Kaif al-hosh w al-bosh

Apparently a full week has gone by. I love practicing arabic. Omanis love greetings. They talk over each other and just say a whole series of greetings before actually getting into a conversation. Conversing is much more about building relationships, as opposed to finding out information. How are you? Peace be upon you. Any news? Any knowledge? And my favorite- kaif al-hosh w al-bosh? In other words, “how are your goats and camels?” Oman has modernized and has changed 180 since Sultan Qaboos took power about 40 years ago. Tribal relationships are still entirely relevant, even in the city. People can tell one’s tribe by their name, and when discussing a crime, newspapers don’t include a criminal’s name (just their initials), so as not to shame the entire tribe. 

During our weekly trip to the hypermarket Lulu’s, my friends and I covered our hair. The difference was tangible. The amount of stares, the amount of attention, the amount of stares, wasn’t a fraction compared to that of our original trip. We now cover much more- not at school, but when walking to a restaurant or going shopping, its just simpler. Modesty also opens doors. Omanis feel much more comfortable speaking with us, which gives us the opportunity to practice our Arabic more!

Tuesday night, I went to the Muttrah Souq (market) with a group of friends. There are so many intricate items, beautiful abayas and kumas (traditional attire) and jewelry. Also- new favorite drinks: lemon mint juice and banana milkshakes. I could drink them for days. 

Muttrah Souq

Kumas at the Souq

The food is incredibly cheap here. A local restaurant (a favorite), “Tarboush” has lebanese food. 10 pieces of falafel for half a riyal (about $2.30). Shwarma for $1.5 riyals. While some items are more expensive (foreign products especially), the food is super affordable. We are provided lunch at the World Learning Center, and each week has a different theme. Last week was Turkish food all week, this week is Zanzibari. 

Watched an Omani movie, filmed near Muscat. Somewhat of a soap opera. In the film, there was a woman who was adored by a number of men throughout the village. And you know what? She wasn’t a size zero. She wasn’t thin at all. Yes she was gorgeous and looked great, but she didn’t need to be the size of a model in order to be considered in such a way. Quite refreshing. 

The women are incredibly protected here. That is the idea behind the covering of women. Women wear abayas (cloaks) and hijabs (head scarves), thus, merely their face and hands show. The abayas are black, yet the more expensive ones have designs, often along the wrists and on the hijabs. Yet, the men also cover. The men where dishdashas, which cover just as much from the neck down. They also were “kumas” or caps. These articles of clothing are loose and protect wearers from the sun. Women wear black and men white. This is based on tradition. In the past, women were frequently taken hostage in wars between tribes. Thus, women could only go out at night, and would wear black to blend in. Men would wear white because they were outside during the day, and thus needed to wear a light color in the sun. The covering of women and seclusion of women in the household is based on protection. To this day, men will not refer to another man’s wife. They will never ask one another how she is, and if a man sees his friend with his wife, he will often pretend not to see the man, in order to avoid meeting with the wife. While women are educated, are often in the workforce, and can even serve in the government, there is still a strong level of gender based segregation. 

Fish Market

The Beach

Forts

Thursday, (our Saturday), was a ton of fun. My friend Greg and I went to Muttrah (downtown). We explored a fish market (not a classic tourist destination) where we saw living fish, manatees, etc., being sliced. Then we walked through the souq, waded in the water, and climbed up to the top of a Portuguese fort. There are TONS of forts in Muttrah, left from the Age of Exploration when the Portuguese colonized Oman. We then took a taxi to a beach, but then discovered that the beach was not open to the public. Next, as hitchhikers, we were picked up by a British businessman who took us to the beach he was heading towards for diving. It was some private resort for foreigners and (say it aint so) there were even women wearing bikinis. Almost a (not necessarily needed) escape from Omani culture. We swam for hours, easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The gulf water was like a heated pool. In the evening, we walked around a little neighborhood and got to see the Sultan’s palace. Then, got dinner and delicious banana shakes, and returned. As we were heading back, there was a screen reading the time and temperature. It seemed as if it had cooled off. The sign however read “40 degrees.” Celsius. That’s 104 Fahrenheit. We had somewhat acclimated. 

Friday: Homework, homework, homework. Sleeping, Gym, studying. 

Also, me and my friend Liv decided we wanted to move on faster, so we got moved to a higher level and have been racing to catch up. Inshallah I might be able to move into 3rd year arabic for the fall.