Hamir’s Death.

Dear Diary,

Today I awake to the sound of rain outside and the voices of Mama, Dadi, the rangers, and Murad. I hope we can return home today after the wedding, oh wait there is no wedding. I remember getting the news last night of Hamir’s death. I feel so bad for Phulan I know she loved that man. Questions race through my head of what happened. I go up to Mama, she has bags under her eyes. I know the adults did not have very good sleep last night, they where up late on the radio contacting the other rangers. I ask Mama of how the death of Hamir happened but she does not know. I know not to ask more questions because I know that Mama is sad and tired, but my curiosity flows anyways. “What will happen Mama?” I ask. “We will see Shabanu we will see” she replies. I climb back into my tent and find Phulan still sleeping. She was also up late crying. Her eyes are sore and bruised from crying. I come back to Mama making chapatis, milk, and tea over the fire. The men and Auntie join us for a quick meal. Later Phulan joins us she drinks a cup of tea and eats some bread. This is the first thing Phulan has eaten or drinked in two days. Phulan and mama talk about how she feels. “I feel empty” she says. We gather up our things and start heading to Derawar. It will be a ten hour journey back. I hope Sakina tells me what happened to Hamir. That is all I can think about on the way there. That is it for now diary talk to you later.

It seems like a sand storm is coming near us. We must prepare for the sand storm. Here come with me and I will show you how to prepare and survive.

The first thing you should do is make a survival kit. It is very important to have a lot of water because the sand storms are long and you will not be able to get any. Water here is very limited so you must save a lot. You can get water from the toba.  Also make sure you have something to cover your face because sand can get in your eyes. Most importantly you must have food, such as chapatis and Biryani.

Always make sure to stay inside. If you do not have a hut or a tent make one quick out of sticks. To make sure your animals are safe gather them together and keep them safe. Make sure everyone around you is inside. Now that you know what to do start preparing for the storm.