If I told you about rain so heavy that it can make buildings collapse in a matter of minutes, would you belive me?
If I told you about a sandstorm, heavy rain and extreme heath, all at the same time, wold you belive me?
If I told you about it raining in one neighourhood, but not in the other, would you belive me?
And if I told you about a giant cloud of sand racing towards you against the wind, would you belive me?
I wouldnt.
However, this is the reality under which the Saharawi refugees are have been living for more than 30 years. Living in the Sahara desert you really learn the meaning of extreme weather. When it rains the rain can destroy buildings in a matter of minutes, as it did in the camp of Smara just a few days ago. The water falls on sand that can not absorb it. When it is cold, it gets freezing cold. And when it is hot, like it is for the most part of the year, the heath is unimaginable. The Saharawis themselves call this land "the buring land".
Over the last few weeks we have seen some of the extreme weather conditiones of the camps. We have seen thing we would never have belived if we had not seen it ourselves.
About a week ago, we went outside and were met by the sight of something looking like a giant mountain. It was a cloud of sand. In our history books back home, we have seen pictures of what it looks like when an atom bomb is dropped, and in front of us something very similar was streching out across the horison. And this isnt ever the weird part.
As we were standing there looking at the cloud of sand, Maren said "It is coming towards us!" I, however, had some problems accepting this statement, since the wind was clearly blowing in the opposite direction.
But basic physicis did not seem to concern this weather phenomenon much. 5 minutes later we were running into the house to escape the sand that was hitting the camps like a wall. As the cloud was over us we looked out of the window and saw that the world had turned red. It looked like the image of what many religions describe as Doomsday.
However, as the sun slowly sank down behind the horison the cloud gradually disapeared, only leaving behind it layers of sand covering everything. The weather conditions of the desert continues to amaze us.
For the refugees its just their everyday life.
If I told you about a sandstorm, heavy rain and extreme heath, all at the same time, wold you belive me?
If I told you about it raining in one neighourhood, but not in the other, would you belive me?
And if I told you about a giant cloud of sand racing towards you against the wind, would you belive me?
I wouldnt.
However, this is the reality under which the Saharawi refugees are have been living for more than 30 years. Living in the Sahara desert you really learn the meaning of extreme weather. When it rains the rain can destroy buildings in a matter of minutes, as it did in the camp of Smara just a few days ago. The water falls on sand that can not absorb it. When it is cold, it gets freezing cold. And when it is hot, like it is for the most part of the year, the heath is unimaginable. The Saharawis themselves call this land "the buring land".
Over the last few weeks we have seen some of the extreme weather conditiones of the camps. We have seen thing we would never have belived if we had not seen it ourselves.
About a week ago, we went outside and were met by the sight of something looking like a giant mountain. It was a cloud of sand. In our history books back home, we have seen pictures of what it looks like when an atom bomb is dropped, and in front of us something very similar was streching out across the horison. And this isnt ever the weird part.
As we were standing there looking at the cloud of sand, Maren said "It is coming towards us!" I, however, had some problems accepting this statement, since the wind was clearly blowing in the opposite direction.
But basic physicis did not seem to concern this weather phenomenon much. 5 minutes later we were running into the house to escape the sand that was hitting the camps like a wall. As the cloud was over us we looked out of the window and saw that the world had turned red. It looked like the image of what many religions describe as Doomsday.
However, as the sun slowly sank down behind the horison the cloud gradually disapeared, only leaving behind it layers of sand covering everything. The weather conditions of the desert continues to amaze us.
For the refugees its just their everyday life.
1 kommentar:
Godt å hør at du overleve de ekstreme værforholdan der du e! Fortsett å skriv ;)
Savne dæ litt, merke æ glede mæ te du e tebake te snø og kulde i Norge :P HIhi.. Glede du dæ? ;)
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