Musandam, Oman

Wow! It has been over a month since I have updated my blog. How sad:( Part of what I have been going through the past month is called "culture shock" to some, others "homesickness", and to many stress transitioning to life in the Middle East. They say it gets better with time. Some say, it takes a year, others two but all I know is that this past month has been one hell of a ride!

To get out of myself (and the classroom) I was chosen to be one of the chaperones for the four day trip to Musandam, Oman. There were 32 high school girls, three other teachers, and myself. Since most people do not even know where the country of Oman is, I have included a map. If you follow the UAE coastline northeast, there is a peninsula called the Musandam Peninsula. Let me tell you folks, it was breathtaking. I always dreamed of white sandy beaches, and green-blue water and there it was right in front of my eyes!

Day One:
We left our school in Dubai at 7 am. After packing a breakfast, lunch and all of the required gear on the packing list, we all got onto a really nice tour bus and headed out. As my co-worker Pat said to me, "all you have to do is get on the bus". I had been so stressed and overworked, I could hardly wait to get out of my routine and enjoy a little fun. We stopped at a beach right before the UAE/Oman border and ate lunch, thought that we'd wade our toes in the beautiful water. Well our cute little pedicured feet had tar stains all over them which we quickly learned (thanks to Julie) that only an oil based product such as sunscreen will remove. Moreover, the staff met us and we arrived at the accommodations. The staff consisted of four people: Ian (a Scot), Jane (the boss, a Brit), Gemma (a Brit) and Courtney (an American). The staff were so nice throughout the entire trip. They took us first to a museum which I enjoyed. Being an history teacher, I love all that nerdy information on the area and the founding people. The museum I speak of and the town is called Khasab. Nice little town. In the museum, I enjoyed learning about all of the native Omanis and how they live(d). I also learned, interestingly enough, that the mountains shooting up into the skyline are formed by the earth's plates which are essentially pushing the Musandam peninsula into Iran (which is across the Strait of Hormuz). My question was, is it "global warming" that is causing the sea level to rise or is it the plates below the earth surface that are maybe pushing the land forming mountains and sea levels to change? I guess I'll never be able to find that one out.

The most interesting thing of all was observing the Omani people. Khasab is a simple town with very few shops or commercialized things. Lots of little boys running around without shoes, playing soccer and I even saw one little boy beating up another little boy. So where are all of the woman you ask? Well, that was our question! I guess, in part, it is part of the local culture. Women tend to stay home and remain indoors. We did see a few after a while but it was mostly men (trying to stare through the tinted windows to see our beautiful girls). Khasab was not a dangerous place though. The hotel was very modest but got the job done. I saw a few Europeans and what looked like an American family from the midwest (they were so pale:)). It was fun to see a small town and observe the culture. I have been in Dubai which remains such an odd city that is trying so desperately to be modern and unfortunately the only place where I see locals is at the mall.

Day Two:
Every morning we awoke at 7am which believe it or not is sleeping in for us teachers. The staff hires the hotel to feed us and the buffet was quite nice! The first day we rode mountain bikes in the morning and kayaked in the afternoon. I loved every minute of it. I would really like to purchase a bike but we'll see. There are some great parks here where you can ride your bikes because unfortunately the people drive so crazy in Dubai that it is not a pedestrian/biker friendly city. So as you can imagine, after two days of activities, the girls and teachers were quite tired.

Day Three:
This was our second day of fun filled activities. In the morning, my group went on the navigation trip. The girls shared GPS systems and went on a scavenger hunt. We were actually walking around through a wadi (a dry valley that stores water when it rains). It was fun! The real challenge came in the afternoon during rock climbing. Quite honestly, I doubted that several of our little divas would even get on the mountain in a harness with a helmet let alone climb up the wall! I was so proud in the end seeing every single girl climb to the top! Now the climbs were not lacking any drama, whining, and tantrums but Ian who had us on the harness or coached us up the mountains was really spectacular and all of the girls climbing it in the end!

Day Four:
The last day in Oman (Friday) was incredible and probably most people's favorite. The crew took us all out on a dhow (traditional Arab sailing vessel). As we headed out around the bend, dolphins swam along our boat. It was so amazing. I had never seen dolphins and was like a kid again. Then we swam. The warm, refreshing water was stunning. I even strapped on a snorkeling mask and mouthpiece for the first time (as did many of the girls) and saw all of the fish below the surface. What a trip! It was so much fun!

All in all, it is amazing how many lessons you can learn outside of the classroom. I learned that even girls who pack two suitcases full of candy, who sleep on Dior pillows and wear expensive work-out clothes can climb walls, kayak and swim with the fish. It was not only relieving to get away from my routine but also fantastic to get to know some of the students I do not have in class, bond with my co-workers and see a fascinating new country that I cannot wait to visit again someday!