Sandstorms!!!

This was the worst sandstorm of the season... This was after it had cleared up from the morning. Look at the last picture to see what our view is normally.

Well what can be said about sandstorms but that it's windy and sand flies everywhere. I have come quick to know now when a sandstorm may hit. If the winds are high and blowing east there is a chance of a sandstorm blowing in. Seeing that it carries the Sahara Desert to us. But as soon as they shift west the sandstorm subsides and is gone just as fast as it came in. Seeing a sandstorm is insane. We have had several in the last month or so. The worst of them being a couple weeks ago. Miranda woke up early to tutor a student trying to get into her school and then came and woke me up. I walked out into our living room and looked out our window but saw NOTHING!! Visibility was maybe 100 feet. It was the worst of what we had seen from all the sandstorms this season. It lasted all day long from morning to night. It finally cleared out at around 7pm. This time of year is the season of "50 Days of Sandstorms" better known as "Khamaseen." The down side of this bad storm was the fact that internet was running slow due to a damaged line. With everyone home, internet was even slower, so we made due with the slow internet we had, and watched shows and movies that we had been putting off. Many people have asked if it kicks up allergies, the answer to this is no not really. While it looks like it would, it is just sand, not so much dirt or pollen. Normally we just close windows and doors to try and keep the sand out as best as we can. Although even with everything shut we always end up with a nice thick layer of dust everywhere. Having glass top tables and marble floors clean up takes a long time! Moving out furniture to clean under, cleaning off all the tables that have glass over them. It's a mess and a pain, every time I see one coming in, I don't think "Oh man, a sandstorm" I think "Oh man, I'm going to have to clean again!" Below is some pictures of the sandstorm from our 9th floor flat and also what our balcony floor looked like after the huge sandstorm we had.

The sun being blocked out from the storm.

 All of the pictures you see have been taken from a few different sandstorms we have had in the last couple months. As you can see they get so thick that the sun can barely break through it and if it does it is not shining. They are a pain to deal with seeing the fact we can't really go out unless we want to breathe in half of the desert. It's not like the sand is beating against you. But a person like myself wearing contacts has a hard time keeping sand from getting stuck in them.

How much sand blew onto our balcony

Although the sandstorms are a pain, dealing with the sand inside and out, having to stay in your house because it is to much to deal with outside, when the storm clears and the sand has settled we get the joy of this view and see an amazing sunset. It's like there was never a storm around.

The calm after the storm....