May 30, 2003

Sandstorms in Palestine

[Bethlehem, West Bank] It's been pretty unbearable in Bethlehem the last two days. We're currently in some sort of crazy storm with sand and rain and dirt and dust and wind called the "hamaseeni." Loosely translated, hamaseeni means "some sort of crazy storm with sand and rain and dirt and dust and wind." The visibility is terrible, and dust is everywhere. Since there is a bit of rain that falls, little drops of mud stick to everything and make the situation just a tad bit worse.

I enjoyed gritty scrambled eggs this morning for breakfast. For lunch I had sandy cookies. I took a dust bath in the afternoon, and drank a grainy milkshake for dinner. Today I'm sure I met the minimum recommended daily allowance of dirt in my diet.

Midday in Bethlehem