All Roads Lead to Rome, and there is a Guy Selling Umbrellas on Each of Them

It has been raining for the past two days. I hate to complain about rain, as it happens so infrequently in South Dakota, but it is wet and miserable walking in it. It is, however, also the only way the city gets clean, so there are nice big streaks of sludge lining the curbs of many of the larger streets. The sludge presents no major problems until you are pushed off the narrow sidewalk by locals unaffected by Minnesota Niceness.

Besides cleaning the city, rain presents a major entrepreneurial opportunity. As soon as the first drop is felt, a million peddlers appear, each trying to sell umbrellas to the unlucky pedestrian caught outside without one. My classmates and I have made it a game to see which of us can get the best umbrella price. I am winning right now, having managed to buy and umbrella for two Euro. The usual asking price is five. You get what you pay for; my umbrella is already falling apart and becoming a bit dangerous. I may try to buy another tomorrow. I think I can get one for one and a half Euro.