Is that a sandstorm or are you just happy to see me...

This morning, as the bus that shuttles us to school plodded its way through Cairo, I took a peak out the window at the urban sprawl around me. This in and of itself is a bit of a novelty; normally at this point in my day, I'm asleep with my head uncomfortably resting on the back of the seat in front of me, attempting to milk the hour long bus ride for all the sleep its worth. But today, I had to cram for an Arabic midterm that I had, of course, neglected to study for the night before, and was therefore wide awake.

The view outside my window was one I had grown accustomed to: ungodly amounts of traffic, alternating between a crawling pace and pure, unadulterated stagnation; the sea of faded gray and tan, flat-roofed buildings, as far as the eye can see; and, of course, a thick layer of all-enveloping smog.

Yet today, the smog seemed even more suffocating than usual. I thought this could be attributed to even higher levels of air pollution (which, honestly, would seem impossible; I already feel like I'm living inside factory smoke stack), but as we made our way further and further away from the downtown area and the heaviness in the air still hadn't begun to recede, I knew something else was up.

When I stepped off the bus, my answer hit me in the face- literally. A healthy mix of sand and dust, borne by the wind, pelted my skin. Soon my eyes and mouth began to feel the effects and I was forced to turn my back to the on coming tirade. Al-Khamsin had arrived.

Al-Khamsin is a dry, dust-bearing wind that sweeps across North Africa every spring. Its name is derived from the Arabic word "خمسين",  which means "fifty," the length of time the wind generally blows. Although it's usually nothing too bad, just some sand here and there, I've heard that it can get so bad on occasion that the sun becomes completely blotted out and you can't even see your hand in front of you.

The sand and wind seemed to die down as the day went on, but somehow a significant amount managed to subtly sneak in through my mouth, causing irritation to an already sore throat. If the untold amount of air pollution in Cairo didn't provide a good enough reason to keep your mouth firmly closed when walking around town, getting a mouthful of sand and dirt certainly seems like a strong compelling factor.Oh well, only 49 more days of this (khamsin, that is).