A Look Back

The last days I´ve spent a lot of time on finding old pictures and getting them all together in this 4 minute video. This is going to be my last post on this blog, so enjoy the video, illustrating my life in Oman. A picture is worth a thousand words, isn´t it?

What happens to you when moving to a foreign country?

All over the world, expatriates are huddled together in restaurants and bars talking about their homeland and the experience of leaving. All these people that are gathered usually do not come from one country, they represent multiple. France, Sweden, the US, Norway, India, Denmark, Canada, Australia etc. The warm, but nostalgic chat goes on and on about life in this new country, and what a beautiful life they are all living. Moreover, that is far from the only subject they are talking about.

Something else that lingers between all of them is fear. First, fear of fitting in, of finding new friends. Fear of the unknown, a new culture, a new language, a new country. At some point, this fear ebbs out, but then another fear hits you. The fear of “What am I missing?” Another birthday party, family gathering, your niece growing up, people getting married. You realize that life goes on without you. People change, they have become different people, and so have you.

There is no denying that this change takes place. Living in another country will fundamentally change you and widen your mental horizon. You take on qualities from the people around you, good and bad, and as a result, your mannerisms, way of talking and thinking change. What is important is to remember that there is nothing wrong with that. When deciding to move, you also decide, consciously or not, to evolve and to change.

Many people move for exactly the reason of change, however, some move because they are sick of the place they are currently living in. They are fatigued of doing the same things every single day, the same people, the same restaurants where they have eaten everything on the menu. Moving to a foreign country brings along a sense of freedom. You get to escape from yourself in a way, and start all over somewhere new.

Suddenly, walking streets up and down gives a feeling of delight. Even going to the grocery store is tremendously thrilling, where you have to communicate in another language, as well as finding and trying new food. The most exhilarating thing might be meeting amazing people from different parts of the world, and before you know it, you have friends from every single continent, whom you walk on the beach with, eat lunch or celebrate New Year’s Eve with. It is almost like being a child again. You have to start everything all over, get to know new places, languages, as well as people.

Then again, there is the fear of missing out that hits you. You realize that life goes completely on without you. Most expats know one person who has lived abroad for 20 years, and cannot even imagine moving back home. Because what once was home, is not home anymore. It might still be their nationality (at least according to the passport), but not home. Life at that place has changed too much. Their new country has taken the place as their new home, and for every day that passes, you realize that you gradually become this person yourself.

It is then you understand that you will always be an expat, no matter where you are living. You will never be one person again. You will always be two distinct people, constantly longing for the other country. No matter where you live on this Earth, you will permanently miss the people you love, you will miss the nature, the culture, the language, and you will miss almost everything about the country you are not currently living in. To get on that plane has a vast price; however, I am never going to regret taking that step. 

Arabic

Arabic is the first-language of approximately 237,000,000 people worldwide. This makes Arabic the 5th most widely spoken language in the world. It is a beautiful language that I would love to learn someday, perhaps after high school. It would be amazing to be able to talk Arabic when visiting Oman and other Arab countries, and maybe the language will be quite useful in my future jobs, who knows? Anyway, as of today I´ll have to do with the basic phrases I´ve learned. The following words and phrases are in fact very useful to know when visiting an Arab country. You´ll be surprised how even a grumpy security guard ends up smiling and wishing you "good morning", simpy because you said hello in Arabic instead of saying it in English.

Greetings
As-salaam alaykum: Peace be with you (greeting)
Wa alaykum as-salaam: And peace be with you (reply)
Sabah al khair: Good morning
Sabah al noor: Good morning (response)
Misa al kayr: Good evening
Misa ah noor: good evening (response)
Marhaba: Hello
Ma´salamah: Goodbye

Kayf halek?: How are you? (to a man)
Kayf halik?: How are you? (to a woman)
Al hamdu lillah, bikhair: Fine, thanks be to God
Zain: Good

Useful words/phrases
Shu ismak?: What is your name? (to a man)
Shu ismik?: What is your name? (to a woman)
Ismi..: My name is...
Naam: Yes
La: No
Shukran: Thank you
Ahhlan wa sahlan: Welcome
Min fadlak: Please
Mafee mooskalah: No problem
Afwan: Excuse me
Yillah: Let´s go! (When dune bashing most drivers will make you shout "yillah!")

Insha´llah: God willing or at such time as God desires (This word is used as an excuse for everything)

General
Wayn: Where is
Hammam: Bathroom
Funduq: Hotel
Teksi: Taxi
Mushtashfa: Hospital
Souq: Market
Telefon: Telephone

Ma bihki arabi: I don´t speak Arabic

Arabic is a beautiful and complex language. It is difficult to learn (especially considering the fact that the phrases change based on gender), however, as mentioned, knowing a few phrases is useful when visiting Oman or another Arab country. I don´t know if I´ll ever learn to write and read Arabic, but I really want to learn how to speak the language.

Can you guess what is written at the top of the post?

A Letter To My Norwegian Grade 7 Class

Today, I decided to share a letter that I wrote to my old class back in Norway while living in Muscat, right before their Christmas break. It is a short letter, sharing a few words and pictures about what I had done the last weeks. Note, this was written in grade 7, and was originally written in Norwegian. However, I´ve translated it into English, the way I would have written it back then. 

"Hi!

We just started Winter Break here in Oman. At the moment, we are making Christmas cookies. We have bought a plastic tree and decorated it, to get a tiny feeling of it actually being Christmas. 

During the last three days of school we had Minicourses. We were placed in four different “classes”, where we did different activities throughout the day. One of mine was “Wadi hikes”. 
(Left picture: one of the peaks we climbed. Right picture: one of the Wadis.)

(Here you have to keep your balance. On the left is a hot spring, while the wadi is a couple meters below on the right side.)

I participated in Wild Wadi Games, Just Bead It and Basic Arabic as well.

I have been watching all of the European Handball Championship games online. Doing so makes it feel a bit more like Christmas, especially winning!!

We have celebrated the national day and the Sultan´s anniversary. There has been held many parades because of this. We were able to get tickets for the children parade. It was amazing.

The last week of school we had a concert.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!"

There´s still a couple months untill Christmas, moreover; I wish you a great weekend! :)

Favorite Expat Quotes

Once in a while I find quotes about living abroad and discover that some suits my feelings or thoughts about the subject right at that moment or just in general. Some bring joy, others sadness, and some are simply inspirational. Anyway, I have gathered some of my favorite expat quotes below.

“The ideal place for me is the one in which it is most natural to live as a foreigner.” - Italo Calvin

“It was when I realized I had a new nationality: I was in exile. I am an adulterous resident: when I am in one city, I am dreaming of the other. I am an exile; citizen of the country of longing.” – Suketu Mehta

“It is a bitter-sweet thing, knowing two cultures. Once you leave your birthplace nothing is ever the same.” – Sarah Turnbull

“The loneliness of the expatriate is of an odd and complicated kind, for it is inseparable from the feeling of being free, of having escaped. – Adam Gopnik

“Maybe you had to leave in order to really miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was.” – Jodi Picoult

“Life might be difficult for a while, but I would tough it out because living in a foreign country is one of those things everyone should try at least once. My understanding was that it completed a person, sanding down the rough provincial edges and transforming you into a citizen of the world.” – David Sedaris

“Splendid to arrive alone in a foreign country and feel the assault of difference. Here they are all along, busy with living; they don´t talk or look like me. The rhythm of their day is entirely different; I am a foreign.” – Frances Mayes

”I’m homesick all the time,” she said, still not looking at him “I just don’t know where home is. There’s this promise of happiness out there. I know it. I even feel it sometimes. But it’s like chasing the moon – just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon. I grieve and try to move on, but then the damn thing comes back the next night, giving me hope of catching it all over again.” – Sarah Addison Allen

“Almost every truly creative being feels alienated and expatriated in his own country.” – Lawrence Ferlinghetti

“What makes expat life so addictive is that every boring or mundane activity you experience at home is, when you move to a foreign country, suddenly transformed into an exciting adventure. When abroad, boredom, routine and ‘normal’ cease to exist. And all that’s left is the thrill and challenge of uncertainty. Try finding peanut butter in a Japanese grocery store or explaining in broken Spanish to the Guatemalan pharmacy that you new cough drops and you´ll understand. When abroad, boredom, routine and `normal` cease to exist. And all that´s left is the thrill and challenge and uncertainty.” – Reannon Muth

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

If there is one thing making me happy, sad and nostalgic at once it is these quotes. I want to go back, while at the same time skip a couple years to when I can discover the world on my own. At this moment, I even miss sitting in cramped airplane seats. I guess, that´s when you know you got to go somewhere soon, right?

The 15 Hardest Things About Moving Home After Living Abroad

1. Feeling nostalgic because of a smell, a song, a food. You end up missing little things you never thought you´d miss. I have a perfume in my closet that puts me right back in our apartment in Oman, and sometimes I have to use it just to bring a part of my “previous” life into my current everyday life. 
2.  Messing up sentences when speaking, because you can´t remember every tenth word in your mother tongue. I even used English to do math for a year and a half after moving back. So I would sit there whispering to myself “one plus one” (of course the equations weren´t that easy, but anyway) in English, even though the question and everything else around me was in Norwegian.
3. Having dreams where you´re back in your apartment, at school, hanging out with friends, then waking up and realizing those dreams are only memories, and that that chapter of your life is closed.
4. Constantly having to calculate what the time is in all the different places where your friends are living. “Why doesn´t she open my text? Oh wait she´s probably asleep!”
5.  Becoming awfully jealous when someone you know is going on vacation there, whether it is some of your friends who once lived there, or anyone else you hear of.
6. Unexpectedly remembering all the “touristy” things you didn´t do, because you always postponed it to the next week or month. You were living in the country after all, so of course you would get time to do it at some point. I have been in a bunch of places in Oman, trust me on that one, but still I can´t believe I haven´t been to Salalah and Khaluf.
7. Suddenly understanding what everyone around you is saying. You see, not being able to understand what the people next to you are saying is actually quite nice. First, because you can concentrate on the person you are talking to or whatever you´re doing. Second, it feels amazing when you actually occasionally understand a word of Arabic, or recognize what language other expats are talking.
8. Not having that ultra-special connection of being an expat anymore. The connection between the Norwegians for instance were great. Of course, even in such a situation there are people you like better than others, but you do still talk to whoever you overhear talking Norwegian. You have a common place and a culture to talk about, and then it expands from there one, because you now have two places and cultures in common. Moreover, the connection between expats from any country was special, because we were all experiencing the same country in which was different from our own.
9. Experiencing listless moments when all you want to do is look at pictures and watch a movie from your old place, just to get a tiny feeling of being back there. The thing that sucks though is that there are hardly any movies filmed in Oman. Therefore, a YouTube video or a movie from Abu Dhabi will have to do.
10.  Missing the wonderful and weird food, you got at friends´ houses. Whether you went to an Arabic family or an American friend, the food would be quite different from what you were used to. I remember eating breakfast at an American friends´ house after a sleepover. We got these thick American pancakes, and they tasted great for about five bites before they turned out to be excessively heavy. Everyone else used tons of syrup and ate two pancakes, while my Danish friend and I, eating one with nothing on top, had no idea how in the world they were able to eat all that sugar. On the other hand, if anyone now mentions hummus…! Yes, please!
11.  Everything is more expensive, and some types of food is not available in Norway. My extreme joy when discovering Raffaelos in a shop in Poland should have been on tape, because that felt just like Christmas Eve.
12. You no longer speak one language (and this is a good thing, but it happens to be annoying at times). I still find myself not remembering a Norwegian word or phrase, and end up having to say it in English. Of course this goes both ways, but I could also end up saying inshallah, which is an annoying word, meaning “if it is God´s will” or more westernized “maybe”. Omanis use it in more or less every second sentence, and it is only used as a bad explanation for not being on time or not showing up. I also found that my Norwegian accent changed, because I was surrounded by people from Denmark (and speaking some Danish myself), Sweden, and different parts of Norway more or less everyday, and of course you would speak your mother tongue when you had the chance.
13. All the goodbyes you have said, and not knowing when or if you´ll ever see someone again. The scariest part is probably acknowledging the fact that you´ll never see most of those people ever again. However, the hardest part is being away from everyone you came to love and not having any time limit on how much time will pass before seeing each other again.  
14. People are interested in hearing about your experience for about two seconds. They ask, or more precisely a few people, actually ask, what it was like, how I have been. Then, as you start answering, you can feel their attention ebbing out in seconds, because they can´t recognize themselves in anything you´re saying and they simply don´t understand. Some might try to, but most don´t even try. It is too far away from their reality. I was warned before I moved, that this would happen. Life would just keep going as always, and you would be part of that physically, but only partially mentally. I´m glad I was aware on that beforehand, but I was still disappointed that even the people closest to me didn´t ask more. In a way, to them it was like it only happened on the surface, like there was nothing more to it than the fact that I once lived in a country named Oman. However, for my part, I had never been in deeper water than this, for the good and the bad. Moreover, all people knew were the shallow water from my childhood, and the surface from Oman. How in the world, could they understand me when knowing basically nothing about something that formed a huge part of who I now am as a person? All of this, makes the longing (as mentioned) worse. The longing for people who understand, the people that were there with you. The people that have felt similar feelings, the people that you have an ultra-special connection to. The memories.
15.  It is then you understand that nothing is ever going to be the same…                                                                                                                                                                         “It is a bitter-sweet thing, knowing two cultures. Once you leave your birthplace nothing is ever the same”             – Sarah Turnbull

New Customs Or Not As An Expatriate

Every year, thousands of people move to a foreign country. Some because of a job, others because they want to explore the world, or both for that matter. Being an expat can be tough. You will face a new culture, a new language, and a new landscape. This might all sound exciting, and it is, but moving to a foreign country is not all thrilling. Many difficulties and hard decisions will arise, and one of those decisions is whether you decide to follow the customs of your new country or keep your own.

First, a significant factor in living a good life is to be yourself. Stay true to yourself. No matter what you undertake, you should not feel pushed to become someone you are not, and never think that you have to change to be accepted in your new community. For the reason that you do not have to. People will accept you as the person you are, as long as you have a respectful attitude towards them. Everyone has an outstanding identity. You are unique and should not feel like you have to change. However, being open-minded and willing to learn about other cultures has never hurt anyone.

Second, if choosing to follow the customs of your new country, then that will absolutely become a vast advantage in understanding the culture. You will get to the soul of why people live the way they do, and you might even find that you prefer this lifestyle yourself. On the other hand, you might find that this way of living is not the best for you, and it will make you appreciate your own way of living more than you did before. That goes for your country and everything in it as well. One thing is for sure, you will evolve as a person if you are open to everything and everyone surrounding you. However, following your new country`s customs might bring along a few problems.

There are certain rules in some countries that will put you in a complicated situation if you go too far in following their customs, and the other way around. Take for an instance, a male expatriate living in Oman. If he decides to live exactly like an Omani, then an arrest will probably take place for wearing a dish dash, because non-Muslims are not allowed to wear those. On the other side, a woman living in Saudi Arabia might get arrested for following her own customs, because it is mandatory to wear a burka, and she is not allowed to drive a car either. At home, they both decide how they want to live; moreover, they have to be careful in public. There are many dissimilar rules in different countries, and it is not always up to the individual to decide how to live.

All in all, there are both advantages, as well as disadvantages by following a foreign country`s customs and following your own. I believe, that every single expatriate have to decide what he or she wants. However, I preferred to follow my own customs as a general. For my part, that was important in order to stay true to myself, and it surely made me feel safer and more at home. On the other hand, nothing will ever be the same. I gained experiences, which lead to changes in my lifestyle, which means that even my customs changed. However, that was all right, because it happened over time. Moreover, as a conclusion, there is no answer to what is the best. Everyone have to take a stand for themselves, as long as you follow the rules and laws of the country, then you can live how you want. Finally, yet importantly, be respectful towards everyone always, and you will gain an experience and a memory worth a lifetime.

Do you prefer to change your customs when moving to a new country? Or do you keep your own?

The First Months

My dad moved to Muscat in December 2009 due to his job as sales and marketing manager in Jotun Oman, while my mom, sister and I moved in June 2010, because my mom had to finish her studies. A couple days after moving I remember my mom, sister and I went with a norwegian woman named Torill to pick up her daughters Kristin, who is one year older than me and her baby sister Mia. Then, we all went to a beautiful restaurant called Darcy´s Kitchen, where we ate lunch with all the norwegian TAISM students. It felt great to be a part of this norwegian expat community that fast, while at the same time feeling foreign because everyone had been at the restaurant a billion times, knowing exactly what to order, and of course writing in each others yearbooks. At least, I was now an expat just like everyone else around the table.

The next day, Torill, her girls, and Birte (another norwegian woman) picked us (my mother, sister and I) up at home. We lived in a beautiful three level house with a large balcony on the roof with seaview. However, we had to move later on because of a really bad smell from the sewage. Anyway, we drove to the souq, which is in the Muttrah, the old town. From MQ where we lived it takes about twenty minutes to drive. I remember driving past beautiful trees and flowers, taken care of by indian workers, small shops now and then, and  being astonished by the huge highways that stretches throughout the entire capital. Another thing that astonished me was that Torill, Birte and the girls all wore long jeans. Note, it was june, which means that the temperature was between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius. Of course, I wore lose pants that covered my knees, but I couldn´t understand how they could walk around with tight jeans in that temperature. The funny thing though, is that only a couple weeks later I did the exact same thing, and it was no problem at all. That feeling of gradually adapting to the culture and climate felt amazing.

In July, we went back to Norway for a few weeks, because you don´t stay in Oman during that month as an expat if you don´t have to. It is way too hot and humid. However, in August we went back. I had already visited the shool during Easter Break, but I was now officially a TAISM student. During the registration day, I spoke with the Middle School principle, whom I thought seemed very nice, which turned out to be a correct assumption. I received my calendar, bought the uniforms I needed and took the picture for the identity card. There was also some orientation for new students. It was great seeing with my own eyes that I wasn´t the only new and insecure kid. Lastly, I went to check out my locker, and tried ro understand how the lock worked, which was quite hard. Fortunately, my Language Arts teacher was in her classroom right next to my locker, so she helped me out. The rest of the afternoon was spent buying binders and other school stuff, as well as practicing on opening my lock.

The next day, my mom dropped me off at school. The walk from the car to the classroom felt awfully long. I was feeling terrified and exhilarated at the same time. Luckily, I had Language Arts during first block, which ment that Ms. Jensen, whom I met the day before, was my first teacher of the day. What a relief! I slowly opened the door to the classroom and stepped in. A few students was already seated. I spotted a table with two girls, and asked if I could join them. Phew! Then, my next worry, Physical Education next block. There was no way I could find the gym by myself. So, after repeating the same sentence in my head at least five times I dared to ask if they had PE next block as well. Then, if we please could walk together. From then on, everything went easier for every hour that passed. I spoke to more and more people, got to know the school building, passed my first tests. I went to birthday parties, hung out at the beach playing volleyball, went to the cinema.

However, it took some time. The language barrier made it hard to socialize in the same way as I would in Norway. At school and around friends I had to concentrate to understand what people were saying and  I repeated everything at least three times in my head before I dared to say it. Moreover, this as everything else improved for everyday that passed, and by Christmas I didn´t need to think when listening or speaking, it just happened. At that point I even started to forget Norwegian words. Up until then I had smiled because of what a gift it was to live in this country, and I had cried becuase I missed home. These feelings came and went even after that first Christmas, but as time went by, the smiling increased, while the crying decreased.

"16 Reasons Why Living In Muscat Ruins Life For You"

I was searching the web and checking social media, when I came across a link my previous Social Studies teacher had shared about Oman, which I found to be surprisingly true and somewhat funny. Therefore, I decided that I had to share it. Click on the link, scroll down the page and enjoy the beautiful pictures: 16 Reasons Why Living In Muscat Ruins Life For You.

I´m going to write a post about my first months in Oman one of the upcoming days. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in reading about. Have a great weekend!

The American International School of Muscat

"The American International School of Muscat (TAISM) is a private, non-profit college preparatory, co-educational day school. The school is designed to afford expatriate children of all nationalities the best possible educational program within the context of an English language, American-based curriculum," according to the TAISM Parent Handbook of 2010-2011. It also states that: "The mission of The American International School of Muscat is to pursue academic excellence for students in their international community through an American-based education that develops ethical, responsible, and globally conscious life-long learners."

Middle and high school follow a six-day schedule. Any day of the week will have a number, 1-6, indicating the schedule to be followed. The odd numbered days have the same classes, while the even days have four different classes. In seventh grade I studied language arts, english language learning, science, social studies, physical education, math, art, information technology, band, choir and drama. While, in eight grade I studied language arts, social studies, science, algebra 1, health, band, choir, physical education and spanish.

One of the highlights of the school year is the Discover Oman program. This week-long trip provides students with unique cultural, personal, interpersonal and environmental experiences by exploring our host country, the Sultanate of Oman. In February 2011 we went to Wahiba Sands, where we rode camels far into the desert and slept in bedouin tents for two nights. We even got to meet a bedouin family living in the desert. In addition, we went to a beautiful wadi, called Wadi Bani Khaled, and went to the turtle beach Tiwi, where we saw sea turtles. This trip truly strengthened the bond between students, as well as the bond to the teachers. It was an amazing trip.

Taism has a dress code that is respectful of Oman´s culture. As a girl, I had to wear the TAISM polo shirt, which was or still is, available in red, white or blue. My skirt, pants or shorts had to be dark blue or khaki, and knee-length or longer. Athletic pants were not allowed for daily wear. During PE the TAISM t-shirt and shorts for PE had to be worn. Reusable water bottles and hats were obligatory when PE classes were held outdoors. During swimming a one-piece swimsuit had to be worn. Only TAISM sweatshirts were allowed.

Middle school students were eligible to participate in after school activities. During fall season swimming and volleyball were played. I played volleyball. During winter I played soccer, and during the spring season basketball. Track and field was also a option during spring. The teams met at 15.40 most days to practice, and played against other schools once in a while. The most important school to beat was the American British Academy (ABA), that was also a tough match, no matter what sport. Playing matches was always a lot of fun, and we won quite a lot with the all-star team.

The teachers at the school were extremely passionate about teaching, and a strong bond was made between the teacher and the students. Some explanation of this bond might be the connection of everyone being expats, which is something special, but their passion and international view also made the students exceptionally interested in learning. We were graded from A to F, as well as an effort grade in each subject from Excellent to Needs Improvement. In addition, getting the Highest Honors roll was always great to keep the motivation going.

TAISM was and is an amazing school. My family and I visited last year, and we were greeted by the principals, teachers and students like we had never left. The atmosphere and the spirit of the school will always stay close to my heart. "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle."

Dinner in an Omani Home

Omanis are well known for their hospitality, as a result being invited to an Omani home equals tons of food. Upon arrival you´ll be seated on the floor around a plastic tablecloth. They will then usually serve coffee, called kahwa, which is a strong, bitter drink flavored with cardamom, and dates, called halwa. After a short while, dish after dish is placed on the floor. Rice with chicken or lamb marinated with special spices, like qabuli and djaj foug el eish, fish, seafood, hummus (dip made of chickpeas), bread and salads. The Omani cuisine borrows Asian flavors and incorporates them into typical Omani dishes, making the taste of the food unique. Then, it´s time to eat all of this food, and you are expected to eat quite a lot. After having switched sitting positions multiple times and eaten excessively much food, both delicious and unaccustomed, you are filled up and tired, but most of all feeling grateful for having this experience. However, the meal isn´t done yet. The dishes (which in no way are emptied) are at this point taken away, and soon the dessert appears. This may be lemon bars, which is a cake made of butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and lemon. Another Omani dessert is the sako, which is a sweet caramelized tapioca pudding, made of saffron, sugar, rosewater (from Jebel Al Akhdar), ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Nuts, such as pistachios or walnut, are sometimes chopped into the pudding as well. At this point, you´re more or less finished with the dinner. Furthermore, one usually stays for a little while longer just to talk, before heading home.

It is important to note that Omanis usually bring generous gifts to both the adults and the children when visiting others. Bringing a gift is in no way obligatory, but it is a way of showing gratitude, and by doing so you won´t end up feeling bad when they visit your house with beautiful gifts.

Comparing Cultures

As written previously on the blog, the modernization in Oman keeps increasing. Moreover, there are still many differences comparing the Omani and the Norwegian culture.

Factors	Oman	Norway
Family	Extended family, nuclear family	Nuclear family
Major religions	Islam (generally more religious)	Christianity
Holidays	Ramadan, Eid Fitr and Eid al Adha, New Year (Al Hijra) October 25.	Christmas, Easter
Music	Arab music	Modern European and American inspired music.
Climate	Hot and humid (often leads to hospitable people)	Cold and dry (reserved people)
Clothes	Dishdash and abaya (modern clothes under)	Different clothes, modern
Economy	Oil. Good infrastructure in the large cities, worse in rural areas, relatively good education system, not banks everywhere, corruption, on its way to become a welfare state.	Oil. Good economy, education system, infrastructure, health and so on. Welfare state.
Language	Arabic, English	Norwegian

 

First, in Oman it´s still common to live in an extended family, however, more and more people decide to live in the nuclear family, as in Norway. Men having more than one wife still happens, but that is also changing as the years go by. Second, the majority of the population in Oman are practicing Muslims. While, the majority in Norway are Christians, but a lot are only members of the Norwegian Church, not practicing Christians. Due to different religions, the two countries celebrate different holidays. Omanis celebrate Ramadan (fasting month), Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha, and New Year (Al Hijra), which is October 25. Furthermore, the music is quite different in the two countries. By listening to Omani radio channels, you´ll hear that Arab music is the most popular in the country. Norwegians, on the other hand, tend to listen to modern European and American inspired music. The climate in Oman is hot and humid, which often, according to many researchers, lead to hospitable personalities. On the contrary, the climate in Norway is cold and dry, which some people believe is the reason why Norwegians often are considered as reserved. In Oman most women wear their abayas and men their dishdashes. Most Norwegians wear all types of western clothes. Similarly, most Omani women wear modern western clothes under their abaya. The economy of Oman is quite good, particularly because of the oil. The infrastructure is excellent in the large cities, moreover, worse in rural areas, they have a relatively good education system, but not banks everywhere, corruption does happen, however Oman is on its way to become a welfare state. Norway, on the other hand is a welfare state, which has a lot to do with the oil. The official languages in Oman are Arabic and English, while in Norway Norwegian is spoken. To conclude, Oman and Norway are two very different countries in many ways, however, there are some similarities as well.

Religion

What is the main religion in Oman, and how does it affect the culture?

In Oman approximately 88% of the population are Muslims (75% Ibadi Muslims and 25% Sunni and Shia, according to snl.no) Other religious groups are Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists. However, most of these are expatriates.

Islam is a monotheistic religion. It is the youngest of the five world religions; moreover, it is the second largest in the world. The religion is currently increasing worldwide.  

Religious meetings are not allowed in private homes, and teaching is obligatory in elementary, middle and high school; however, non-Muslims may apply for exemption.                                                  

The religion affects the culture in many different ways. First, Muslims are expected to pray five times during the day. Second, it says something about how one should dress (abaya and dishdash). Third, Muslims are not allowed to eat pork, because the meat is believed to be dirty. This belief comes from a time when a dangerous parasite, called trichinella existed. According to Muslims, the pig has a bad appetite as well, it eats its own and other animal´s excrement, and due to lack of sweat glands, the pig´s sweat end up in the meat. Other animals can be eaten only if slaughtered by halal method. The religion affects society´s view on women as well. In the Quran, men are highly valued and women are supposed to serve the man. Moreover, this view has changed drastically during the last decades. Women today have the rights to an education, a lot choose to work and it is one´s own choice to wear abaya or not. However, most still do, because of old traditions. 

To conclude, Islam has a great impact on the culture of Oman; however, a gradual modernization of the country and its views has taken place during the last decades. 

Useful Information About The Country And Its People

Oman is a country that a lot of people haven´t heard of. Therefore, I decided to share some useful information about the country and its people.

Arabic is the official language in Oman. However, English is now widely spoken as well, especially when it comes to business. More or less all signs and menus are written in both Arabic and English. The official religion is Islam, where Ibadi Muslims make up the majority. Oman´s form of government, absolute monarchy is governed by Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The currency in the country is Rial (OMR).

Omanis have a reputation for hospitality, which is well deserved, because they do welcome visitors and expatriates with open arms. “We visited Oman last year, for the first time after moving back to Norway, and by the time we had landed in Muscat we had gotten so many dinner invitations from our local friends that we sadly had to turn down a few.” This really illustrates how warm and friendly most Omanis are. Those we went to served as usual traditional Omani food, with the typical ingredients, lamb, chicken or seafood, rice, dates, yogurt and spices. For example, shuwa, lamb cooked in banana peel in the ground, and hummus, a dip made of chickpeas. It is also quite usual for Omanis to bring generous gifts when visiting friends´ houses.

Oman is also distinctive among many Gulf countries for its tolerance. It`s a Muslim country steeped in tradition; however, the culture is progressive as illustrated by a modern infrastructure and acceptance of religious differences and social habits. Take for instance, the public beaches. When we moved to Oman you did not ever see a tourist relaxing on the local beach in their bikinis. Probably because they were told not to do so, and if they did they would end up with a bunch up people staring at them because of their disrespect. Only a year and a half later, we saw five to ten tourists sunbathing on the local beach every weekend and most Omanis seemed to approve of it. I even spoke to a few of my dad´s colleagues about it and they thought it was great that Muscat keeps becoming more open to Western civilization.


The religion Islam is central in the Omani culture. Five times a day the mosques chime all over the country, calling in for prayer. However, foreigners are free to practice their own
religion; there are for example a few churches in Muscat. When it comes to alcohol, it´s served in major hotels and restaurants, because Muslims, do not drink, or, they´re not supposed to drink. Moreover, a lot of them do. Especially, when their spouses are not around.

While the Omani women living in urban areas wear their abayas and those in rural areas usually wear burkas, and men their dishdashes, expats and tourists are free to wear their own clothes. However, out of respect one should cover shoulders and knees. You won´t end up in jail for not covering those body parts, but people will stare, even more than they already do because of your western looks. Especially during the month of Ramadan it`s important to be extra observant and not drink or eat in public. Because of the fasting during this month, you could legally be arrested for doing so. Even in the car, I remember we had to bend over and hide in order to eat or drink.

Today, women in Oman are not only able to drive and go out in public unescorted, they are a significant part of Oman´s workforce, and even populate Ministry and Consultative Council positions in the government. However, it hasn´t always been such a modern and tolerant country. Under Sultan Said bin Taimur, who came to power in 1932, Oman experienced decades of international isolation, a society run along feudal lines and internal rebellion. However, after deposing his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said opened up the country, embarked on economic reforms and boosted spending on health, education and welfare. He has by no doubt opened up the country. His nephew was in my class at TAISM, which in itself, by sending him to an international school, shows that the Al-Said family is concerned about a continued modernization of the country, while of course at the same time preserving its remarkable past, with its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Grand Mosque, forts, sea turtles, dolphins, wadis, wahiba sands and Khaluf.

Flooding

Posted on September 6, 2015

On Friday September 4th heavy rain caused flooding in Northern Oman. The floods claimed 4 lives, including a young boy, his brother, mother and housemaid. Furthermore, the authorities are searching for a man who went missing in the Muttrah area (video: People risking their lives in Muttrah area in Muscat). The floods caused chaos in central Muscat, and made a large damage to businesses, including Muscat Grand Mall, where the ceiling collapsed.

But, why does this happen? More or less every time the rain falls the wadis and roads in Oman overflow and people die or get injured, because the rainwater is not channeled safely. Averagely, flooding kills 70 people every year in Oman, destroys more than 600 homes, and damages about 1,500 private businesses, according to Shaibany (Times of Oman). Furthermore, it destroys civil infrastructure and disrupts electricity, water supplies and telecommunication networks. Since 2010, the total average cost is above OMR1.2 billion (NOK25.9 billion) annually.

All around the world, innovations in flood control are happening, and in my opinion it needs to happen in Oman as well. According to environmentalists, half of the damage during heavy rain is caused by accumulation of water in the basins of mountains. After a few hours, gallons of water flow down the rocks to crack up roads. Then, the wadis overflow and residential areas are damaged and people injured. In addition, I believe government offices should be more strict with building permits, and other approvals. So that, ceilings such as the one in the Muscat Grand Mall, won´t collapse due to rain in the future.

Flood control is expensive and considering the sparseness of rain in Oman, one may argue that it is not necessary. However, in my opinion one can´t put a price tag on    people´s lives and livelihoods. During my time in Oman people did die due to floods and it suddenly feels extremely close when you see it with your own eyes, and even learn about the mourning process because one of your dad´s colleagues just lost her family. To sum up, if the country had had flood control, the family who perished on Friday, as well as hundreds of others might still have been alive.

Video illustrating damages: MORNING MINUTE – Muscat Flooding News

Blog Introduction

Posted on August 28, 2015

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The Sultanate of Oman is situated in the southeastern quarter of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by Saudi Arabia to the west, Yemen to the southwest, and the United Arab Emirates to the northwest. It is a country of diverse landscapes, including mountains, oases, lagoons, and farmland. About 1700 km of coastline stretches from Musandam in the north  to the tropical greenery of the Dhofar region in the south. The temperature varies from 20 to 50 degrees Celsius,depending on the season. The majority of the population are Ibadi Muslims, however other religions are tolerated as well. The capital city, Muscat, is home to 10% of Oman’s total population of 3,500,000, of whom approximately 76% are Omanis and 24% are expatriates.

In Muscat my family and I lived in Madinat Sultan Qaboos  in an apartment in a complex, with two pools on the roof and a gym. My sister and I went to an American international school, called The American International School of Muscat (TAISM). School started at 8.30 am and ended at 3.30 pm. However, most days we went to afterschool activities, like soccer, basketball and volleyball. A friend of mine and I played tennis outside of school as well. Anyway, we usually got picked up at school at 5pm. Then the 10 to 15 minutes’ drive home, before homework. Because of the long distances and highways we had to drive almost everywhere. There was only this small area with a grocery store, starbucks and a couple of restaurants that we could walk to. In the weekends, my friends and I often went to the beach, hang out by a pool, went to the mall, a party and so on. Speaking about weekends, our weekend was Thursday and Friday, because Friday is the holy day for Muslims. However, just last year they changed the weekend to Friday and Saturday in other to make business with the outside world easier. Once in a while, friends and family from Norway visited, and it was nice to share a tiny bit of our world and experience with them. And to get some Norwegian chocolate. In February, that would be 2011, I went on Discover Oman with my school. It was a week-long trip where we traveled to different parts of Oman to gain a greater understanding of the culture. We went to Wahiba Sands (the desert), rode camels and slept in Bedouin tents. We went to the turtle beach, Tiwi where we saw sea turtles and their babies. And we went to a beautiful wadi (a valley). On days like May 17th all the Norwegians gathered in a hotel and ate Norwegian food. In December the Scandinavians gathered for a Christmas party with Scandinavian food and Christmas songs in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Finnish. On Christmas Eve we walked on the beach and celebrated with a plastic tree. We celebrated New Years Eve with some of our friends from France, Sweden and Norway. So, our lives went by pretty much the same way as it does in Norway: school, friends, sports etc. Moreover, everything was at the same time indescribably different, and that´s exactly why I´ve made this blog. In the upcoming weeks I´m going to share past experiences from my time in Oman, share som information about the culture in the country, as well as sharing some of my thoughts and feelings about all of this.

Comments from previous blog:

Anonymous on September 3, 2015 at 11:19 am said:Edit

Looks interesting.
Having travelled the world all my life I have a problem settling anywhere now. Do you feel that your time abroad has given you itchy feet? could you imagine yourself living permanently abroad? or did you carry enough of your Norwegian family habits with you to keep the link while away?
As you went to an International school why didn’t you go into the IB system here in Norway?

Reply ↓

• Vildeon September 3, 2015 at 5:24 pm said:Edit

  First, to answer your last question, I have to say that I really considered going into the IB system, however I ended up not to, because of the subjects. I wanted to study subjects such as politics and human rights, psychology and law, and none of those were possible in the IB. Honestly, I have to say though, that I miss having all my subjects in English.
  Second, I do feel my time abroad has given me itchy feet. However, Norway is still what I view as home, because I have lived here most of my life. Moreover, I´m a completely different person than I was before I moved. People who knew me before and after probably noticed quite a bit of a change, however, I believe the crucial change is in my personal thinking. For a lot of expats I think that the following sentence applies: “once an expat, always an expat”. At least for me it does. Before I moved, I was one person living in a tiny world in Norway. Now, I`m like two distinct people, having close relationships to people all over the world. I think that no matter where I live on this Earth, I´m going to permanently miss the people I love, I´m going to miss the nature, the culture, the language and, well, I´m going to miss almost everything about the country I´m not currently in. Moreover, I wouldn´t exchange this longing for anything, because the experience and insight one gets when living abroad is truly amazing. I can´t wait to move abroad somewhere after high school, and to answer your second question; yes, I could absolutely imagine myself living abroad permanently, because for me Adam Gopnik´s saying fits perfectly, ”The loneliness of the expatriate is of an odd and complicated kind, for it is inseparable from the feeling of being free, of having escaped.”