So today was my first full day in Muscat, and it started bright an early at 5:00 am when jet lag took over. I'm pretty insistent on sleep no matter how difficult it may come, so I laid awake for about two hours until I could finally fall asleep again. When my day actually began it was actually 11:30 when orientation started.
We talked a lot about what our school days would be like, how to dress out and about, cultural faux-pas, how to get a taxi, safety concerns, etc. I felt like I was a camper again on the first day at the Shell meeting… wide eyed and trying to take it all in. After that, we had lunch from a Turkish restaurant that was brought in to the school. We had… well, I'm not even sure what it's called but it was lamb, lettuce, and french fries in a long, thin wrap. I swear it was actually really tasty! We also had "Kuka Kula", aka Coca-Cola. For some reason I didn't take a picture of the Arabic side, which looks like: كوكا كولا, in case you wondered. The cans are tall and skinny, which I am extremely entertained by for some reason.
After lunch we went on a bus tour of Old-Muscat, which I was very thankful for because it was 109 F today! First we visited Bait Al-Zubair, an Omani museum, which was really cool Unfortunately, you can't take pictures there, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
After that we visited the Sultan's Palace, well one of them, which is gorgeous and massive. It's funny because it's much like the White House in its grandeur, but completely opposite when it comes to security. There are walls around the compound, which is a common style in the Middle East, but the gates aren't really guarded… we even saw one of the gates wide open without a guard anywhere in sight. Security of the Sultan apparently isn't too much of a concern in Oman, which is understandable because almost everyone loves him dearly.
It was so cool to drive around and see everything. I love this picture below because it captures three important essences I've attributed to Oman. On the left is the tower, which is part of a ministry building, which represents the people's love of the Sultan and both the power and prowess of its government. The road is beautifully paved, (as are all roads in Oman, seriously, I haven't seen a pot hole yet), and that represents the modern Oman, which came in 1970 after the old Sultan was overthrown by the new Sultan (Sultan Qaboos actually overthrew his father!). The education, healthcare, and infrastructure of Oman are very well developed and efficient, even though they only had their beginning in 1970. And finally, there is an old fort right in the middle of it all, which is part of Oman's rich history, dating back so far I don't know how to put it in numbers. Let's just put it this way, when the first bipedal humans were leaving Africa, they stopped in Oman for awhile, and some stayed. It's an incredibly old civilization!
We went to the Muttrah Souk (صوق المطرح) and did a bit of shopping. The souk was a bit overwhelming because I'm still shy to use my broken Arabic. Bargaining is a thing here, but it is done very calmly and without yelling. It is illegal to insult or curse at people, which I'm very glad I was told, ya know, just in case. But Omani culture is typically so calm and cool that it's not that big of an issue there. The souk had textiles, dishdashas, abayas, hijabs, masaars, turbans, you name it. They even have a bunch of toy stores for little kids, but the toys look like they're out of the 80s. Anyway, Muscat has a large community of ex-patriots, so it is not unheard of to wear western clothes there (I mean like tank-tops or shorts), but it is really rude. An Omani would never say that though… they're much like people from the Midwest, extremely polite and passive aggressive. I joke but it sort of does feel like home in that aspect. Western women wear long pants or long skirts and their shirts go at least to their elbows, flowy and not form fitted. Omani women wear black dresses and head scarves, a few choose to cover everything but their eyes and wear burqas. Covering up is fine for me because it is so hot and the sun will burn you in just a few minutes without sunscreen! Omani men wear long robes and a cap, western men typically wear long pants and light-weight button up shirts. At school the students have come up with "Traditional Tuesdays" where we all wear traditional Omani clothing, so I will wear an abaya (long black dress) and hijab (head scarf) and the men will wear dishdashas (long white robe) and kumas (caps) or massars (scarf turbans). Here's my friend getting fitted for his first dishdasha and massar!
After that we went home to our flats in Al-Khoud. We hadn't gone to the grocery store yet so we went out to eat at a traditional Yemini restaurant (yes, we are sitting on the floor).
I was excited for my first dine-out experience and to finally practice my Arabic. Turns out I wasn't as prepared as I hoped. Our server spoke absolutely no English and we had some miscommunications that would just stress me out if I were to relive them. Anyway, almost all of us ended up getting "Nifs Dijajz Madhi", which is basically chicken and rice, though does technically translate to a half chicken. So that's what we got. We also got some broth with what looked like salsa to put in it. It was very tasty (and spicy) and I felt lucky because it was served with a spoon (most Omanis eat without utensils!!). Anyway, I enjoyed the food and that's all that matters.
After dinner, we finally came back to the flats and decompressed after an exhausting day. School starts tomorrow and I can't wait to start class! Ma'Salaama!
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