Jebel Akdar

This weekend we went camping up to an area known as "Green Mountain" or Jebel Akdar. It was wonderful to escape the heat in Muscat and camp at around 2000 meters. This is our fourth trip up to this plateau, but the first time we have ever camped with so many people. There were a total of 10 families and 41 people that we went with! It was a little crazy, but for the most part the 21 children exhausted themselves by playing from the moment we arrived until the sun went down.

Taj and Mia did there best to keep up with all the big kids. After trying to keep up with the 5 and 6 year-olds, Taj quickly fell back to the old stand-bye - playing with his cars in the dirt. He also discovered the excitement of climbing trees. He spent hours pushing himself to climb up the large Juniper and Olive Trees that are present in the area. Mia has been getting over a rough cough. She was not quite herself, but took the adventure in stride trying her best to do everything her brother did, including climbing trees.

After a somewhat restful sleep, we went for a great walk along fantastic gardens built on rock terraces. The last time we were in the area, Taj was Mia's age. We even went to the same picnic spot as we did two years ago, but this time we were unable to picnic due to Ramadan. Even though the villagers are fasting and not drinking throughout the day, many were busy harvesting pomegranates and carrying them up the steep sides of the gardens.

Taj's First Day of School

Last Monday, Taj went to school for the first time. His classroom is called EC (Early Childhood) 1. There are 13 children (from 8 different countries) in his class and there are 3.5 teacher/assistants working with them. His first day of school was actually a day after the rest of the school. This was because, there was a coordinator that wanted to spend the whole first day with EC 2 and then the next with EC1.

Taj was very excited to start school. He biked the 100 meters to the school entrance, skipped to class, and was happy to be left with all the new faces and toys. Little does he know, he has just jumped through the first of many hopes offerd by education. Soon, he will be petitioning his High School Counselor trying to wiggle out of calculus.

The morning of his first day, Ellen and I were okay, but teary-eyed as we thought of our little boy growing up too fast. We had composed ourselves again until we entered school and one of our fellow teachers become all choked up as she saw us in the hallway. Every teacher we saw gave Taj high-fives, which encouraged him, but made me feel heavy with the weight of the situation. There were some sreaming kids as we entered the room and Mrs. Julie (the coordinator of both ECs) expertly shooed us out in case Taj had second thoughts. Actually her directions were probably as much for us as they were for Taj.

At 12:30, I picked Taj up and he and I talked as we headed home for lunch. He was all smiles and recounted playing with cars and trains, but could not recall any of the other children he played with:).

The second day of school seemed to start the same, but when we arrived at the classroomo, Taj looked at us and said, "I am not going in there". We had to leave him in the hall with the teachers and rush off to our own responsibilities. There were no tears and later, Mrs. Julie told us all had gone well. His third day of school is tomorrow, we shall see how this transition evolves.

Gonu

When we left Oman last June the last several roads around the city were destroyed, people's cars were washed into the sea, and the wadi behind our house was scoured free of trees and seemingly life. Cyclone Gonu had definitly left its ugly mark. Getting a flight out of Muscat was a headache. There were delays, cancellations, and the customer service desk for Gulf Air was underwater in Ruwi. However after a few days of sleep deprivations and high levels of stress, we did arrive in lush Minneosta and soon Gonu seemed like a distant memory.

Upon arriving back to Oman for our third year, we were excited to be back to the place we are most likely to call home. The familiarity of the surroundings is comforting even though it was 96 degrees and really humid. The country has done a seemingly fantastic job of reconstructing municipalities, roads, and bridges. As you drive around, there are still random destroyed cars that have not been removed from their resting places or pieces of road from villages "upstream". These monuments serve as constant reminders of the unprecedented storm that hit Oman last June. However, life goes on. Our school will open its doors next week for the students. There has even been a new gym, library, and cafeteria built over the past several months.

This year, Taj will start in the Early Childhood Program, Ellen will increase her part time status to 85%, and I will coordinate the Experiential Education Program at the school. The pace of our life has shifted with the seasons and now we are once again in work mode.

April 2006

Last weekend, we went on a wonderful camping trip in the Western Hajar Mountains. The area was relatively close, about 1 hour drive to the beginning of the dirt road. We visited a great swimming hole in a small slot canyon and then camped in a beautiful spot that allowed us to hike through another slot canyon to this beautiful little village. In the village, we were invited to have coffee and dates with a "family" (only men joined us because that's just the way it is). The road to the swimming hole and camp spot was crazy 4 wheel drive terrain. I'm surprised Taj and Mia don't have whiplash from it. But it seems like we all survived unscathed. In fact, when Greg was putting Taj to bed in the tent last night, Taj said "Daddy, I like camping".

Thailand

Thailand…just about perfect…lush mountains, tropical jungle, and pristine coastline. A place where you are atop elephants in the deep forest, amidst a zillion multicolored fish and coral under the turquoise sea, in a remote tribal village with wide-eyed villagers watching while pigs and chickens run amuck or on a serene crescent-shaped beach with waves gently lapping the shore. Thailand, where the people are friendly, united and proud to be who they are. Whether a Muslim from the south, a Buddhist from the north, or a minority from a “Hill Tribe” population, the people who we met were happy to tell us about themselves. They always had a friendly smile and a wonderful way with our children. Their enthusiasm for life is contagious. Thailand, a world of curries, exotic spices, cold Singha Beer, and delicious food: Pad Thai, banana milk shakes, Tom Yum, Red Curry and Spicy Green Papaya Salad. A delicious dinner can be had amidst vendors at a street market or barefoot on a white sandy beach, with the sand still between your toes.

We started our adventure one minute before Christmas. At 11:59 PM on December 24^th, our flight out of Muscat left. We had a brief stop in Karachi, and ended up in Thailand at 10:00 AM on the 25^th. We spent several hours walking around the new Bangkok Airport checking out the endless duty free bargains on booze, cigarettes, and chocolates. Under humid conditions, our flight south arrived in the mid afternoon. The city of Krabi was a pleasant surprise. Our hotel was located on a serene walkway along the Krabi River. From our balcony, we spent a lot of time recovering from the flight and taking in the surroundings… longtail boats negotiating the shallow water, while setting up their crab traps. Our Christmas dinner was a flavorful array of curries, spring roles, sticky rice, and Pad Thai had at an outdoor night market….cost $4.

The next day we took a ferry to the island of Ko Lanta. Known for its laid back atmosphere and lack of mass tourism, we chose Ko Lanta to be a rest between the end of the semester at school and the beginning of our adventure in Chang Mai. However, after spending one relaxing day at our bungalow, we could not wait to be going somewhere and checking out the surrounding area. Both kids fell fast asleep as we toured the island via motorcycle. We visited the old town and saw some piles of concrete footings from the tsunami two years ago. Although the area was low lying, it did not receive a lot of damage. Only one fisherman died from the village on that infamous day, but the larger tragedy was still palpable. We also took a longtail boat to a more remote island called Ko Ngai (Hi). The 40 minute trip through some small seas, although uncomfortable, was worth it. The island was the quintessential tropical paradise. Bamboo sided bungalows, coconut palms, white beaches, vibrant coral reefs, and of course amazing food. A place I could easily see spending some more time exploring.

After Ko Lanta, we took a couple of planes to get to the northern capital of Thailand…Chang Mai. We had booked a place to stay called Joy’s House and a wonderful woman with a beautiful smile named Jam picked us up from the airport. Jam is a teacher for the School for Life, an endeavor that equips orphans with valuable skills to be successful in the tourism industry. Joy’s House (www.joy’shouse.net) is basically a front for making money to help pay for the costs of the school. The people that run both the school and the “hotel” are compassionate and caring. They made us feel at home even though we were just staying a short time. Taj and Mia (especially Mia) were celebrities. It was hard keeping track of which compassionate person was currently googling over our children. On New Year’s Day, Joy’s House was visited by 5 monks. We all watched as chanting gave way to simple food donations and the promise of a productive 2007. That day, Taj also enjoyed the Chang Mai Zoo…especially the Giant Pandas. Mia really liked the elephant ride she did the following day, although she fell asleep (again).

Considering all that we were asking of them, Taj and Mia did a great job in Thailand. Mia was especially flexible and loved all the attention her big blue eyes could afford her. During our stay at Chang Mai she even impressed her hosts as she stood for the first time on her own. Taj was also a wonderful ambassador. He became friends with several people in Ko Lanta, but needed a little more prodding to get into the daily routine. He was a great eater, but has decided that spicy food is not for him. We feel so fortunate to have such understanding children.

Whenever we go and experience a new place, I am struck by the acknowledgement that the world is “small” and getting “smaller”. People are traveling, mixing, and communicating at such a growing rate, it is hard not to be concerned with local populations losing their identities. While visiting a minute village in the mountains outside of Chang Mai, we found out that the “chief’s” daughter had married an American and was now living in Hawaii. I can not imagine the turmoil this man felt as he saw his traditional way of life being pulled out from under him. However, he was happy and felt blessed…a great outlook on life and a lesson for us as the world continues to grow more complicated. Carpe Dieme and Live in the Moment.

Ramadan

October 20^th, 2006
The end of the holy month of Ramadan will soon be here. The waning crescent will signify the fasting is over in a few short days. It is interesting to contemplate what Ramadan is all about. Every Muslim in this country, the 2 million Oman citizens plus the tens of thousands of “expat” workers from Lebanon, Pakistan, etc., have all been fasting during daylight for the past 26 days. This fasting is identified as the fourth pillar of Islam and everyone above the age of 14 or so is expected to participate. Of course there are exceptions: pregnant women, breast feeding mothers, the elderly, people traveling (this exemption may have been created from the days of caravans), and the ill. However, the majority of people around us do not drink or eat from about 5:30 am until 6:00 pm. In fact it is against the law to eat or drink in public and all restaurants are closed during daylight hours. Can you imagine trying to pass that ordinance in the Twin Cities? Of course after darkness falls, most Muslims visit with friends to eat special meals until the wee hours of the morning. Then, they have to wake up before the sun rises in order to prepare for another day. The cumulative affect is a sleep-deprived and exhausted population. During Ramadan, business slows to a crawl and drivers can become a bit short-tempered on the road. Right now, most of my friends who are Muslim are counting the days until Eid. Eid signifies the end of Ramadan. Although the reason for Ramadan is to help feel empathy for the poor, become more focused on the teachings of Allah, and practice being kind and generous, Omanis are pretty excited to party during the new moon. Below is part of an e-mail Ellen sent describing an “Iftar”.

“Mia and I just returned from an all-woman Iftar. Iftar is celebrated everyday at sundown during Ramadan. Muslims fast throughout the day and at sunset they end the fast with water, dates and Laban (a funky camel-yogurt type drink). Then they pray and then they eat a yummy feast.
I had never been to an Iftar before and this was a great introduction. It was held on the roof of a small home outside of Muscat with a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the ocean. The house is also the office of a woman's cooperative. Women gather here and, among many things, they sew bags and souvenir items (some of you received these bags from us this summer!). The women get out of the house, socialize, learn a new talent, make some money and they can take English classes if they chose. Some of the women involved in the cooperative were at Iftar tonight.
It was a great cultural experience for me for so many reasons. First, Mia was my little ambassador. Everyone wanted to hold her and "love her up" so it was easy for me to initiate conversation with the women. Omanis are so friendly but they can be difficult to socialize and get to know simply because their lives are so family oriented that they don't always reach out to foreigners in a deep sort of way. Tonight was different. Even though I don't speak Arabic and many of the women had limited English we found a way to communicate and get to know a little about each other. One woman invited me to her daughters wedding next week. Another painted my hands with henna. We also had some great conversations about Ramadan.
It was a great experience - particularly because our daily lives don't seem very inclusive of the Omani culture. We live on a compound with Americans and Canadians and although our students are very international, the school day is just like a school day in the US. Tonight was a rare opportunity to share in the daily life of an Omani woman.”

Hopefully for Eid we will be traveling down the coast of Oman to camp with two other families. We will probably not be eating an entire slow roasted goat…as is customary, but rather fresh caught fish on the BBQ.

Blacktop Mountain

October 4^th, 2006

The moon continues to wax from its barely visible crescent which started Ramadan 10 days earlier. Another 17 days or so and Luna will complete its monthly progress and Eid will begin. Hopefully during Eid Al Fitr, we will be camping for a few days along the south coast of Oman. It will be a long drive, but we have not visited this remote area of Oman.

Last weekend we drove up a mountain called “Blacktop”. It was our first time that we really needed out 4WD. The mountain road was 25 km in length and took us over an hour. Taj was happy as he played a version of “Beetle Bug” with goats and sheep. The camping area was fantastic. There was nobody else in this area and the views were stunning. Taj is getting into the routine of camping. He gets excited to set up the tent, hike, collect firewood, and sleep with mommy and daddy. Mia also does well, but in a more oblivious fashion.

Since the firewood was a little scarce in our immediate area, Taj and I drove the car 300 meters down the road to search. We came across a traditionally dressed young man who was heading home for Iftar (breaking the daily fast). When we meet people like this, Taj does not see them different then us. I was being polite and offering my greetings to him. We were having trouble communicating with language, but we could both hear Taj ask repeatedly: “where the wood?” over and over. The man had no idea what he was saying and just smiled.

Around Muscat this week, the weather has definitely broken a bit. It is very pleasant both in the morning and evening. I hope it lasts!