Rain in Guadalajara, Mexico

Currently I am doing grad work in Spanish in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city. Though bigger than Tuxtla (where I lived for a year, in Chiapas), this city of over 4 million feels like a giant suburb. The "Metro" has two lines and I doubt I'll be using it while I'm here as I live nowhere near it, but buses ("camiones"), taxis, and my own two feet serve as reliable transportation.
Since I've been studying Arabic, it is interesting to me that the name of the city comes from the Arabic wādi al-ḥijara وادي الحجارة, which means «Valle de la Piedra» or "Valley of Stone" (Thank you, Wikipedia).

I am here during rainy season, and have already lost a sandal to the flooded street-river that surges up when a downpour occurs. But I think I have learned a few things from the rain in Guadalajara:
- ALWAYS be prepared. Carry "chanclas" (flip-flops) or rainboots (I'd recommend the rain boots, as my right "chancla" got carried away last week) and an umbrella as it may rain at ANY time. In Tuxtla, the rainy season's storms were more predictable - usually between 2 and 5-6pm, lasting an hour or so and then clearing up. In Guadalajara, rain is possible at any point in the day or night (though night seems more common).
- When the sun shines, get out there. It may be hours or minutes until the next rain episode, but it WILL rain again and one must enjoy the sun while it lasts!
- If you can't beat it... laugh at it. No matter the havoc it is wreaking on your leather or suede sandals, there's not much you can do about the capillary action of the water working its way up your already-rolled up pantalones, oncoming traffic spraying mud puddles onto pedestrians - you -, or the 45-degree angle droplets slapping you in the face. You really just have to laugh.