The sandstorm

So the experience with the sandstorm was crazy. The day was pleasant enough and the skies only slightly cloudy. Of in the horizon at the close of the day we say lightning storms, but since it had rained the previous day, no one expected them to come until the next morning. I asked if we should take our coats, and someone told me no cause it'll be dawn until it comes.

Well, that night a few of us decide to have a drink at the bar as a little break from the girls. My night started out jinxed, I believe, because of 3 telling hints. First, I don't like beer, so I searched for some Whiskey sacks, they sell them here in little bags amounting to a shot, and I had to go to 3 different stores and none were to be found. So we settled for Sangria. Second, when we got to the bar that only sells beer and soda, it took forever and a day to get someone to bring us some glasses. 3rd and finally, when we did get some glasses, the box of Sangria was a pain to open, and I ended up spilling on myself. These were my hints, that I shouldn't be drinking and should just go home. Well, I didn't listen.

I didn't want to seem like a wet blanket/bi*** so I chocked it up to poor chance and relaxed with my friends a little more. Well, I should have gone home. We were there for about an hour when, literally, the sandstorm came out of nowhere. No pre-amble temperature changing wind, as usual, nothing, just suddenly sand and heavy wind all at once, at night. I had on just a tank for a top, and the I quickly became freezing. Visibility went down to about 20 ft. and everything became blurry. Half of us decided to settle our bill and get the hell back, and the other have decided to go ahead and start for home. Well, Unfortunately, my group was the first group and we didn't have anyone in it from this town. So we had to vector ourselves home. Cooincidently, as we were walking to the bar, early that night, my friend Kim was teasing me about reading the stars to find my way home from bars(I did it once in our training) and despite the teasing, I made a mental note of the stars just in case, and a cursory glance at building shapes to mark our route. Well, thank god, I looked at some of the buildings and the route was simple, cause the stars didn't help in the sand storm.
There was three and our group and in order not to lose each other in the storm, we held hands. Keeping our eyes open facing the blowing sand hurt quite a bit, so I tried turning my head from the wind and looked at walls and building to the rear or beside us to navigate. Needless, my eyes were still raw the next day. With the help of my companions we made it back relatively directly. However upon our arrival, we found out some tents were damaged and one was missing. Unfortunately, it was mine.

From their accounts, everyone was sleeping outdoors in their tents, when the storm hit and forced everyone out of their tents. In the confusion, two tents were swept away. One was caught in a tree and mine was blown into the darkness. My friend Natalie was sharing the tent with me and understandably, in the confusion, 5 tents and 3 people aren't always going to be kept in order in a sudden sandstorm. I was initially upset, I admit, but the other volunteers were game to help me try to find in the dark stormy night. We headed out and after a futile 20 minute search as the rain began to fall, my hopes were seemingly dashed. Dejected, I returned to the camp, wet, muddy, and tired. Accepting that the tent, my thermarest, blanket, and travel pillow was now half way to Senegal, I searched for a mat on the floor and tried to get comfortable.

Thankfully, my friend Kara, Kim, and Natalie,who also had a vested interest in the tent(her cell phone and headlamp were in there too at the start of the storm), kept at it and happened upon a man walking about, for some reason, in the storm. The asked if he had seen a tent flying about and he said,"Yes, it's in my courtyard." Dumb luck, I guess. Anyhoo, it had landed in his courtyard and he held it down using some chairs. When they brought it back it the only damage was some worn sheathing where the poles thread through for framing, but it essentially was unharmed, but dirty. Jane's tent, that was caught in the tree, wasn't so lucky and a large hole was torn in the webbing. So about 2 or 3AM we finally settled down for some sleep only to be waken up 2 hours later by the early risers of the teenage girls. Ugh, that was a long day, but I still have my tent and etc.

So what lesson did I learn, when something is telling you to go home, do it, and never give up if you have good friends by your side. Later, Kids

L