here that it has rained, but it’s the first day where EVERYONE had umbrellas with them, and definitely the first day where EVERYONE minus myself left them open when they entered the building. Here, unlike at home, opening an umbrella inside isn’t considered bad luck. Instead, it’s considered normal. But seriously, what’s the point of leaving them open in the classroom to dry if they’re only going to get wet the minute you exit the building?

Sure, Gene Kelly used his umbrella in the rain, but don't let that fool you…he still got wet! He proved the uselessness of the umbrella and flaunted its failures as a rain repellant while acknowledging its benefits as a replacement for a cane in choreography. But unless all of you umbrella users are theater majors, I'm afraid the lesson of our most celebrated alumnus has gone unheard.