I got an alert email from my program today warning me of dangerous weather in Mendoza in the upcoming days. The culprit of the dangerous weather is the Zonda wind. This is a type of dry wind that forms on the east side of the Andes. It is caused by polar air and it gets warmed as it descends the slope (Thank you Wikipedia). Apparently Zonda wind can cause personality changes. The email says that this is from the positive ionization of the air, and can make people angry or tired, more stressed, and increases people's sensitivity to cardio problems, allergies and sweating. There are supposedly more car accidents on days of Zonda wind. People here get very nervous and stay in doors to avoid accidents. My host mom told me that there is a similar wind in Germany that causes these symptoms as well.
I thought this was a bit of a joke when I read the email. I'm used to weather alerts when 4 feet of snow is expected, so obviously I think I can handle a bit of wind. But the mendocinos take this a lot more seriously than I was expecting. My host mom warned me about not going running or doing any tough physical exercise today. She said I should allow an extra ten minutes to walk to school because I will get tired because it's hotter out, and I should drink a lot more water. My friend here said today that her allergies were actually acting up. School can even be canceled because of it.
I haven't felt any symptoms yet, but I need to be careful around here!
Update! The elementary schools in Mendoza actually canceled school tomorrow because of the approaching wind! I'm starting to think the wind is more dangerous than I thought. My host sister gave me a flashlight for tonight because the lights might go out when there is a lot of wind.
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