Yes, Omanis love Mountain Dew more than Americans. And honestly, I don't blame them! There's is sweeter and much less fizzy, which is overall much better I assure you. I've been in Muscat for four days now, but it would be impossible to account for all the experienced I've had, so instead I'll make a list of different things I've learned and experienced.
1. The mangos here are soooo good. It's mango season, so it's a common treat Alhamdulillah!
2. My host sister did my makeup! Omanis love makeup.. My sisters took me to a movie after the afternoon nap and they woke us up like two hours in advance to get ready!
3. I have fallen in love with Um Ali, which is this bread pudding with pistachios and cardamom and all sorts of yumminess. Sorry I keep talking about food, I can't help it!
4. Arabic is hard. It has sounds that don't exist in English, and more letters for the sounds they do have. And the letters change depending on where they are in the word. And they don't write short vowels but you're expected to pronounce them and know what they are and where. It's hard..
5. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO THANKFUL FOR AIR CONDITIONING. It's over 100 even in the middle of the night
6. I have never met people as competitive in Snakes and Ladders as my host family..
7. My host dad continually nonchalantly tells the coolest stories. He builds yachts for the Sultan and owns a company that oversees American military presence in Oman, so he's always doing cool stuff. Like fishing with George Bush. Or chilling with Michael Jackson. Or Tony Blair. Or Hosni Mubarak. Or the king of Sweden. Or the prime minister of Syria. Oh, not to mention Nelson Mandela. Just to name a few..
8. Oman is such a peaceful country.. It's literally friends with everybody. Both Iran and the US, like kudos! It's called the Switzerland of the Middle East for a reason I guess..
9. Eating on the floor is harder than it looks.. They tried to teach me the comfortable way to sit, but my inner yogi is just not emerging.
10. I French braided my five year old sister Halla's hair, she's the sweetest thing. She'll talk to me for twenty minutes in Arabic and not be phased at all that I don't understand..
11. Agenda for the week: School Sunday to Thursday, a city tour and souq stop on Tuesday, then my cousins wedding to follow, then I leave on Friday for Jabal Shams, on overnight camping trip I'm the mountains of Oman so we can watch the sunrise over the mountains. Next week: dolphin watching, snorkeling, and maybe some studying in there..
12. People believe that if people are jealous of them, it's unlucky. So if you compliment someone on something, they'll probably try to give it to you so you won't be jealous. The fix? Masha'allah, which you say after compliments to show admiration rather than jealousy.
Anyways, there's sooo much more but it would take hours! If you have questions about anything, email, Facebook, whatever! Ma Salama!
Thanks for sharing all this Sarah, its almost as exciting to read as experience! We will have to try to replicate Um Ali when you get home, sounds delicious. I'm intrigued by the mangos. Why mangos? And Mountain Dew? Who knew? It all sounds wonderful, and you are so fortunate to experience it with such a welcoming family.
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