First Night of Homestay

I met my homestay family today.  My homestay father picked me up from the center and brought m to his home just a short distance from the center.  The entire family was waiting outside for me when we arrived.  I had no idea what to expect while driving to his house.  When we arrived I found that I had my own room which is more than I could ask for.  I do not have a bathroom and the bathroom is outside but that is alright.  While unpacking the children would poke their heads into my room and just stare.  I guess I really am that interesting.  The oldest boy stayed in the room with me and tried to talk to me.  He knows some English and I tried to speak in Arabic with limited success.  One of the girls though is by far the most outgoing.  She does not speak very much but she loves to run into my room and just sit on the couch or play with the books while I busy myself with other things.  An interesting part of unpacking though occurred when most of the kids were congregated in my room and the two oldest boys started pulling the younger children out of the room.  I think that they just wanted to give me some privacy but it amazed me how aggressive they were.  They literally pulled the girls out of the room.  All this while I repeatedly said mishmooshkilah (there's no problem, what's the problem).  I do not know fi it is just the culture or the family but the scene definitely took me off guard.  On another note, I live very near another kid on my program named Jared.  He lives just down the street and we see each other a lot.  Our host fathers are friends.  Tonight my host father took both of us to his friends home to watch him pick out a goat for slaughtering tomorrow.  We arrived at his home where we met his family and were given a small snack of Mandazi (a zanzibari bread).  We then drove to an animal soukh which was really just a bunch of trucks filled with livestock in an open field.  We found a goat truck and haggled over the price.  We ended up paying 40 OMR (about $90).  Jared and me began thinking about how we would transport the goat back to the man's house though once we bought it and could not think of a good answer.  Our questions were answered when my host father opened the trunk  and pushed the goat into the trunk.  As we rode back to the mans home, we could hear the goat whining and moving in the trunk.  The man who is from Zanzibar then took us back to his home where he promptly had his children bring food in for us.  He gave us a type of soup that was very spicy and delicious, more of the Mandazi, and a fried leaf dish (looks like spinach but is the leaves from potato plants that have been fried), and Tea.  Everything was amazing and the tea was great.  It was Nana tea, a very popular type in the Middle East.  Once dinner was finished we said goodbye and left after taking one last look at the goat which was tied up to a swing set in the family's back yard.  Well it is late here and I am going to sleep so that I can wake up early and go back to the man's house tomorrow.  We are going back to watch the goat get slaughtered.  I can honestly say that I would never have guessed that I was going to spend my first night with my host family picking out a goat to slaughter and then slaughtering it the next day. 

Buying Traditional Omani Garb

This week while roaming the Muttra Souk a few of us were able to buy traditional Omani clothing.  The store owner clearly knew that I was a prime target as he went directly for me instead of the two other guys walking with me.  The man came right up to me as I looked at his goods and the next thing I knew, I was in his shop and he had already put a Koomah (traditional Omani head covering) and was wrapping my head in a scarf.  I am not sure how all this happened without me realizing it but this was all in the span of no more than 30 seconds.  By this point I knew that I would be buying something in this store and I think that he did to.  By the time I left I had in my possession one dishdasha (traditional Omani robe which is worn on a daily basis by most of the male population), a Kooma, and a head scarf.  I also left wearing all my new clothing.  The three of us all bought outfits and we were able to get a group discount.  We all wore our outfits out of the souk and felt very Omani as we walked back to rejoin our group.  Every Omani commented on our style and clothing as we left the souk and I am happy to report that much of it was very positive.

Until Next Time, 

Sam

Weekend in the Dessert and the Water

This weekend we went to a Bedouin camp where we went off-roading (dune bashing), sand boarding, ate dinner, watched dancing, rode camels, and spend the night.  We all had an amazing time dune bashing.  It was a thrilling experience to be  driving along at 30-50 mph over huge sand dunes and come down he other side at awkward angles.  I am still amazed that these drivers could learn to drive this well.  I realize that they drive these same paths every single day but it was unbelievable.  We spent the rest of the day playing on the dunes.  It is amazing how many dumb activities one can think of doing when not afraid of breaking their neck.  However, I cannot say in all honesty that I was completely uninjured from the day's activities.  After somersaulting down 200 feet of dunes, one is not only dizzy and sandy everywhere but also has a very sore neck.  We watched the son set over  the camp from atop a dune.  We then headed back to camp where we spent the rest of the night relaxing, listening to Bedouin music, watching Bedouin dancers, eating Bedouin food, and enjoying the company of all the other  strangers in the camp.  While my group sat around a fire relaxing we heard the singing of a group of Australians that had brought their own booze and were much too happy to sing along with a guitar playing classic rock.  They did not always remember every verse to every song but they enjoyed every second.  After a while I may or may not have been volunteered to lead the next song.  Unfortunately I had not been lubricated by the Australians drinks and felt just a bit shy.  However it was a good time to go over and join their group.  As people began to head to their tents and the camp grew quiet my tent mates and I decided to bring our mattresses outside and sleep under the stars despite the temperature which had fallen rapidly after the sunset.  I slept great unlike many of the others in my group.  The next morning we had breakfast and went for a camel ride.  I have ridden camels before but never being lead by a four year old boy.  I found out later after talking with the kids that the group comprises two older boys that are in school and only work on the weekend and their three younger brothers.  The group runs the camel business as a sort of lemonade stand operation.  They share all the money they make and the older boys use the money to help with school supplies.  The younger boys run the operation during the week when the older boys are in school.  I was very nervous while riding my camel because I could not help but fear that the camel would step on the little boy leading it.    Finally, we left the camp and headed towards the city of Sur which used to be a massive port but now only makes Dhows (a type of sailing craft that resembles a barge which used to be used to trade between the Arab world and Asia, making trips to India and China).  This old port city was visited and used by the likes of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta (the famous Muslim traveler).  After visiting the Dhow factory, we went to a white sand beach.  The water was not the warmest but it was beautiful and we were able to get a good game of soccer (Football) in on the sand.  I may not be very good at soccer (I suck) but I did put forth the effort required to tie up the game.  (the game was tied up despite my playing)  We decided later that I should win the defensive player of the game award but from the other team.  We then headed to a sink hole which has become a place to swim and cliff jump.  Unfortunately we could not spend that much time there as we needed to start the hour and a half drive back to Muscat and our hotel where we still had to do our homework and study for a test the next day.  All in all, it was a great weekend.

Until Next Time,

Sam

Following are some pictures from the weekend.

 

A glimpse at some of the dunes we were bashing.

 

 

The vehicle that was transporting us over dunes at 50 mph without tipping over.

 The Sun setting in the dessert.

A picture from the top of a sand dune overlooking our camp.

The sink hole where we were able to swim and dive.

Some Good Photos

Omani Coffee

We got to learn about Omani coffee and dates today.  We learned the proper procedure for entering an Omani's home and how to go about eating a meal in the traditional way.  The customs and traditions pertaining to opening ones home to guests are amazing.  I had known that many Omani's are very hospitable but I was unaware that there is a specific routine of questions and answers that are followed when entertaining guests in the home. 

The routine is as follows.

1. The oldest in the group enters the home first followed by the men in order of age.  At this time the host and the oldest guest exchange greetings and superficial information  on their families (only children and males, never the wives or females).   Everyone sits in a circle but never cross legged.  You must sit with one knee in the air.

2. The host then cuts up the fruit or has the youngest guest cut the fruit and pass it out.  When distributing the food, you must start with the host or the oldest guest depending on who is distributing the food.  Everyone takes one piece with their right hand and eats slowly, never taking too large of a bite.  The guests will continue to be offered fruit until the guest adamantly rejects the food in a respectful fashion.  Also, the group eats only one type of fruit at a time.  Usually there are 5 or 6 types of fruit.  So this process is repeated through all the fruit.  (you must also remember that on most occasions the fruit will be followed by an enormous meal, so you cannot allow yourself to eat more than 2 or 3 pieces of each fruit as you are still required to eat the main meal)

3. The next course consists of either dates or Halwa (a type of date pastry) or both.  This course is served in the same fashion as the fruit.
4. The end of the meal is concluded with traditional Omani coffee.  Omani coffee must be served very hot.  When pouring cups of the coffee one must remember to fill the cups only a quarter full, as any more is considered an insult.  The guests must also drink the coffee as quick as possible, though it may be scalding hot.  The host will continue refilling your glass until you say thank you while shaking your cup.  Only then will he allow you to stop drinking coffee. 

Until Next Time,

Sam

Wadi Shab

First Weekend

It is the first day of the week here.  Just finished Saturday classes after a long weekend.  On Thursday we spent the day at Wadi Shab, widely considered to be the most beautify wadi in Oman.  It was beautiful and we were able to get in some great hiking and some good swimming and cliff jumping.  We were also able to swim under a cave wall and into a cave that is open only at the very tope more than 30 feet over the water.  We were able to relax and swim around for a while and then started the hour and a half hike back to the entrance of the Wadi.  On the way we got in some more really good cliff jumping and some more swimming.  The water was amazing.  Not too cold and not too hot.  After Wadi Shab on Thursday, we went to Nizwa on Saturday to visit its famous Soukh, especially the animal Soukh.  We watched as Bedouin women bought and traded goats, oxen, cattle, and camels.  It was an interesting experience because the Bedouin women check the vitality of the animals by grabbing their testicles.  To be honest it looked really uncomfortable and they just went right in and grabbed.  We also visited Nizwa fort, the oldest fort in Oman which has existed since before Islam even existed.  We also visited Bahlya, the oldest town in Oman, more than four thousand years old.  Then we ate a huge Yemeni meal of roasted lamb and rice which was eaten with our right hands and only our right hands (the left hand is never used as it has been traditionally used for wiping yourself when you go to the bathroom).  After lunch we went to the Al Hoota Cave which was discovered in the '60s and is over 5 kilometers long with an enormous underground lake.  It was interesting but I think many of our group were exhausted by this point in the day.  Then we drove the 2 hours back to Muscat. 

Also during the day, Raymond and I tried our first cups of Turkish coffee.  I have never had such thick coffee in my life.  We were forewarned not to drink all the coffee as the bottom of the cup is filled with a thick layer of coffee grounds.  I think we both drank a little too much from the cups as both of our mouths were stained brown for a time afterward. 

Now we are starting another week of school and trying to get all of our homework done.

Until next time,

Sam