Dust

I've never been so interested in dust. I've never really thought about it, never tasted it, never worn sunglasses when the sun wasn't shining to protect my eyes from it...until now.

I really like Doha. I like my job, I like our accommodations, I like the fact that we don't need a car to get around, I like Qatar's proximity to interesting countries, I like most of the people I've met...I just like it here. One thing I'm not crazy about, though, is all the dust.

I experienced my first sandstorm a few weeks ago. It was a fairly normal Doha winter day. It was about 20 degrees outside, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze. I was sitting in the lunchroom, eating and chatting with my colleagues when all of a sudden the sky turned grey. It looked just like it does when a storm (rain or snow) comes rolling in back home.

It was the strangest thing; everything got dark, but this darkness was not accompanied by precipitation or thunder. It was simply that the sand was blocking the sun. For the first time since I've been here, the cityscape which we can see from campus completely disappeared. It was strange.

The sandstorm lasted for a couple of days. The winds didn't blow things out of your hands and I didn't have to cover my face when I went outside like you see in movies when someone is stranded in the desert. But it sure was dusty!

It's not only during sandstorms that we deal with dust here.

Cars that remain stationary for a couple of days are soon covered with a layer of dust - at any time of the year. The day after furniture is dusted, it's dusty again. On windy days, such as today, it's inevitable that if step outside, you will get dust in your eyes. This is just part of our lives now. Shoes and sandals need regularly cleanings...as do feet!

Dust is certainly not the worst problem to have. On the contrary, it's given me a whole new appreciation for the washing of the disciples' feet passage. And also an appreciation for good dusting cloths. :)

Darren is the family duster. I'm the family vacummer. I'm not sure how we ended up with these particular jobs, but we know that when cleaning day arrives, after grumbling, Darren is responsible for his bathroom and the tidying/dusting, and I'm responsible for my bathroom and the vacuuming. But unless we do these jobs daily, there's always going to be dust.

I'm learning to live in an environment where there's a constant slight grit on the floor and where I'm careful not to brush up against too many things when wearing dark colours. It's all a part of my new found interest in dust.

I wonder to how many people worldwide dust is as common as rain or fog would be to me. It's funny how many things I am fascinated by that are commonplace to half of the inhabitants of this planet. It reminds me of how small my experience is in comparison with the global community. And there it is - finally a real benefit of dust!



Oh, for all you visual people out there, here's a video taken during the sandstorm I was talking about, courtesy of youtube.