A Day with Friends

We were invited to an Omani’s house because she was a friend of a friend that met us. She called us and insisted that we come to her house for lunch. So with great enthusiasm we accepted the invitation and headed over. Her house was very beautiful with lots of detail on the walls and in the furniture.  We sat on the floor as our mouths watered at the feast in front of us. We had chicken, rice, salad, mangos, bananas, apples, watermelon, honeydew, dates and Assyrian sweets, with the best chai tea we have ever tasted.

After about 2 hours of conversation, our very kind friend asked us if we like to have fun. We of course said yes, and off we went on our adventure! She first took us to the City Center where we did some window shopping until the temperature cooled off enough for us to go outside. Around 6:00 we hopped in the car and headed for the theme park! We pulled up and to our surprise it was not crowded.

We got to take our friends on their first log ride experience! They were such good sports.  Even though it was not their ride of choice, they still got on with smiles. After we stepped off, a bit damp, we walked over to the ferris wheel. We got to see the beautiful view of Muscat at dusk.

After the rides, our friends took us to a beach we haven’t seen before. It looked like a popular hangout spot for couples. There were several couples having a picnic on the beach. There were also some guys fishing off the shore. We hiked up some rocks for a bit to get a better view.

The horizon was very beautiful! We finished off the night by going to McDonalds for dinner and having lots of laughs with our new friends! We are so thankful for and blessed by their kindness!

Rustaq

Continuing our amazing adventure here in Oman, we were invited, by the same group of Omani girls that took us to Mutrah, to a village called Rustaq that is about 1.5 hours away from Muscat. We woke up in the morning around 10 am to get ready for our awaited adventure with the girls. With all the excitement we kept looking at our cell phone to see when the girls would call to let us know that they had arrived at our house. Around 11am the girls arrived. We got in our cars and were on our way to Rustaq. Upon arriving in Rustaq we were quickly ushered into the girls’ mother’s house where we met her grandmother, aunts, dad and mother. We were shown into a room where the girls brought lunch to us. Lunch was chicken with potatoes, rice, spinach, onions, and yogurt. It was very delicious.

After having lunch we took a two hour nap that was very refreshing. When we woke up we had a snack, it was a platter of fruit that consisted of mangos, bananas, oranges and dates. After that they brought us some black coffee with a traditional Omani dessert called “Hilwa”. We headed out and the girls showed us the date farm that their family owns.

We got in the cars and we had about a 20 minute drive to a natural hot spring. The water was very HOT and we got a chance to dip our feet in the water.  People are allowed to bathe in the spring water.

After that we were taken to a fort in Rustaq, due to maintenance the fort was closed so we didn’t get to go inside but we still took pictures on the outside.

It was getting late and we had to get ready for the Omani wedding that we were invited too. Without hesitation we quickly got in the cars and drove back to the family house. The girls put makeup on us and even let us borrow their traditional dresses called “jalabiyas”.

Jalabiyas are beautiful silk dresses with a lot of bright print on it.  They are worn with a matching headscarf. Once we were all dressed up we headed to the wedding.

In the traditional Omani culture the bride is in a tent with all the women having their own party while she awaits her husband to come and pick her up. We ate dinner there which was rice and chicken and awaited her husband to come. In the meantime, we were taught how to dance by some of the women which was really fun! After a long day we drove back to Muscat and went straight to bed.

~ written by a traveler

A Guys’ Day Out

 Today was filled with so much fun that it felt like 2 days. We started off with meeting with Diaz, an Omani whom we have become great friends with. 

He borrowed his friend’s jeep so that he can take us to Quriyat, a beautiful place in the mountains where a huge dam has been constructed. About an hour and a half later we were there admiring the beauty of the scene.

Of course, we had to take some pictures. After an hour or two our unanimously voted tour guide Diaz took us to a nearby village where we picked up a few of his friends who had moved here from Ghana for work. We headed out to the beach and found a great un-crowded spot to hang out and talk. We had very interesting friendly dialogue about the culture of Oman, Ghana, and the US as well as shared interesting stories about our lives. These light-hearted conversations were most definitely the highlight of the day. 

After talking, we decided to go a short distance to the one of their friend’s boats and finish the day with some more swimming in the ocean.

Today was such an amazing learning experience for our group. We learned things that could not be taught in school, but only learned through firsthand dialogue and experiences. Here in Oman it is not the sights or even the heat that catch a visitor’s attention, but the way in which these people live and love.

Visiting Mutrah

On Wednesday June 6^th, we headed out to Mutrah Souq (which is a shopping market) in a city nearby with our new local friends!

We stopped at almost every shop that had scarves until all of us were at the point where we could not buy anymore scarves!

They took us to an Abaya shop, where we got to see three men hand making abayas. The man was putting each jewel on, one by one.  He told us that it takes him between 1-2 days to make a full abaya and matching scarf.

We then ventured off a bit further where my friend stopped me and showed me this platter that had different shaped containers on it. She told me that in the village it is tradition that when you have guests over at your house, after you eat a meal, the family will bring this platter out that has incense burning and perfume for the guest to put on. We were invited to her cousins wedding in the village and she told us that when we go to her house we will get to experience them giving us perfume after the meal.

She also showed us traditional chests that Omanis used to use to store their dresses and gold.

After about 2 hours of shopping we sat down for some fresh coconut milk!

Then our wonderful friends took us to see the Sultans palace in Muscat. It was very extravagant and beautiful. We were happy to find that there were no crowds because it was so late at night.

We finished off the evening by grabbing some very tasty Turkish chicken sandwiches called “shwarmas”. We had an amazing time visiting Mutrah with our new friends!

~ Written by a traveler

Day Arba (Four)

Day Arba (Four)in this Omani Adventure. In not giving up hopes of connecting with Omani women, we, Grethel and Kelly, ventured out to the mall, a nice choice for 110 degree weather and 89% humidity. We had a hilarious time getting to know an Egyptian couple and Iranian family, we still looked forward to meeting Omani women. So we took our hijabs (scarves) and wrapped them around our heads and set out for the beach to meet up with the guys in our group. It is common here for guys to play soccer, hard core soccer, around 5pm when the weather is cooler. As good sports we sat down to watch and cheer, but the Latina soccer player in Kelly could not be restrained. She started with yelling at the top of her lungs, “Gooooooooooaaal!!” until her feet could not stay put and she had to run after the soccer ball that two young boys were playing with.

Returning to the sidelines, Abby called us over to meet some Omani women who spoke great English. Hugs and Kisses started wonderful conversations amongst us. We enthusiastically accepted our long awaited invitation to hang out with Omani Women. Agreeing to meet them at 8pm at a local restaurant called Zenzaban, we rushed home to get ready for the evening. Dinner took place at an Omani food Restaurant. We were led into our own private room where we sat down on the floor. Our hosts ordered traditional Omani food that was absolutely delicious Alhumdilallah! We had as much hummus and pita bread as we could.

 

The evening followed with driving about 10 minutes to the Opera House where we were stopped by a guard who let us know that it was closed. Then we went to Al Quram which is a very popular spot in Muscat. Al Quram is a long strip of beach with restaurants and cafes. After a walk we were tired, so we drove back home and the Omani girls treated us to some ice cream. After that we said our goodbyes for the night and headed home.

Meeting the Sheikh

Today was our third day in Muscat. We headed out to the largest Mosque, located in downtown. Upon arrival, we were utterly stunned by the beauty and the intricacy of the architecture; the floors were paved with polished marble and geometric patterns. Extravagant water fountains filled the courtyard and artificial streams of water flowed throughout. We received friendly smiles, greetings, and a more than welcoming atmosphere. Shortly after arrival, we were welcomed into a room by the sheikhs of the Mosque where we received a concise summary of the religion of Islam, and afterwards had a question-answer period. The sheikh was very helpful in pointing out some of the misunderstandings people have about Islam. He clearly drew the line between religion and culture, pointing out various misconceptions of how culture is frequently confused with religion. All in all, I believe this was an awesome learning experience, and the friendliness and loving atmosphere was very welcoming.

– written by a traveler

Grand Mosque Visit

Grand Mosque Muscat 2012

Check out a few pictures from today’s visit to the Grand Mosque!

AE Oman Summer 2012

In a few days, college students from the USA will be participating in a culture education adventure through Oman.  During their travels, they will be adding posts and pictures daily to this blog.  Check back throughout the next two weeks to see what all they are up to and hear about their experiences.

Two Weeks

From exploring new places

to playing soccer at sunset

to meeting new people and making new friends

to hiking in dry river beds

to camping on the beach

to singing our hearts out…

the past two weeks have been filled with adventures, laughs, new friends and a better understanding of a country and people not so different from the place we call home.

*Update: AE Group is all safely on the plane and headed home.

Nizwa

Yesterday we spent the entire day in Nizwa, the largest of the traditional Omani villages of the interior.  The culture there is much more conservative Islam and so there is almost no trace of western clothing or practice.  We took the day to tour Nizwa Fort, a recently restored fortress that is centuries old.  We took a trip to Bahla and walked through ‘Old Bahla.’ It was an area of nothing but narrow narrow walkways, old mud buildings, and few residents. The Bahla Souk featured a master copper-smith who was very kind in demonstrating his artistry. With each stroke of his hammer he crafted beautiful copper pans, dishes and bracelets.   His work is of such traditional origin that it has been displayed in the Smithsonian museum.   We returned to Nizwa at sundown to walk the Nizwa Souk.  The market was full of handcrafted silver, wood, and pottery.  It was difficult to find anyone who spoke much English and trading with the locals was an adventure.  “The heart of Oman is in Nizwa” was a phrase used to describe this ancient and culturally rich city.  The only thing more impressive than the splendor of the city is the people who are now a reality to us rather than a distant thought or idea.

-Traveler