Hey ya'll....well things are definitely warming up (thankfully) and now you won't have to hear/read me whining about how cold I've been!!! Instead of deep, penetrating cold, we are now experiencing a lovely weather phenomenon called, in Arabic,
khamseen. The word
khamseen means 50 literally and though I have not heard exactly why it's called "50" I'm guessing it's because the temperature can get up to 50 degrees Celsius (which is about 120 Fahrenheit). Anyway.... this is the way it goes- The
khamseen begins and it is suddenly hot and still. You know how when you're cooking something in the oven and you open the oven door to check on what you're cooking a wave of heat comes out and slaps you in the face? This is what it's like during the worst of the
khamseen. While Amman is typically breezy and pleasant during the evenings of the warmer months, a khamseen will give you no breeze so you rather feel as though you could suffocate! The most fascinating thing about a
khamseen happens towards the end.... that was last Friday for us. Friday I woke up to overcast, dark skies. Only wishful thinking would allow me to hope that it may rain. Instead of rain, the day grew increasingly orange. By noon the sky was truly orange and you could not see very far in front of you! If you opened your mouth to breathe you could taste dirt. A fine layer of orange dust and sand covered
everything. By late afternoon the sand storm was blowing on through to it's next victim- town leaving us here in Amman choking blindly; dirty. I spent most of the day yesterday cleaning my house and am not finished yet....
I remember these
khamseens growing up in Gaza and despite how gross they are and how much work they create in the cleanup I think they're so cool and interesting! And it's a fun reminder of my childhood in Gaza.
Below are three pictures, one of a clear day, one of a dusty sky like the beginning days of the khamseen, and the
khamseen at it's best/worst. (The last picture was taken by a friend of a friend).
Cool, huh!?
