Today was my first ever day off from school as a teacher. I'm not sure what to call it. It wasn't a snow day; there was absolutely no snow. Maybe a rain day or perhaps a hail day? Well, despite not knowing what to call it, it was lovely. Why didn't I realize that days off from school are even more magical when you are the teacher?
The weather turned out to be considerably pleasant: only a few showers, a little bit of hail, and a surprising amount of sunshine. The past two days were comparably worse. Despite my negative feelings towards the cold and white precipitation falling from the sky, my fellow Nebulsi citizens seemed to find it an occasion to celebrate. Or in the very least, an occasion of such rarity that it inspired true awe.
Yesterday, as the hail started falling, I went to my window to inspect the substance making small tapping sounds against the glass. Although, I had seen it hail before in Nablus, this was different. It came down so hard and fast that it actually started to collect on the street below. People wiped it off of the cars parked on the street, tossing the icy precipitation around with their bare hands.
As I stood at my window, I noticed many of my neighbors were doing the same thing. Across the street, several of the windows in the office building opened and people stuck their hands out the window to collect the hail in their hands. With the range of my camera, I was only able to capture two of these windows, but in one building alone at least six people were at the window enjoying the hail.
Down the block, a group of shebab (young men) were literally dancing in the street, gleefully kicking the slush around. In the following video you can hear them cheering after the the thunder. Growing up in the Northeast of the United States, I had always learned to dread such weather. But perhaps I had it wrong, maybe inclement weather is something to celebrate after all?
The weather turned out to be considerably pleasant: only a few showers, a little bit of hail, and a surprising amount of sunshine. The past two days were comparably worse. Despite my negative feelings towards the cold and white precipitation falling from the sky, my fellow Nebulsi citizens seemed to find it an occasion to celebrate. Or in the very least, an occasion of such rarity that it inspired true awe.
Yesterday, as the hail started falling, I went to my window to inspect the substance making small tapping sounds against the glass. Although, I had seen it hail before in Nablus, this was different. It came down so hard and fast that it actually started to collect on the street below. People wiped it off of the cars parked on the street, tossing the icy precipitation around with their bare hands.
As I stood at my window, I noticed many of my neighbors were doing the same thing. Across the street, several of the windows in the office building opened and people stuck their hands out the window to collect the hail in their hands. With the range of my camera, I was only able to capture two of these windows, but in one building alone at least six people were at the window enjoying the hail.
Down the block, a group of shebab (young men) were literally dancing in the street, gleefully kicking the slush around. In the following video you can hear them cheering after the the thunder. Growing up in the Northeast of the United States, I had always learned to dread such weather. But perhaps I had it wrong, maybe inclement weather is something to celebrate after all?
I like the idea of celebrating the weather.. certainly can't escape it- no matter what we think we are up to inside our buildings in the 21st century. I love that you captured this, Violet. There are deeper things to think about from your post than just the weather. Get well!
ReplyDelete