Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the idea of living.
-Miriam Beard
With an infinite number of excuses for not putting another blog entry up we will simply say “Inshallah”. That meaning will become clearer, later.
In the time since our first entry we have been trying to get firmly set up here. Of all the day to day elements that make up living in a new place we had to buy a vehicle. We finally decided on a KIA Sportage (aka the cheapest 4WD in this market) and have taken it off-roading already – the front of our house is a bumpy desert so we’re counting that as “off roading” for now. I have a strong suspicion that this truck is going to find its way up a Sand dune in the very near future.
Through the effort to buy this vehicle we came to learn a word synonymous with the Middle East, “Inshallah” it means literally “god willing”. But in business it means, “Someday but not today”. Nice. For instance the bank had our wire come in and called me each day telling me to come in to pick it up but to no avail. Each day I spent an hour in the office waiting until I heard these responses on separate days: “I thought you were someone else (he honestly said this.), “the main computers are down in the main office (bull....)”, “there has been a power outage in Ruwi "– the East Indian part of town (now, I have no idea how this effects a money wire from Canada but apparently it does), and finally, “we don’t have enough money right now” (sweet). Eventually the excuses ran out and the money was ours…..Inshallah.
Of course we started our time spent funding our adventures here by dealing with students to the steady ringing of bells. Our “international school” has over 33 countries represented in the middle school – most prominent are North American, Omanis, Nigerians, Koreans, Lebanese, other Gulf countries, and the Danes. The classes are small, the kids are very pleasant and the staff is extremely positive and active. Tina is doing very well in her new position and has started dispensing black market drugs to students and teachers as a “side income”. (Just kidding). In addition, she has mastered the art of photocopying, can file with the best of them and has officially destroyed her first color printer. A natural.
After an evening at the US Ambassadors house drinking on the US tax payer we took off with an Aussie couple and headed 2 hours into the interior. Through the rocky hills we came to a flat palm oasis where the former capital of Nizwa sits. We toured the fort and old market place where Bedouin caravans would bring their goods to trade after their venture through the Arabian sands. The next morning the Bedouin ladies hit the goat market and haggle rather viciously over the use of some of Nizwa's finest on four legs. As our goat quota is full we didn’t stick around to haggle.
Getting out to the East Coast has given us a chance to get out of the city-life, see our first camels, hang out with the goats and soak in the crystal clear water and empty beaches. In an effort to do some recognisance work for all visitors planning on coming (this is my recruiting pitch) we have found 2 beautiful locations less than an hour from our place where you can spend the day in warm surf and empty beaches.
As a final piece to our blog I must describe a truly bizarre part of life as an expat in Oman. This is a staunchly Islamic nation and drinking is illegal….sort of. As an expat you are allowed to purchase a “liquor licence” that allows you to spend 10% of your monthly wage per month on alcohol. So we went down to an unmarked building in the Indian part of town and got these passport books as ID’s that they fill in each time we get alcohol. There are three main shops that people know of – they have no windows and have names like “African Eastern” “Hamid Import and Trading Co.”, and make no claims of alcohol. Inside is reasonably priced fun. It is illegal for anyone from a nation where alcohol is prohibited. Another reason I love the Great White North.
Thanks for taking the time to read or comment, we love sitting around our dial-up computer and reading messages from home. We will write sooner this time and will get more pictures up…….Inshallah.
