20 November 2010
26 October 2010
English Cafe'
Every fortnight the University of Nizwa hosts an event called the English Cafe'.
It is a time when students and faculty and others come together and only English is spoken there. It is a good opportunity for the students to practice their English.
They serve coffee and tea and put on some sort of a skit or show and a slideshow. There are questions proposed and time for discussion. Last nights topic was about friendship.
Before it began, I met the wife of another teacher here. She is from NY & pregnant with their first child. We had a good time talking about birth-n-babies. That was fun for me, as I never tire of that topic.
The event takes place outside and there are tables & chairs set up.
The kids were able to run around & were totally safe. There was only 1 other baby there.
The students love children! They get heaps of attention on campus. Our friend Conor said that if Rob & I ever wanted some child-free time, we could just drop our 3 off at the Uni & come back in....a week or so! We actually probably could & they would be perfectly safe & adored.
My girls have become good friends with several of the students and it was great getting to see them.
We sat at a table with Fatma. Although Noah was mingling with a table of pretty girls most of the evening.
Camilla volunteered to help with an activity on stage. She was adorable.
She had to stick her hand in a bucket of ice to try to find a 50 baisa coin. She came out with a very cold/wet hand but no coin. After a lot of applause, they handed her a coin anyway.
Conor volunteered as well & he didn't get a coin either---but they didn't give him one.
We look forward to attending the next English cafe' in 2 weeks where the discussion will be environmental issues. I hope littering is brought up. It is out of hand here. We need to start a campaign to clean up Oman!
It is a time when students and faculty and others come together and only English is spoken there. It is a good opportunity for the students to practice their English.
They serve coffee and tea and put on some sort of a skit or show and a slideshow. There are questions proposed and time for discussion. Last nights topic was about friendship.
Before it began, I met the wife of another teacher here. She is from NY & pregnant with their first child. We had a good time talking about birth-n-babies. That was fun for me, as I never tire of that topic.
The event takes place outside and there are tables & chairs set up.
The kids were able to run around & were totally safe. There was only 1 other baby there.
The students love children! They get heaps of attention on campus. Our friend Conor said that if Rob & I ever wanted some child-free time, we could just drop our 3 off at the Uni & come back in....a week or so! We actually probably could & they would be perfectly safe & adored.
My girls have become good friends with several of the students and it was great getting to see them.
We sat at a table with Fatma. Although Noah was mingling with a table of pretty girls most of the evening.
Camilla volunteered to help with an activity on stage. She was adorable.
She had to stick her hand in a bucket of ice to try to find a 50 baisa coin. She came out with a very cold/wet hand but no coin. After a lot of applause, they handed her a coin anyway.
Conor volunteered as well & he didn't get a coin either---but they didn't give him one.
We look forward to attending the next English cafe' in 2 weeks where the discussion will be environmental issues. I hope littering is brought up. It is out of hand here. We need to start a campaign to clean up Oman!
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| Constant attention from the students |
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| The lovely mosque on campus |
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| Noah makes friends with Sayid (sp?), a Bedouin student. |
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| Charming Noah... |
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| Camilla on stage. |
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| Conor entertaining the crowd. |
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| Mira & Camilla with Fatma & Ahlam, special friends. |
21 October 2010
How this "toy" got placed in the kid's section of Khimji's Mart, I do not know!!!
LOL!!!
Um, this isn't Spencer's!!!
Wow, & ooooopppppssss!
19 October 2010
People watchin' from the carpark
Noah fell asleep in the car on our way to Khimji's Mart (our local grocery store) so I stayed in the car with him while Rob took the girls in to do some shopping.
People watching in Nizwa is never dull. I can't help but constantly say to myself, "I live here!" It is just sooooo different.
The majority of the traffic in & out is Omani men in dishdashas and Omani women in abayas; usually quite a few children too.
There are many Indians & Pakistani too living in Nizwa.
So, the "whiteys" (totally being silly here saying that) really do stand out. Out of respect of the culture & to avoid anymore attention than you already get, most white women wear modest clothing in public. Arms covered, long skirts or pants...no head coverings but some do. I have my standard uniform: an ankle length skirt & a light weight long sleeved shirt & sandals.
As I am people watching I see a very out of place tourist. She is wearing a tight red tank top with white bra straps hanging out. Scandalous! Definitely not something you see here every day.
Didn't she read her Oman guide book prior to visiting here?!
Seriously, not cool around these parts but Westerners are often forgiven for their faux pas.
The car parked right next to me had an Omani lady & her very young, less than 1 yr old, child on her lap waiting for her husband to come out of the store.
She was loving on her son & kissing him & he was giggling (I could see this but not hear it) & then she made eye contact with me and could see that I was taking it all in, the beautiful interaction between her & her son.
We smiled at each other. And the look we exchanged was nothing more than "awwwww, sweet baby".
Then she had him blow kisses & wave at me & it was so precious. A Mother's love & pride...♥ universal...
People watching in Nizwa is never dull. I can't help but constantly say to myself, "I live here!" It is just sooooo different.
The majority of the traffic in & out is Omani men in dishdashas and Omani women in abayas; usually quite a few children too.
There are many Indians & Pakistani too living in Nizwa.
So, the "whiteys" (totally being silly here saying that) really do stand out. Out of respect of the culture & to avoid anymore attention than you already get, most white women wear modest clothing in public. Arms covered, long skirts or pants...no head coverings but some do. I have my standard uniform: an ankle length skirt & a light weight long sleeved shirt & sandals.
As I am people watching I see a very out of place tourist. She is wearing a tight red tank top with white bra straps hanging out. Scandalous! Definitely not something you see here every day.
Didn't she read her Oman guide book prior to visiting here?!
Seriously, not cool around these parts but Westerners are often forgiven for their faux pas.
The car parked right next to me had an Omani lady & her very young, less than 1 yr old, child on her lap waiting for her husband to come out of the store.
She was loving on her son & kissing him & he was giggling (I could see this but not hear it) & then she made eye contact with me and could see that I was taking it all in, the beautiful interaction between her & her son.
We smiled at each other. And the look we exchanged was nothing more than "awwwww, sweet baby".
Then she had him blow kisses & wave at me & it was so precious. A Mother's love & pride...♥ universal...
18 October 2010
What IS this???
A chicken? Some sort of a turkey??
It was just walking down the street at dusk yesterday---rather big too.
03 October 2010
Frankincense: not just a gift for Jesus
I love how frankincense seems to clean the air.
We burn it frequently around here and I find myself craving the scent.
Coming from the Boswellia tree, Frankincense comes in many grades. The highest quality to most Omanis is silver but most westerners feel that hojari smells better. This probably has something to do with the climate in which it is burnt.
We brought a lot of frankincense back to the USA to give to friends and family and I think the majority enjoyed it. Imagine me dividing it up from a large bag into many little baggies. It looks a bit dodgy.
A lot of people said it reminded them of church. And for those that don't like incense anyway, this was probably way too strong for their liking.
18 September 2010
Henna (by Mira)
Henna is a plant. It is a thick green paste that women wear to keep themselves cool in the summer.
Women can get it on their feet too. You put on the green paste and let it dry for 1 hour until it is all light green and then you wash it off and it will be orange. the next day it will be a brownish redish color.
Henna depends on the heat of your body. you know how the palm of your hand is always sweaty? well it will be brighter on your palm than any where else.
written by Mira age 9
new henna that our nehbiors did for Camilla and me.
14 September 2010
Sorry about the blog hiatus
A few reasons:
--Having fingernail problems due to a HUGE mistake of getting fake nails put on in the USA...this makes typing not a whole lot of fun. (never again...)
--I have been trying to think of something interesting to blog about. I want to write about things that my readers want to read. I hate being mundane or redundant so I have been brain storming. I can see why photo blogs are much easier for daily updates. Too bad I am not a stellar photographer.
--I have been living life. Trying to stay away from the computer more. It is such a time sucker for me. I need to learn moderation.
--It is Eid holiday & Rob is off work for the week ( & I am giving the girls a break from school as well) so we have been enjoying more family time.
I will try to write something substantial soon but until then...while you are enjoying your many flavors of delicious ice cream, know that THIS ain't no Blue Bell!!!!
--Having fingernail problems due to a HUGE mistake of getting fake nails put on in the USA...this makes typing not a whole lot of fun. (never again...)
--I have been trying to think of something interesting to blog about. I want to write about things that my readers want to read. I hate being mundane or redundant so I have been brain storming. I can see why photo blogs are much easier for daily updates. Too bad I am not a stellar photographer.
--I have been living life. Trying to stay away from the computer more. It is such a time sucker for me. I need to learn moderation.
--It is Eid holiday & Rob is off work for the week ( & I am giving the girls a break from school as well) so we have been enjoying more family time.
I will try to write something substantial soon but until then...while you are enjoying your many flavors of delicious ice cream, know that THIS ain't no Blue Bell!!!!
08 September 2010
it is hard living in 3 countries at the same time
Last night my little sister Camilla was crying because she missed her kindergarten friends (in new zealand) and i was sad too because i missed my friend Olivia. I like seeing new places but i also miss my friends. We get to go places other kids don't get to go but it is hard because we have friends in Oman, the USA and New Zealand.
We wish everybody could be in the same country.
Written by Mira age 9.
07 September 2010
How I awoke today
By SWEATING.
Lovely.
The power had gone out. Not sure when & no reason why. It heats up pretty quick around here & having no A/C is not much fun at all.
Fortunately it came back on within a couple hours just when I was about to lose my mind.
And it wasn't like we could take cold showers to cool off (see a post a few weeks ago re the hot tap water).
Current temp in Nizwa is 34 C or 93 F & it is not quite noon yet.
Gonna be another hot one!
Lovely.
The power had gone out. Not sure when & no reason why. It heats up pretty quick around here & having no A/C is not much fun at all.
Fortunately it came back on within a couple hours just when I was about to lose my mind.
And it wasn't like we could take cold showers to cool off (see a post a few weeks ago re the hot tap water).
Current temp in Nizwa is 34 C or 93 F & it is not quite noon yet.
Gonna be another hot one!
05 September 2010
03 September 2010
01 September 2010
I sure would like to see some more fat lizards right about now
Our washing machine is located outside in a little shed-like thingy. Which makes it handy for line drying. And line drying rules, especially here...it takes about 5 seconds to dry a load of clothes!
I just went out to check on the load going & as I went to lift the handle up to open it, the BIGGEST and I do mean passport-sized (that is the closest thing in front of me to compare it to) spider crawled out. I almost touched it!!!! It was on top of the machine. I jumped back & he was gooone. Nimble & quick. Aren't they supposed to be clumsy the bigger they are?!
So now, he is gone. Where to? Trying to find a way into our house? Into my bed???
I told Rob via gmail chat & his response:
i imagine he is probably emailing the same thing to his wife right now "you should have seen this human, she was huge, it freaked me out man! i'm not going back to the laundry machine, no friggin' way. Those humans are scary"
I wish I had gotten a photo. That was my 2nd thought. The 1st one being "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I just went out to check on the load going & as I went to lift the handle up to open it, the BIGGEST and I do mean passport-sized (that is the closest thing in front of me to compare it to) spider crawled out. I almost touched it!!!! It was on top of the machine. I jumped back & he was gooone. Nimble & quick. Aren't they supposed to be clumsy the bigger they are?!
So now, he is gone. Where to? Trying to find a way into our house? Into my bed???
I told Rob via gmail chat & his response:
i imagine he is probably emailing the same thing to his wife right now "you should have seen this human, she was huge, it freaked me out man! i'm not going back to the laundry machine, no friggin' way. Those humans are scary"
I wish I had gotten a photo. That was my 2nd thought. The 1st one being "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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