I bumped into an IC5 guy in the lobby to my sponsor’s
office.
Unintentionally, he made me smile.
One of the repeating themes that amuse me over in KSA are
how different cultures, nationalities deal with weather. Looking back at my
Instagram feed, I was incredulous back in December looking at the advertising
for hot chocolate served in mugs with little cardigans on them. It was 22-24C
outside yet I was trying to be convinced that it was cold. OK. Yeah… Right.
But around the same time, I witnessed Saudi’s arriving for work
dressed in Puffa jackets, scarfs and gloves. Dressed for winter in a climate
that I could – from an English perspective – best describe as “June Like”.
While dressing in short sleeves day and night, wallowing in the heat of the
winter, I spent much of December and January smirking at my fellow Khobar
residents.
And the theme continued in the lobby today. The gentleman
who made me smile had a full on medical face mask. Nose and mouth covered.
Elasticated. Nothing was getting through to the soft tissue of his mouth and
nose.
Well, nothing except bacteria and germs.
It’s hardly the first mask that I have seen. They were de rigour
on London’s tube a few years ago when the swine was on the spread. Tourists
from the Far East seem to treat the masks as an essential part of the city transit
uniform. And I’d chuckle because of how ineffective the masks are at stopping
the minute droplets and particles that allow disease to diffuse.
But. Stepping outside, I suddenly understood my friend in
the lobby. No more mirth.
A wind rattled around the towers and streets at the
interchange. The shrubs, flowers (Petunia’s I believe) and trees in the landscaped
borders were caught competing for the jauntiest angle to lean. Pedestrian’s
zigzag across the pavements, all in the same apparent state of surprise as me.
I caught a glimpse of a woman leaving the “women’s branch” of the bank.
Windswept. Abaya and headscarf caught and flowing fighting and struggling to
reach her car. I’d only been inside a few minutes. The wind had appeared,
apparently out of nowhere.
The wind carried sand and dust that immediately stung my
eyes and filled my lungs, exciting the remnants of the cold virus that my
London friends so kindly saved up and given me.
I grabbed pictures, but they don’t really do justice…
Grey Wall of dust on the horizon. |
And Lean... Note... The Space Travel Agency, whilst I am sure is excellent for most of your travel needs, it offers a poor service facilitating trips to outer space. |
Should have switched on the video.
Half blind, gasping for air and stung by sand, I stumbled
back to my office with a gale in my face. Back in the office, the wind howled
around Special K’s office while a Myna bird sheltered on my windowsill
producing ear splitting warning calls. I tried shooing it away but it kept
giving me a look over it’s shoulder, saying “fuck off… have you been out here?”
"Fuck Off!" |
For a few minutes it was as if the whole dusty desert
between Basra and Jubail had been lifted and was being dumped on Al Khobar. Not
like a squall in the UK where the wind just grabs a bit of dust from the pavement
in a half arsed twister. This went on and on. A wall of dust. Relentless. Face
stingingly, eye squintingly relentless.
Now. I’m English. I like weather. It’s a given. I’m
conditioned. I can lose days talking to strangers of nothing else.
And I like a bit of drama. I like the extremes weather can
produce. I like the “wow” that it can create. Especially when I am in doors.
But – it turns out – just like snow, I don’t like dust
storms. Dust storms hurt.
And I hear we have a few more days of it. Days of dust, grit
and sand covering the cars. Days of no more sun. Grubby cars. Lungs full of
crap.
Oh well.
What to do?
Grubby Car. I'm breathing that in... |