Christmas weather.
Christmas weather has arrived. It blew in about three weeks ago. About two-and-a-half weeks ago, I couldn't figure out why my nose felt completely blocked. And then in sunk in. It's the dust!
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March. You'd think it would look tan or brown, but actually it looks like ... fog. Only it's hot. Really hot. And really humid. And still.
In the rainy season, winds blow north and bring cool breezes from the ocean. You can open your windows and get a cross breeze that slams doors and blows papers around the house. When it changes direction, it feels like a microwave oven. Air molecules are moving, but there's not a breeze in sight. Christmas weather, as my driver says. I try to make that a positive thing: Harmattan means it's almost time to go home and see family and friends for the holidays (and SHOP!).
After Christmas break, it's harder to put a positive spin on all the dust. You just have to wait it out. But the first day you glimpse blue sky again is like the first day of spring. You feel like singing. It's amazing how happy a blue sky can make you feel!
In the meantime, I am going around singing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" because, in Nigeria, it is!
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| Harmattan's range. Nigeria is smack in the middle. |
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March. You'd think it would look tan or brown, but actually it looks like ... fog. Only it's hot. Really hot. And really humid. And still.
In the rainy season, winds blow north and bring cool breezes from the ocean. You can open your windows and get a cross breeze that slams doors and blows papers around the house. When it changes direction, it feels like a microwave oven. Air molecules are moving, but there's not a breeze in sight. Christmas weather, as my driver says. I try to make that a positive thing: Harmattan means it's almost time to go home and see family and friends for the holidays (and SHOP!).
 |
| Christmas weather. |
After Christmas break, it's harder to put a positive spin on all the dust. You just have to wait it out. But the first day you glimpse blue sky again is like the first day of spring. You feel like singing. It's amazing how happy a blue sky can make you feel!
In the meantime, I am going around singing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" because, in Nigeria, it is!
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