Its been a jam packed few weeks. We journeyed to the beautiful city of Nizwa, where we explored even more forts, went to a renowned souq full of pottery and khanjars (Omani daggers), and explored a small village built around the irrigation systems.
This past weekend, I spent in Salalah with Lili and Liv, and a handful of other groups of students from our program. Salalah is in the south of Oman, a chilly 12 hour overnight bus ride away from Muscat. Salalah is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful destinations in Oman. The weather is significantly colder, somewhere in the 70s, and is misty, foggy, and Mashallah, GREEN. The beaches are unsafe, as the waves are ferocious at this time of the year, but beautiful nonetheless. I tend to feel at home whenever I find myself on the beach, even when halfway across the world.
The culture of Salalah differs from that of Muscat. In Salalah, while almost the entire female population was covered, and many more cover their faces as well, the women were out and about, milling through the souq, along the beach, walking the streets. In Muscat, women tend to stay indoors, and while this is partially due to the weather, it doesn’t stop the men from venturing out.
Two surprises (in the sense that I didn’t think these were possible) were that the people were even friendlier and we got even more attention. There is not a significant expat population in Salalah like there is in Muscat, and so barley a person walked or drove by us, without staring, and the cat calls and such were unceasing. The people were incredibly friendly however in our interactions, and we were amazed at the ease with which we found ourselves in conversations with locals. Also, in Muscat, partly due to the expat community, English is much more widespread. Often, people constantly insist on speaking to us in english, even if we repeatedly reply in Arabic. In Salalah, we were able to naturally chatter away with locals in Arabic. We also barely had to negotiate at the souq or with taxi drivers. They didn’t jack up the prices exponentially for foreigners as they do in Muscat. They would offer us relatively reasonable, but still negotiable prices, from the beginning. I am sure that our ability to communicate in Arabic helped.
Another note on the appearance of women in Salalah. In the Middle East, there is a market for facial creams that make a woman’s skin lighter, or rather, whiter. In Salalah, it was much more common to see women whose faces were washed out and clearly had used some cream of this sort. The style of drawing in distinct, dramatic, black eyebrows over one’s eyes was popular as well.
We had a pretty sketchy taxi driver, who tried to offer Liv pills for the “head ache” he seemed to think she had, wanted to pull over at a small shop on a deserted road to enjoy some tea, and offered to take us to the mountains the following day. Chances are, he was just being hospitable, yet it based on our culturally shaped instincts, we were pretty freaked out. In regards to such interactions in Salalah, one of our Omani male friends was distressed. He said he felt so ashamed of his people for treating women like this, for talking to them like this. These instances were rare, not at all usual. However, while in Oman there is more gender segregation, the respect shown towards women is incredible. In Cairo, women are often free to roam the streets and have a slightly elevated degree of independence, however men take to constantly harassing women in the streets, without provocation, no matter how conservatively she is dressed. In Oman, women are shown the utmost respect, such behavior isn’t tolerated. While men will occasionally push the limits with foreign women, as a general rule, men are very respectful.
Recently, I have had more encounters with men regarding me and any friends inappropriately. Another taxi driver asked Liv and I if we would marry him, and later if we liked to drink alcohol (remember alcohol is forbidden in Muslim law). In the airport in Salalah, two men asked us all about our program, and then asked if they could see us and spend time with us in Muscat (both were at least 45 years old). I had assumed that as we assimilated into the culture, as our arabic improved, as we navigated Oman with more assurance, we would be respected more. Rather, it seems, that such confidence makes us seem more approachable, and thus it has brought on more inappropriate attention.
As I said before, there is this assumption that Western women are easy. And with this in mind, it is absolutely sickening when we are treated in such a way.
On a lighter note, I picked up a copy of Cosmo’s Middle East edition. As you would imagine, the magazine is radically different. The fashion, beauty etc. articles are similar, although middle eastern readers stories are included in the “Your Juiciest Secrets” section (about as juicy as Seventeen magazine would get, not quite classic Cosmo), and middle eastern women and their feedback are featured throughout the magazine.
One of my favorite quotes (on interviewing men): “One guy takes a shirtless shower. And we were there with the camera!” (Shirtless? In the shower? Whaaaaat? Men baring their chests for Cosmo, SCANDAL).
It gets pretty racy in the “Love and Lust” section, where the following topics are addressed: how to make your man commit, what type of girlfriend are you?, petty fights, and.... “His 9pm Cravings”- such as “low-key physical attention” and a “great scalp massage.”
And tips for achieving pleasure? wearing “happy” colors, listening to uplifting songs such as “Don’t Stop Believing,” massaging a pressure point in the center of your hand, and hugging your friends more frequently.
I couldn’t find the word sex once. Well played Cosmo, keeping it munasib.
 |
| At the Souq in Nizwa |
This past weekend, I spent in Salalah with Lili and Liv, and a handful of other groups of students from our program. Salalah is in the south of Oman, a chilly 12 hour overnight bus ride away from Muscat. Salalah is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful destinations in Oman. The weather is significantly colder, somewhere in the 70s, and is misty, foggy, and Mashallah, GREEN. The beaches are unsafe, as the waves are ferocious at this time of the year, but beautiful nonetheless. I tend to feel at home whenever I find myself on the beach, even when halfway across the world.
 |
| Fruit Stalls in Salalah |
The culture of Salalah differs from that of Muscat. In Salalah, while almost the entire female population was covered, and many more cover their faces as well, the women were out and about, milling through the souq, along the beach, walking the streets. In Muscat, women tend to stay indoors, and while this is partially due to the weather, it doesn’t stop the men from venturing out.
Two surprises (in the sense that I didn’t think these were possible) were that the people were even friendlier and we got even more attention. There is not a significant expat population in Salalah like there is in Muscat, and so barley a person walked or drove by us, without staring, and the cat calls and such were unceasing. The people were incredibly friendly however in our interactions, and we were amazed at the ease with which we found ourselves in conversations with locals. Also, in Muscat, partly due to the expat community, English is much more widespread. Often, people constantly insist on speaking to us in english, even if we repeatedly reply in Arabic. In Salalah, we were able to naturally chatter away with locals in Arabic. We also barely had to negotiate at the souq or with taxi drivers. They didn’t jack up the prices exponentially for foreigners as they do in Muscat. They would offer us relatively reasonable, but still negotiable prices, from the beginning. I am sure that our ability to communicate in Arabic helped.
 |
| Frankincense (below) and frankincense burners (above) |
Another note on the appearance of women in Salalah. In the Middle East, there is a market for facial creams that make a woman’s skin lighter, or rather, whiter. In Salalah, it was much more common to see women whose faces were washed out and clearly had used some cream of this sort. The style of drawing in distinct, dramatic, black eyebrows over one’s eyes was popular as well.
We had a pretty sketchy taxi driver, who tried to offer Liv pills for the “head ache” he seemed to think she had, wanted to pull over at a small shop on a deserted road to enjoy some tea, and offered to take us to the mountains the following day. Chances are, he was just being hospitable, yet it based on our culturally shaped instincts, we were pretty freaked out. In regards to such interactions in Salalah, one of our Omani male friends was distressed. He said he felt so ashamed of his people for treating women like this, for talking to them like this. These instances were rare, not at all usual. However, while in Oman there is more gender segregation, the respect shown towards women is incredible. In Cairo, women are often free to roam the streets and have a slightly elevated degree of independence, however men take to constantly harassing women in the streets, without provocation, no matter how conservatively she is dressed. In Oman, women are shown the utmost respect, such behavior isn’t tolerated. While men will occasionally push the limits with foreign women, as a general rule, men are very respectful.
 |
| A concert showcasing traditional dance styles, which we stumbled upon while exploring Salalah |
Recently, I have had more encounters with men regarding me and any friends inappropriately. Another taxi driver asked Liv and I if we would marry him, and later if we liked to drink alcohol (remember alcohol is forbidden in Muslim law). In the airport in Salalah, two men asked us all about our program, and then asked if they could see us and spend time with us in Muscat (both were at least 45 years old). I had assumed that as we assimilated into the culture, as our arabic improved, as we navigated Oman with more assurance, we would be respected more. Rather, it seems, that such confidence makes us seem more approachable, and thus it has brought on more inappropriate attention.
As I said before, there is this assumption that Western women are easy. And with this in mind, it is absolutely sickening when we are treated in such a way.
On a lighter note, I picked up a copy of Cosmo’s Middle East edition. As you would imagine, the magazine is radically different. The fashion, beauty etc. articles are similar, although middle eastern readers stories are included in the “Your Juiciest Secrets” section (about as juicy as Seventeen magazine would get, not quite classic Cosmo), and middle eastern women and their feedback are featured throughout the magazine.
One of my favorite quotes (on interviewing men): “One guy takes a shirtless shower. And we were there with the camera!” (Shirtless? In the shower? Whaaaaat? Men baring their chests for Cosmo, SCANDAL).
It gets pretty racy in the “Love and Lust” section, where the following topics are addressed: how to make your man commit, what type of girlfriend are you?, petty fights, and.... “His 9pm Cravings”- such as “low-key physical attention” and a “great scalp massage.”
And tips for achieving pleasure? wearing “happy” colors, listening to uplifting songs such as “Don’t Stop Believing,” massaging a pressure point in the center of your hand, and hugging your friends more frequently.
I couldn’t find the word sex once. Well played Cosmo, keeping it munasib.
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