Dust Storm

I experienced my first dust storm today.

This picture was taken in the middle of the afternoon, and the sun is shining even though you can see the wall of dust sweeping toward the clinic.

It was a slow day at the clinic, very few patients and little for me to do because I'm waiting to hear back on a number of emails. Suddenly the wind kicked up like a leafblower, and I looked outside to see a mass of dark grey covering the horizon to the East. The air smelled strongly of rain, but instead of rain we got a huge cloud of dust. For about fifteen minutes you could barely see the hill across the valley, and then we got a spattering of rain (which dried instantly), and then it cleared up.

When I sat down at my desk after, I noticed that everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. Luckily I thought to put my computer in a pillowcase when I saw the storm coming.

In other news, after I photographed the little heart patient, the powers that be decided that since I had some photography training, I should be detailed to all the photography projects. Assignment number one is to shoot our new operating room, which is nearing completion. After an unproductive session, I consulted with Erin Cook and tried again with better results.

Here's one we may end up using for the website:

And here's one that came out a little wonky:

Dr. Frank also set me up with a new camera that had been donated to FAME: an original Cannon EOS Rebel. It will go well with my original iPhone and original Kindle.

Here is the new machine:

In other news, last night was my first night staying in town with Baba Joseph and Mama Sauda. It's a very nice family, and I think I'll have a good time staying with them. They have another tenant who is the same age as me, a Tanzanian who teaches at at local primary school. It should be nice having someone my own age around.

I also got to experience my first bucket shower, which was surprisingly refreshing. Just make sure to keep your mouth closed. The water is not altogether clear. If you stick your hand in the bucket, you can see the end of your index finger on a good day.