Oh yes, that's right. I said it. My dust beats your pollen, hands down. I know, I know, news sources in Raleigh ( = Thomas and Mom) are saying this is the worst pollen season in forty or sixty years - but you've never seen dust. I'll admit that it's a little blander. Pollen makes your car look so much jazzier than dust does. And yet, it haunts a body all the same. Sneezy, sniffly, watery eyes. I thought I would escape the spring pollen hubbub. But I thought wrong.
My first experience with Amman's dust was about a month ago. Because our professors have some sense of mercy, we get a break in the middle of our three-hour Arabic classes. On this particular day, we went and stood outside because the weather was nice. In all likelihood I walked with one or two of my friends to the convenience store and bought gummy bears or some other equally nutritious snack. We went back inside, finished the last hour and a half of class, and exited the Language Center only to find... fog?
No. Wait. Fog isn't brown.
The sun was a faint circle in the background of a tan sky, and buildings in the distance had disappeared. Eerie, to say the least. I'm used to morning fog from drives to high school. I'm used to post-midnight fog, which, fun fact, is extra-thick in the Wolf Village parking lot at NCSU. But never dust. It was such an unusual time - 5:00 in the afternoon. Imagine a fog descending during rush hour, choking the air near the ground but not completely obscuring the bright sun above. A thin sandy film forms on your tongue. It's weird, trust me.
The not-pollen not-fog was particularly bad earlier this week. The Jordan Times described it in this article:
"The dusty and unseasonably hot weather conditions are caused by a khamsini depression accompanied by a relatively hot air mass that started affecting the country early Sunday, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD). Khamsini, derived from the Arabic khamsun meaning 50, affects the region on an average of once a week during the 50-day period between March 21 and May 10. The annual weather pattern is caused by a cyclonic-type wind that originates from the Atlas Mountains and affects North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant, and is characterised by hot and dusty conditions. The hot, sand-laden wind moves east of the Mediterranean around this time each year and is usually preceded by unseasonably high temperatures and dry and dusty conditions."
You can brag about your pollen all day long, City of Oaks, but I'm sticking with my khamsini and dust.
Wow. That is very interesting about a khamsini. Thanks for sharing that. And I totally agree that your dust is worse than our pollen. Even during the short time we were there, I felt like it was getting dustier and dustier each day. And it was starting to bother me. It sounds like it is much worse now, so I imagine it is really unpleasant. - especially when you try to wear your contact lenses. (Hmm... Could the dust be the real reason behind full-face burkhas?) Good luck as you try to deal with it. I hope this is not a banner year for dust! (in the way that it is a banner year for pollen)
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
Oh my,I had one experience with dust. It was when we were travelling through northern Texas via California. It was unbelievable
ReplyDeleteYou have my sympathy for sure! The wind whipped it everywhere, especially in our noses and mouths. What amazed me most was that the people just went about as if nothing was happening. One woman was hanging laundry on the line to dry!! Besides this being a year for prolific pollen, it is also a wonderful year for flowering trees, flowers, etc. I was greeted when we got here by my little, three year old lilac bush filled with huge blossoms. I think I told you that in my last blog. Time to stop. Hope the dust leaves before May!! Love, Gram
Hey, Mom, the funny thing is: I don't even remember there being any dust while you were here. Completely unremarkable. You've missed the best of it.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that one bit. Thank goodness for small favors. - or really not so small!
ReplyDeleteLove you, Mom