Sandstorms!

Yes! I've passed the 6-month milestone in Dubai! Without realizing it, I've been here for 24 weeks! 

On my 26th week here, a sandstorm finally occurred!

Before I came to Dubai, I thought sandstorms are like whirlwinds. A big wind comes, sweeps up all the sands, and blows it all over the place, like a localized tornado. And if you look out of the window, you can see nothing but brown sand, flying all around. Sand grains knocking on your windows to let them in. That's what I thought.

As usual, I have a distorted sense of reality. My first sandstorm in Dubai, wasn't anything like that at all. In fact, it was far from it. It came gradually, like dew that forms in dawn, or the sun that sets so slowly, that before you even realize it, it's suddenly dark. One day, I woke up, looked out of the window and noticed a really foggy skyline. I couldn't see buildings that were 1 kilometre away. When I walked out of the apartment, the wind was stronger than usual, and sand particles flew into my eyes. I wished I had goggles to shield them at that time, but who does that? People usually just covered their eyes, or looked away. So, that's just what I did. 

The temperature was slightly high too. I think it was about 25 degrees Celsius. For the past few weeks, it felt like 20 degrees Celsius, and I frequently had to put on an overcoat to keep warm. But today, I didn't need it. 

So, that was my first sandstorm in Dubai. Mild, gentle, subtle. 

And I thought, "This is it? That's what you call a sandstorm?"

I was secretly, silently disappointed. It wasn't as exciting as I had imagined it to be. 

Well, obviously, the movies takes the most extreme of events and exaggerate it to several bigger proportions. Otherwise, who would watch them? They stretch your imagination to capture your short attention span.

Oh! I just found out too, that sandstorms can occur across the whole city of Dubai, which spans across about 4100 square kilometres. And I thought it was a localized event, probably covering only about an area of 1 sqkm. 

Apparently, everything I assumed about sand storms were misguided. The sand particles in sandstorms, are not big, but so miniscule, that you won't even realize they're there until they hit and irritate your eyes. They have to be. That's why they're so light that they can be lifted up by the wind. 

A friend tells me that sandstorms, signify the change of seasons, from winter to summer. When seasons change, phenomena occurs. Animals migrate, flowers bloom or wilt, and the seas swell. In Dubai, obviously void of flora and fauna, the only vast, immense natural item being sands, are nature's way of telling us, "Listen up, people! We're changing seasons soon! Tuck away your jackets, and be prepared to stay indoors."

And to think that, just a month ago, the highest mountain in UAE was covered in snow (Link here)! It's approaching summer now? Wow... it is almost unthinkable! 

As a typical Malaysian, we have a high tendency to accept everything as it is. We seldom question the natural events around us. If it rains, we say, "Wow! It's raining! That's great! It'll cool down the heat!" If it's sunny, we say, "ooooh... it's a good day to dry my clothings today. The clothings can dry within an hour." If there's thunder and lightning, we wonder, "Somebody must have made the Gods angry today."

*Footnote: Ok, ok.. the last statement applies to just myself.

We don't wonder, "Oh! Why does it rain?" or "How is rain formed?" Most of us, are just not interested at all. What value does this type of knowledge carry? There're more important things to focus on. 

Nevertheless, after settling down here, I realize now that while it is good we accept things just as they are, but even more important, is understanding why and how it occurs, to prepare for the days ahead, and to improve the quality of our lives. 

The starting point of knowledge, is through questions. So, ask, and never stop wondering. 

*Note:
More on Dubai Sandstorm here.