Sand storm in Lebanon

There’s a sand storm in Lebanon, and according to the news, it’s so bad that people are being hospitalized or even dying. Here in Beirut there’s sand but not a storm per se, since there’s no wind. It’s more like a sand fog. The air is filled with dust, and the heat is concentrated within, making outside venturing very unpleasant, at best. Yesterday, my weather forecast told me it was “96 degrees, Feels Like 131.” I thought, “No way!” until I went outside (I had to go get a book for August) – I have lived in the Middle East for years now, and Egypt was pretty hot at times, but this was one of the hottest days I’ve ever experienced. By the time I got to upper campus I was soaked in sweat.

When we went to the store, Abraham pointed to the sky and asked, “Is that the moon or the sun?” When we looked up we saw this (see picture). That is usually a big bright sky, but today, we could look straight at the sun and it looked tinyS. Awful.

Today all the schools, universities and public offices are closed, many private ones too, I imagine. Our boys are still doing their school work though, of course. No rest for the homeschooled!