Oman Journals 2014

I'm spending Summer 2014 in Ibri, Oman, with CLS (studying Arabic), and I intend to blog frequently throughout this journey. Feel free to follow along.

• It's Hot in Oman
• It's Still Hot in Oman.
• How We Got Here (and stuff)
• Ibri, Oman, from the Top
• The Kind Host Family 
• The Trip to Jabal Akhdar (best thing I've seen in Oman so far! I hear Salala is even better)
• Muslim Generosity During Ramadhan
• Breaking the Fast with a Local Family (aka, I'm going to cry with gratitude right now)
• Iftar at the Mosque and a Visit to a Syrian Family's House 
• What "Nikah" Actually Means in Arabic
• Iftar and Cooking with Another Generous Omani Family
• The Trip to a Falaj (a Stream) and Bat (UNESCO Heritage Site)
• The Visit to an Omani Farm (Animal and Plant)
• Th Engagement Ceremony I Attended
• My Host Family's Farm
• More Good Iftar Food
• The Last Visit to the Host Family's
• Ramadhan and Eid in Oman 
• Musandam, Oman, in Photos
• Jumping into the Water of the Gul of Oman
• The Old (Mud) Houses in Oman
• Patriarchy Insults Women and Men. Let's Get Rid of it ASAP.
• Funny Things I Heard and Observed While in Oman

To be updated frequently ...

IMPORTANT: Nothing I write is on behalf of the program that's funding my travels to here. It's all my own experiences and thoughts. I'm simply and deeply grateful to the program for this opportunity to fulfill my dreams of traveling and studying at the same time. Traveling is such a beautiful thing. It changes a person in beautiful ways; it makes one a better person - I can certainly confidently say I'm a better person today than I was yesterday. I think everyone who has the means and time to do so should travel as much as possible. And then the program's policies of fully respecting the culture, religion, rules, expectations of this country and the city we're in are also something to appreciate. There's almost no point to traveling if you're not going to respect the local rules and expectations in the process. We learn and we teach at the same time, but in my experience, I'm doing more learning than teaching, if any teaching at all, and learning has never felt better before. Alhamdulillah.