Sandstorm!!!

Fouz and I by the window watching as it started to blow in!! :)

FINALLY, I have experienced my first real sandstorm here! This morning seemed like a pretty average morning for this time of the year. The air was a bit hazy and dusty, but the sun was shining. Around 9am, we got word of a big sandstorm coming, so had to go around and make sure all the school windows and vents were shut. I looked out the window and the sky seemed normal! No kidding.......15 minutes later, the sky had turned orange and within 20 minutes of shutting windows and vents it was a pretty dark orange, as you can see from the pictures!

This was what it looked like right when we got word the sandstorm was coming...


This was only 15 minutes later......


And a total of 20 minutes after we first heard about the coming storm.....


The storm blew through and was done in about an hour. But here is another shot of the sand coming in....


I now understand why everyone who lives here gives me such a ridiculous look when I tell them how much I want to see a sandstorm! The dust that comes with it is gross! It coats everything!! Not to mention it really burns the lungs. It has been 6 hours since it blew through and my lungs are still heavy and burning. :P Apparently, it can take up to 2 days for your lungs to clear out and feel normal again. Inshallah, it will not take that long!

I have been told the month of April here is known as "sandstorm month", so hopefully I may be able to eventually post more pics like these! The girls assured me today that the sky can get a much darker orange and you can see at most, only 2 feet in front of you during the real big ones that come. Even though they make you dust 10 times more than normal and reek havoc with your respiratory system, I still hope to see a really big one at least once while I am here! :)