Muscat, Oman

Todd's visitor's visa was about to expire in the UAE so he had to leave the country and re-enter.  We decided to make a weekend of it and went to Dubai's bordering neighbor, Oman.  

We flew into Muscat, the capital, and spent two days exploring the city.  Muscat has about 1 million people, but somehow feels like a small town.  Perhaps it was largely due to the friendliness of every taxi driver we had.  Omani born, each driver seemed to be so proud of their country and wanted to tell you everything about it.  Our last day, we even had a taxi driver offer to take us up a mountain for some great views and didn't care what we paid him! (Taxis here are not metered, so you have to bargain.)

Other than riding in taxis, my favorite part was walking around in the Mutrah Souq, a large open-air market where you bargain for everything.  We picked up a few souvenirs...probably could have gotten them cheaper, but oh well.  We also spent a lot of our time walking around. (Note to self: Oman shuts down from 1:30-4:30 daily.  Don't bother walking in the heat.  Go back to hotel and take a nap. (Which we did.)) 

Muscat has a long coast line with lots of beaches and pretty views.  We checked out the beach one morning and liked what we found.  We could have paid to go to a "nicer" beach with chairs and umbrellas, but we decided to go to a free one instead.  People were out swimming (in full clothes, no bathing suits) and having a good time with their families.  We felt a little out of place but soon got over it.  The water was cool and clear, the sand was burning hot. It was a nice way to start the morning.

Before we left on Saturday, we stopped to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.  This beautiful mosque is home to the world's second largest persian rug and huge chandelier.  To show respect, women have to be covered from head to foot.  The mosque and the courtyards around were beautiful.

We had a great time in Oman.  It's strange visiting a country that you've never actually given much thought to before (until we moved here) and seeing the people and their history.  Reminds me just how big the world is,  and really how small and insignificant I am in comparison.  We hope to go back to Oman again.  We heard there are lots of outdoor things to do once you get outside of Muscat.

I'm having trouble putting pictures on this blog, but most of you have seen them on facebook anyway.  If you haven't, check them out here: Oman Pictures

Last but not least, I will leave you with my Arabic word of the week: burtokali (meaning the color orange).

First Weeks of Dubai

We have been in Dubai now for 3 weeks and I have yet to post anything on this blog.  We’ve been very busy and don’t have internet set up yet at our apartment. But, today is the day! I will give you a “quick” recap of our time here so far.

Our apartment: The first two weeks here were really a blur.  My school had us very busy the first few days visiting just about every grocery store, furniture store, and “Wal-Mart” type store in town!  It was nice to see some of our options (as we have found, there are MANY options for any type of store you could ever want here). After we saw our options, THEN we started shopping.  Todd and I moved into an unfurnished 2-bedroom apartment (with a furniture allowance from my school), so we had a lot of work to do.  We shopped every day that first week and a half and found ourselves constantly going back to Ikea to get most of our things. We aren’t completely done with our apartment, but we have most of the things we need to make it feel like home for now.

My school: We started professional development for school the first week I got here. The school provided lots of good, informational sessions for us, but by the time school actually started I was on information overload! (Not to mention, I would be at school all day and then Todd and I would shop most nights.)  Our first day with students was this past Tuesday.  I have the most adorable 3^rd grade girls in my class this year!  It’s been an odd start as I’ve only had about 8 girls coming to school this week.  I have 12 on my roster (still a SMALL class!), and I’ve been told that the other girls are probably still travelling (must be nice!:)).

Around Dubai: We live a part of town that isn’t too far from everywhere, but is like a suburb to the city. During our first few days here, our fabulous aunt and uncle took us out to eat, invited us to a friend’s house, and showed us a little around town. Not to mention had stocked our fridge and cabinet with a few essentials before we even got there! We are so glad Thom and Brenda live in Bahrain and that it isn’t too far to visit! We’ve also ventured out on our own…mostly to eat at restaurants. There is quite a night life here and lots to do, so I’m sure it will take us a while to experience it all!

Trip to the Hospital:  Yes, I have already made a trip to the hospital!  I woke up last weekend and had really sharp pains in my stomach and side.  It was so severe that Todd took me to the hospital.  Turns out, it was a kidney stone and the pain stopped (thank goodness!) shortly after we got to the hospital.  Happy to report that the hospital looked clean, organized, and our doctor seemed to know what he was talking about. J I figured it would be like that here, but you just never know when you are in a foreign country!  Kidney stone was most likely formed from being dehydrated. Lesson learned: I live in the desert so drink more water.  Hopefully, that was a one-time thing!

Since I am a teacher, I hope to teach you SOMETHING about the Middle East in every blog post.  Today, I will leave you with a common Arabic word (really the only one I have learned!): Shukran (meaning thank you)

 I have LOTS more to fill you in on, but wanted to break the ice with this recap.  Will post again soon!