My Biggest Fears of Coming to Iraq Come True…
It’s been a busy couple of weeks with the Winter quarter at the Life Center coming to an end, spending time with friends and many photos to edit through; I haven’t a chance to sit down and blog. But the quarter is now done and we have the month off! Which will give us time to spend with our friends and enjoy the beautiful spring that is just around the coroner! I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to read my blog and view my photos. I hope to get better at blogging more often. My last post was featured on the home page of Word Press and many new people found my blog that way, so to you, bahairbay, welcome! It’s very exciting reading comments from people all over the world! A reminder that on the top right hand side of my blog, you can sign up for emails and all new posts will be delivered to your inbox! This is the best way to know when new photos are posted. And as always, by clicking on the photos in the post, you’ll be taken a web gallery of more images related to the post.
As I was getting ready to leave for Kurdistan, many people asked if I was scared about coming to Iraq. I honestly wasn’t that scared, since I knew couple here and they had told me how safe it was here. But one they did tell me about did frighten me. A couple days ago, I was sitting in our living room watching TV and editing photos when I noticed the light changed to a very warm orange-yellow. I looked out the window and saw my biggest fears had come! A dust storm!
Two Kurdish men and a young boy walk down the street during a dust storm.
I was very nervous about the dust getting into my camera and laptop. Even though my lap top is kept inside, the dust still seemed to find its way in! I was sitting there looking out the window and then walked out to our balcony. The light was pretty amazing and it was like nothing I had ever seen before, which naturally made me want to grab my camera and go out to photograph what I was seeing! But I could also feel, smell, and sometimes even taste the dust in the air! I didn’t even want to think about what could happen if some of that fine, tiny dust got on in my camera! But the light (or lack there of at times) was too amazing to pass up, so I just took one lens (switching lenses would surly let dust in) with me and off I went! I was amazed how the light changed from being dark to a warm yellow. As you look through the photos, know that I did not change the color in them, while it was a little difficult to correctly color balance the images, what you see is what I saw.
The sun tries to shin through the dust.
A few seconds later, the sun could not be seen!
While it is normal to see some of the side roads empty from cars, the dust added an eerie feel to the place, almost post apocalyptic!
I'm sure this car was dusty before, but you can see all the dust that was added from the storm.
Despite the dust storm, people were still out showing their support for their favorite political party to really voters for the up coming election. (More the elections coming soon...)
With the dust, a walk through the local park almost seems like a walk through an old photograph.
The local mosque as seen from our roof, normally mountains are visible.
When I got back I cleaned my camera the best I could, didn’t see too much damage! Then I realized I should have taken a scarf with me to keep my camera protected, so next time I will. I also heard that this was nothing compared to Southern Iraq and in Baghdad!
i especially like the ‘eerie’ photo, how often do dust storms come, and is it a totally american comment to ask if there are any carwash places?
Yes they do have car washes here, but they usually just drive their cars into the river!! You can see a photo here: http://djstravels.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/school-dayz/
This is the only dust storm that I have seen, who knows how many more we’ll have. There have been other dusty days, where you can’t see too far, and can smell and sometimes even taste the dust in the air!
Wow, those pictures really do look like the old fashioned ones. Very cool. How long did the dust storm last? They must not be too commen considering how long you’ve been there and that your biggest fear is just now occuring.
Glad you got some good pictures.
The storm only lasted about 2 to 3 hours or so. But there was one, before I got here, that lasted a few days! There are other days that it is very dusty and you can’t see very far and sometimes even taste the dust in the air, but it hasn’t been as bad as this one!
you captured the feel of your subject really well