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.