Last week was quite interesting... and spectacular in some ways. I haven't witnessed the beauty of Harmattan since I stopped living in Algeria and traveling in countries like Chad and Mali. I should say I forgot Harmattan exists. Well, I was reminded of the beauty of Harmattan last week.
There is nothing like it. I didn't know Harmattan winds blow all the way down to Monrovia. Imagine an entire city covered in a cloud for almost a week, only the cloud happens to be a dust cloud. It is eerily beautiful, but very discomforting simultaneously. The fine sand and dust in the air make it difficult to breathe, especially if you have allergies. The temperature falls, it is dry as a bone, and there is no sun for days. On one hand it is a good thing because you don't sweat profusely, but at the same time it is not a good feeling when you have to breathe dust.
They say entire cities come to a standstill because of Harmattan. Monrovia is not that dramatic, but there were a few flight cancellations. Still, nothing to put an entire city in a standstill. I wanted to take pictures but it doesn't matter because the pictures just look dark.
I am glad the winds blew away, because I was tired of not being able to breathe and see the sun. As hot as it is when there is sun, it is still better than being in a dust storm.
We are back to being sunny and hot again. This week is turning out to be quite productive and busy. Michael is adjusting well and he has seen more Monrovia in the last few days than I have seen in the last month. I am happy he is not a typical American expat shielded in his own bubble. More about work in the next post.
There is nothing like it. I didn't know Harmattan winds blow all the way down to Monrovia. Imagine an entire city covered in a cloud for almost a week, only the cloud happens to be a dust cloud. It is eerily beautiful, but very discomforting simultaneously. The fine sand and dust in the air make it difficult to breathe, especially if you have allergies. The temperature falls, it is dry as a bone, and there is no sun for days. On one hand it is a good thing because you don't sweat profusely, but at the same time it is not a good feeling when you have to breathe dust.
They say entire cities come to a standstill because of Harmattan. Monrovia is not that dramatic, but there were a few flight cancellations. Still, nothing to put an entire city in a standstill. I wanted to take pictures but it doesn't matter because the pictures just look dark.
I am glad the winds blew away, because I was tired of not being able to breathe and see the sun. As hot as it is when there is sun, it is still better than being in a dust storm.
We are back to being sunny and hot again. This week is turning out to be quite productive and busy. Michael is adjusting well and he has seen more Monrovia in the last few days than I have seen in the last month. I am happy he is not a typical American expat shielded in his own bubble. More about work in the next post.
I'm really enjoying (almost re-living...) your blogs from Monrovia! I really, really respect and appreciate your work for the people of Liberia. They have gone through so much trouble and are courageous enough to try to get back up.
ReplyDeleteFor the brief moment we were there, we worked with Dr. Gwenigale! I remember that he was the only doctor performing surgeries, at the time, in the country. There may have been one more...? He was a great leader for the Ministry of Health.
We helped Liberia with their submission to The Global Fund; it was funded, we learned later! Hooray for everybody! Smiles. We were focusing on HIV, TB, and malaria, or course.
I never got any direct information about HIV rates of UNMIL soldiers, particularly the large Nigerian contingent. Those soldiers would both impact and be impacted by the public health systems of Monrovia and Liberia.
Small world. Dr. Kingsley Anurugwo (who studied at UIC for his MPH, while you were there) was one of the physicians who treated/tested returning veterans to Nigeria from UNMIL.
Keep blogging! I'll keep reading.