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a nomad in the land of nizwa

~ an American English teacher in Oman

a nomad in the land of nizwa

Category Archives: Abu Nooh Building

a sale of “stuff” & a farewell gathering

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman

≈ 13 Comments

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Nizwa, Oman

Thursday, June 13:  This evening, I extend an open invitation to teachers from the Foundation Institute who aren’t already on their summer holiday to come over for an open house sale of my “stuff” and a farewell gathering.  It turns out that not that many people come, but the people who do are the ones who matter the most to me.  Tahira makes a salad, Anna makes paella, and Fouzia makes a wonderful carrot cake to which everyone becomes quickly addicted.  I mostly just bring stuff from the deli at Lulu and of course, as I do at every party I’ve ever hosted, I buy way too much, especially for the number of people who come.

my entryway... Welcome!

my entryway… Welcome!

food spread starts to grow

food spread starts to grow

For sale! and partially packed boxes (so exciting!)

For sale! and partially packed boxes (so exciting!)

the beginnings of packing

the beginnings of packing

Living room

Living room

Living room/study :-)

Living room/study 🙂

I actually prefer an intimate party to a loud boisterous one, although it’s great when we have some boisterousness in a small group.  We all sit around together and talk and eat, and only at the end do a couple of people walk out with my goods, namely Anna, who buys the best coffee table I have ever owned for 20 rials. I am sad to have to leave it behind, but it is way too big to ship, especially with the exorbitant shipping costs from Oman to America.

goodbye to my beloved coffee table

goodbye to my beloved coffee table

my bedroom

my bedroom

Last shots of my house before people take off with my stuff

Last shots of my house before people take off with my stuff

In attendance are Fouzia and her son Yassim, Tahira and Lynnette, Malcolm, Mario, Anna, and Robin.  We mostly tell funny stories about our students and the university and our colleagues.  All good for a few (or more) laughs.  I will really miss these kind-hearted and humorous folks who have become my friends during my time at the fabulous University of Nizwa. 🙂

Robin

Robin

Malcolm

Malcolm

Anna chews on a plastic cup

Anna chews on a plastic cup

At this point I still have two more weeks in Oman, and in the next week I need to finish packing all my stuff to ship by cargo to the good old USA.

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a visit with my students & a cozy little gathering at my nizwa flat

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

≈ 6 Comments

Wednesday, January 2:  This morning, Mike, Alex and Adam come to the University of Nizwa to visit my class.  My 26 female students introduce themselves to my family, and then the boys introduce themselves to my girls.  I had given the girls, who are all the most basic Level 1, a homework assignment to write three questions each for my boys.  They still have not learned how to make proper questions, despite much effort on my part to the contrary, and I wanted them to practice on some Westerners. However, they have all unilaterally decided that they are finished with this semester, even though they’re really NOT, so they don’t make any questions at all.  It is a much more awkward interaction than the one my boys had last January with my Level 2 students, who were much more capable of having conversations.

Sandy & Malcolm

Sandy & Malcolm

In the afternoon, we make a major trip to the Lulu Hypermarket, where we load up on fruits and vegetables for my vegan boys, along with some warm roti, their favorite Indian bread.  We treat ourselves to date and papaya lassis, and head home to prepare black bean soup for a small gathering I have organized, so my dearest friends can meet my boys.

Malcolm & Sandy

Malcolm & Sandy

Mario, Anna & Alex

Mario, Anna & Alex

Sandy, Mario, me and Malcolm

Sandy, Mario, me and Malcolm

Sandy, Mario, Anna & Malcolm

Sandy, Mario, Anna & Malcolm

The party ends up being quite a cozy and fun affair, with Kathy, Mario, Anna, Malcolm and Sandy in attendance, as well as our whole family.  We talk about the humongous fruits in Mario’s childhood gardens in El Salvador, whales in St. John’s, Newfoundland, old television shows like Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and The 1948 Show and Monty Python’s “NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!”  We eat Mario’s fabulous black bean dip, Adam’s black bean soup & guacamole, Anna’s brie & grapes, my colleague Fouzia’s gift of chocolate cake, and Kathy’s white chocolate cake.  Laughs and wine and hugs abound.  What a way to welcome in the new year!

Adam, me, Alex & Mike

Adam, me, Alex & Mike

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no fuel, no gas, no water!!

14 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Six Word Saturday

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Six Word Saturday

Saturday, July 14:  Today is Six Word Saturday and this about sums up my week:

NO FUEL, NO GAS, NO WATER!!!

It’s said that bad things come in threes and I think this is true for me this week.

#1.  On Sunday, July 8, I was driving home from work when suddenly all the lights on my dashboard lit up and the accelerator didn’t respond to my foot on the pedal.  In fact, my so-far trustworthy GMC Terrain had cut off and I maneuvered it to the side of the road, where it’s death became absolute.  No amount of starting and turning over the engine would get it to catch and go!  I was stranded.  Luckily I was in the middle of Firq and not on the long Muscat-Nizwa highway at some ungodly hour.  After calling some colleagues at work who immediately set out to come rescue me, I had the idea of calling my GMC service man, Mohammed from Bangalore, in Karsha.  He happened to pick up his phone, highly unusual at 3 pm, when most businesses are closed for their afternoon naps, and he zipped right over to where I was stranded in the extreme heat along the side of a busy road.  He called a tow truck who was there in minutes.  I called my colleagues at work and told them to turn back; I was saved.  I am so thankful to Mohammed for this successful rescue attempt.

what good is a car without fuel?

The next day, Mohammed informed me that my fuel pump was broken and I would need to replace it for 155 rials.  That’s $403 USD!! This is NOT money I wanted to spend at all, but especially not right before my 6 week vacation that is fast approaching!! There is never a good time for these things, is there?

So, first NO FUEL, because my fuel pump failed to do its job of pumping the fuel in my tank to my engine.

#2: I went to prepare my roasted vegetable dish for Kathy’s birthday party on Wednesday, July 11, and when I went to light my oven, I found I was out of gas.  No cooking that huge package of vegetables I spent 45+ minutes chopping.  I had to rush them to Kathy’s to cook them in her oven, but as she didn’t know how to operate it, I used Antonio’s oven, waking him up from a deep afternoon slumber.  I’m still waiting for the gas man, Salem, to arrive at my flat to replace my gas canister at this moment.  He originally told me 5:00, insha’allah, but when I called him, he revised to 6:30 insha’allah.  It remains to be seen whether he will come tonight.

And what good is a stove without gas? (Sorry, it’s kinda dirty now b/c it’s due for cleaning tomorrow….)

empty gas canisters

#3. This morning, July 14, my shower had very low water pressure.  In fact it was little more than a trickle.  As I shampooed and soaped myself, I realized with alarm that the stream of water was dwindling.  I hurried and rinsed all the soapy stuff off, only to find the faucet dried up before I got off all the soap. I resorted to a towel rub down.

what good is a shower without water?

Later this afternoon, the university housing guy, Ismail, informed me he could find nothing wrong with my water except possibly some kids turned off the valve on the street.  He turned it back on and watched my water tank fill up. What I have never understood is why on earth the main water valves are on the street, where anyone can mess with them.  And mess with me!!

why would these main water valves be placed on the street where anyone can mess with them????

When I came home, I ran to the gym, worked out, and came back home to find my shower is now working.  Al Hamdullilah…. 🙂

I hope that is all for now…. Isn’t three enough?

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lizards are taking over my flat!

07 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Six Word Saturday

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Six Word Saturday

Saturday, July 7:  For Six Word Saturday:

LIZARDS ARE TAKING OVER MY FLAT!

one of my many lizards!

At first I thought there was just one, a little tailless fellow who seemed to follow me peaceably from room to room.  But one day I found him dead in the midst of my shoes.  A couple of days later, I saw a skinny long-tailed one that seemed to be everywhere at once.  Then last night I saw a huge one climbing up the wall behind my wardrobe in the bedroom.

All I can hope is that I don’t wake up to find one in bed with me!!  I might not be able to stop myself from screaming!

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rain, rain, rain! ~ a waylaid picnic to wadi muaydin

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Al-Dakhiliyah Region, Birkat Al Mouz, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman, Wadi Muaydin

≈ 4 Comments

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Nizwa, Oman

Wednesday, April 18:  This evening a small group of us meet at the fort at Birkat al Mouz to head out for a picnic at Wadi Muaydin.  It’s Tom’s idea, and he invites me, Helen, Gail and Anna.  When we meet at the 5:00 appointed time, it’s pouring down rain.  Tom wants to wait it out. I personally don’t see any end in sight and even if it stops, it’s going to be wet & soggy… (and not very comfortable!).

a wadi running across the road from Birkat al Mouz to Nizwa

I offer my flat in NIzwa, because I have a little gravel backyard where we can have a cookout, but Tom wants to wait till the rain stops and then head into the wadi after it’s all said and done.  Anna and I both believe it’s dangerous to go into a wadi even if it’s just threatening rain, as many Omanis have warned us never to do such a foolish thing.  Finally, after sitting and waiting for the rain to abate, we give up and head to my house.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. ~ Norman Maclean

On the back road to Nizwa from the university, we encounter a hailstorm that feels like we’re in the middle of a gun battle.  The sky is flinging chunks of ice at my windshield and I keep flinching as I think one of them is certain to come through the glass.  We continue to drive along with the ice belting the car when suddenly we come to a huge traffic jam in the middle of the road.  A wadi is pouring across the road, and cars have pulled off the road.  The occupants are either taking pictures or just trying to determine whether they can make it across the muddy waters.  Some intrepid souls decide to cross the raging river in their cars.  Anna is ahead of me in her bright yellow jeep and she goes across.  I can see that the water is up to the tops of her wheels.  Later she admits that she did take in some water and possibly did some damage to her car…. 😦

Since my car sits lower to the ground than hers, I’m not brave enough to chance it.  I can see she has pulled off on the other side of the wadi, but I jump out of the car with my camera and join the hordes of Omanis taking pictures.  I take pictures and a couple of videos and am all caught up in the excitement.

He who postpones the hour of living is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. ~ Horace

You see, we have not had any rain to speak of in Oman until right before the Eid in early November.  It’s so strange how living in a different place can make something you have always seen as a necessary annoyance (rain) as a gift from heaven!!  All this week we have had bursts of rain appear out of nowhere.  When it rains in Oman, the students can’t concentrate and they beg teachers to cancel class and let them run around in the rain!  It’s very difficult to get anything worthwhile done when they’re all fidgeting about in their seats and looking longingly out the windows.

all the men out in droves to take pictures……
“Don’t threaten me with love, baby. Let’s just go walking in the rain.” ~ Billie Holiday

As I’m running around taking pictures of the overflowing wadi, all around me are Omani, Indian and Pakistani men!  There are never any women outside in this country!! Finally, a University of Nizwa bus full of girls pulls up and the excited girls are snapping pictures out the bus windows.

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Suddenly, from one of the cars on the road, I hear a male voice, “Teacher!  Teacher!”  I’m happily surprised to see one of my favorite students from the fall semester, Badr, in a car with his friend.  I take pictures of them before they turn around and head in the other direction, knowing their small car will not make it through the river.

my excellent student, Badr, on the left and his unknown friend driving

The water appears to be in no mood to subside, so Gail, Tom and I turn around in our individual vehicles and head back to Birkat al Mouz to take the main highway, which runs parallel to the back road, to Nizwa. By then the hail and the rain have stopped, but that doesn’t mean more rain isn’t on the way.

having a barbecue in my gravel backyard: Tom, Helen & Gail

As everyone arrives at my flat in Nizwa, where the skies are blue and dry, Tom sets up his barbecue and fires up the coals.  I have prepared little aluminum foil vegetable packets, with eggplant, onions, peppers and olive oil, which I put on the grill.  Anna has prepared these little salty dried chick pea-looking snacks and some lemony chicken.  I put on some sausages and we all sit in the camping chairs I purchased but have only used once for camping.  I have a glass of wine or two and we enjoy chatting about the crazy weather, life at the university, our own lives, and anything else you can think of.  At one point, Tom asks if I’d like to try a glass of rakı.  I cannot resist this Turkish anise-flavored drink because I have such happy memories of this drink while I was in Turkey (cappadocia day 1…cave churches, underground cities, & rakı under the stars).

Helen, Gail, me and Anna on a picnic!!

After a short bit of drinking this rather large and potent drink, my backyard starts to spin around me.  Uh-oh!  I can feel myself getting sick!  I can’t believe this because I haven’t had THAT much to drink.  I know it’s bad news, so I tell everyone they are welcome to keep enjoying themselves in my backyard as long as they want because I need to go lie down.  Tom says, “You know, it’s not a good idea to lie down if you feel like that!”  But I cannot be swayed.  I sprawl across my king-size bed, where the room continues to spin until, sweet relief, I fall asleep.

Anna sitting on my back stoop

Anna sitting on my back stoop

A little later, I wake up and hear voices so I know the little party is happily going on without me.  I promptly fall back to sleep.

At around 11:00 or so, Anna comes in with a big glass of water.  I feel like she’s Florence Nightingale, with her headscarf and her caring bedside manner.  The party is heading out the door.  They all seemed to have a good time at my humble little home without me!!  I’m so glad my poor hostessing didn’t spoil their fun….

Back to sleep for me…. 🙂

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exploring the back road to nizwa souq

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Al Aqr, Al-Dakhiliyah Region, Middle East, Nizwa, Nizwa souq, Oman

≈ 10 Comments

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Nizwa, Oman

Friday, April 13:  This morning I go for a walk with my camera, taking a left out of my building and wandering down a residential street to the back of Nizwa souq.  It’s about a 20 minute walk each way, which is a little shorter than the distance I walk each morning on my walking trail.

a pretty farm right near my building

another farm on my street

I usually don’t walk this way because of all the Pakistani, Indian and Omani men and boys that stare unabashedly at an unaccompanied white female.  I always feel like these men are either glaring at me (as if to say “how dare you come out here in this man’s world!”) or just staring out of curiosity.  Sometimes, from the way they stare, I wonder if any of them have seen a white woman before, although Nizwa is full of white women, either tourists or expats working at one of the three colleges in town.  It would be hard to miss us. Sometimes these men are friendly, but sometimes not.  The Omani men are generally friendlier, but the Pakistanis usually just stare darkly as they walk by.  I usually feel uncomfortable, but today I’m determined to take pictures so I just go out and act as confident as a man.

a view through the trees to the neighborhood cemetery

The first thing I see is a huge sprawling cemetery on both sides of the road, much like the Nizwa cemetery I wrote about in an earlier post.  Gravestones are simple, uncarved rock fragments set upright in the ground, modestly typical of Islamic tradition.  It really looks like some kind of moonscape, or a rock plain with random rocks tossed about.  This cemetery is huge and right next to my house.  I didn’t even know it was here until one of my colleagues told me about it.

the sprawling cemetery down the road from my flat

I continue past the cemetery taking photos of the various Omani houses and their beautiful gates and doors.  Most Omani homes are surrounded by high concrete walls and elaborate closed gates, leaving us outsiders wondering about the secret lives behind the doors.  Plants and climbing vines are often seen tumbling over these walls in bursts of color, enticing us as we walk by.

a typical modern Omani gated home in my neighborhood

one of many colorful and ornate gates along the way

If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. ~ Henry Wordsworth Longfellow

I believe the future is only the past again, entered through another gate. ~ Arthur Wing Pinero

the gateway to the old town of Al Aqr

After the more modern residences, I come to the old walled quarter of Al Aqr, a traditional Omani town of imposing two- and three-story mudbrick houses in various stages of decay.  Many are toppling or in serious imbalance.  Surprisingly I read that many of the dilapidated houses here are inhabited by the town’s huge Pakistani community, and when I walk through the town I do in fact see Pakistani men, boys and children spilling out of the doors of these houses.

the streets of Al Aqr

one of the ruined buildings in Al Aqr

Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings. ~ Gustave Flaubert

We may seem competent, but by the end of next century there will be new deserts, new ruins. ~ Edward Bond

What’s a shame is the trash that is so pervasive.  I don’t know why, if Oman is trying to develop tourism, the government doesn’t make a huge effort to clean up these tourist destinations.  Piles of rubbish are strewn throughout here and multitudes of other spots I visit, places I know are tourist destinations.  If the country really wants to succeed in tourism, cleaning up the environment would be a sure recipe for success.

destination > Nizwa souq

I continue my walk into the surrounding souq area where there are numerous tailor, barber & laundry shops.  Most of them look like nothing more than holes in the wall with brightly colored signs, and most are run by Pakistanis.

Tailoring for Gents

Finally I come to the small roundabout in front of Nizwa Fort.  I’ve been in the fort numerous times, so I just walk toward the souq, where there is always something interesting to capture on film.  I sit in the square for awhile and snap pictures of Omani men walking by, on their way to take care of some kind of business.

taking care of business

a shopkeeper in the souq

As I walk down toward the souq, I see a large group of older men affectionately handling, inspecting and playing around with rifles.  Some are sitting on a bench around a tree and I ask if I can take a picture of them.  They are friendly enough to let me do so.  But when I try to ask them questions about their rifles and what they are doing here, it becomes obvious that, first, no one speaks English, and second, I am an interloper among these men. Still.  They are an easy-going brotherhood, having a good time and laughing, a kind of Sunday social hour.

old men at the souq meeting over rifles

I definitely stand out here because all I see are men everywhere.  Luckily Nizwa souq is a tourist destination, so I see a smattering of tourist couples.  I rarely see a woman alone like I am.  But I am determined to do whatever I want in Oman despite the fact that I’m a woman.  I am not going to stay in my house and be intimidated by this culture.  I’m just not that kind of person.

the nizwa souq

So I continue on my merry way, walking around the mosque and trying to figure out how to get a picture of the mosque so that I can see the dome, but no matter where I go, the dome doesn’t show.  I know it has quite a beautiful dome because I’ve seen it before from the top of Nizwa Fort.

the Nizwa mosque ~ where’s the dome??

Finally, I turn back as it’s getting quite hot.  I walk the 20 minutes along the back road to return to my cool air-conditioned flat and stay inside the rest of the day. 🙂

back into the more modern neighborhood, a big Omani house

So high do these plants stand in the favor of the Chinese gardener, that he will cultivate them extensively, even against the wishes of his employer; and, in many instances, rather leave his situation than give up the growth of his favorite flower. ~ Robert Fortune

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a little BBQ for the visiting wives

30 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman

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Nizwa, Oman

Friday, March 30: Tonight James has organized a BBQ to celebrate the visit of two of our neighbors’ wives from faraway lands.  There are five of us from the university who all live quite happily in the Abu Nooh Building in Nizwa: James,  Malcolm, David, Stephen and me. James, Malcolm and David are British (well, James is officially Scottish), and Stephen and I are the token Americans.

James and his asador

James and his asador

This weekend, Malcolm’s wife Sandy has arrived from Great Britain; she is on spring break from the university where she teaches.  And Stephen’s wife Meri from the Philippines, with their daughter Stevanna in tow, has arrived for a visit as well.  Since James deems my apartment, with its ground floor stoop and gravel backyard, to be more appropriate for a BBQ than his second story balcony, he asks if we can have the party at my flat.  I agree.  Henceforth, the fun begins.

Stephen, happy to have his wife here... :-)

Stephen, happy to have his wife here… 🙂

James comes early to set up his tiny little BBQ in the corner of my “backyard” near the wall. He calls himself the asador, a word which I’ve never heard before.  I say to him, “I don’t know what an asador is, but I do know what an “ass” is!”  Later, I find through Google that asador is a Spanish word that means spit or rotisserie.  Another definition from Recipes to Go is: a wire mesh stovetop grill which can be used to roast vegetables over an outdoor fire or on the stovetop.  Hmmm.  So James is calling himself a rotisserie? Not the griller, but the grill?  Very strange, that.

James in his element

James in his element

James is quite the cook, as I know from tasting his culinary experiments in the past. He has prepared quite a feast: steak, sausages, kidneys (a very British thing that is NOT to American tastes…Yikes!), ribs and chicken.  All the meat is served with a sauce James calls chimichurri,  made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, white or red vinegar, and red pepper flakes.

Malcolm & Sandy

Sandy arrives with Malcolm; she has two excellent salads in hand.  She hands me some special gifts from England (things I requested from her): the DVD of Shirley Valentine (since I’m going to Greece this summer) and a book called One Thousand Chestnut Trees, a book about Korea by Mira Stout. She also brings me some lovely mixed field flower seeds to “create a wonderful carpet of color.”  She’s the greatest… 🙂

Sandy & James

Stephen comes with his tiny Filipino wife Meri and his adorable little girl Stevanna, who I think is 2 or 3 years old.  James has already fired up the grill, and once everyone arrives, he begins the grilling, serving up different varieties of meat at intervals throughout the night.  Sandy shows us photos on her iPad, James plays tunes (loudly) on his iPod, and Malcolm gets out his old-fashioned guitar and plays us some tunes, including Little Feat, which he seems to be quite fond of.

Sandy & me

Later, David drops by to join the fun as well. Now everyone in our building, except the Omani families, is here. We enjoy each other’s company, some wine, good food and nice (loud) tunes!  It’s so nice to have friends in a foreign land… 🙂

the candle changes like a lava lamp! Ok, I’m showing my age!

Sandy’s chameleon candle

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home sweet home in the abu nooh building

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

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Nizwa, Oman

Tuesday, March 6:  I’m finally settling into my flat at the Abu Nooh building; it’s truly becoming my home away from home. Here is the wall hanging that greets visitors in my entry hallway. Come along with me for a visit…

Welcome to my Omani abode!

Welcome to my Omani abode!

Come right in through the front door and turn left off the hallway into my bedroom of purples and turquoises. I love how it’s turned out; I found my way to Muscat City Center, where, at the lovely Zara Home, I bought a rather expensive (35 OMR) turquoise & purple paisley duvet cover, lavender sheets and pillowcases.  I also bought a rattan 3-drawer flimsy dresser for additional storage space.

the indian wall hanging in my bedroom

the indian wall hanging in my bedroom

At Home Centre, I found big square throw pillows, a funky purple art-deco lamp, and a modern art painting of two giant butterflies.  At Mutrah Souq, I discovered a turquoise and purple Indian wall hanging that brings out the colors on my duvet cover.  After hanging up all my wall art, I also hung three racks of colorful scarves that add color, texture and an Omani-head-scarf feel to my room.  The armoire and the bed in the room are heavy and dark wood, pretty fancy and antique-looking stuff for such a humble place. I like my new bedroom much better than the bedroom in my old villa.

My mattress is as hard as a brick, but for some reason I’ve grown to like it.  I tend to read and sleep in my room and that’s about it!  Right now I’m reading a great Irish detective novel called In the Woods by Tana French.  Sadly because I read lying down, I fall asleep after just a few pages….

scarf art

scarf art

Of course all my clothes are in my room, and my shoes, and for some reason, all my camping gear, which I’m unlikely to ever use!  I also have a little old-fashioned vanity and a pile of travel books about Greece and Oman on my bedside table.

Now, come with me back through the long hallway and follow me into my wishful-thinking “garden room.”

my newly decked out bedroom

Here is a peak at my wanna-be “garden room.”  Don’t laugh, as my sons did when they came to visit, at my fake plants!! I can’t help it; I like them. 🙂 I probably couldn’t find such cool-looking live plants and actually keep them alive!  I love the purple futon (Adam slept on it when he came to visit) and the big coffee table, both of which I bought myself.  The university furnishes our flats, but only with the most basic and worn out furniture imaginable.  My new furniture adds a crispness to my place.

the wall hanging in my "garden room," from the mutrah souq

the wall hanging in my “garden room,” from the mutrah souq

my wanna-be “garden room” with its fake plants (the one on the left is real)… 🙂

love my funky lamp and my other fake plant!

my cute fake flowering tree

someday i hope this will blossom into a garden room

My living room is larger than the “garden room,” but the furniture is old & worn and the ugliest mustard color you can imagine; I covered the sofa and chairs in Indian sheets. The room houses my desk and computer, where I spend many hours keeping myself entertained by writing my blog… 🙂

my living room ~ the bohemian look

Here is my kitchen.  It’s clean, light, airy and relatively roomy and modern by Omani standards.  Notice there is no air conditioner in the kitchen; for some bizarre reason this is typical of Omani kitchens.

my kitchen

Here is my guest room, where my son Alex slept while he was here.  I still have the same comforter I had in my old villa: king-sized bedding for a double bed!  This is also the room where I hang my laundry and do my ironing.

my guest room (& laundry, ironing and storage room)

This is what the building looks like from the outside ~ nothing special at all.  But inside, it is quite nice, sprawling and comfortable.  The building is in a quiet neighborhood on a road that leads to the back of Nizwa souq.  I’m on the bottom floor.

the fabulous Abu Nooh building

my little back porch

the street view from outside my building

Thanks for coming by to visit.  I really do invite readers of my blog to pay me a visit in Nizwa one day!  I love to have guests!

“When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.”  ~ Thornton Wilder

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moving to a new flat: brief glimpses

05 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Al-Dakhiliyah Region, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

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Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

Wednesday, January 4: Moving day!  This afternoon I move into my new flat, in the Abu Nooh Building. It’s around the corner from the Al Diyar Hotel, the first place I stayed in Nizwa upon my arrival in September.  To get to my new home, I must drive over seven, yes SEVEN (!), speed bumps.  For a mere 15 rials, I hire Sadiq from the university to help me move, and after loading all the good stuff from my old villa into the truck, we deliver it to the new flat: my hard-as-plywood mattress, my new hard-to-come-by desk & coffee tables.  My kitchen table and chairs. My clothes, my bedding, all the pictures and lamps from my shopping spree last Friday.  It doesn’t take long because I don’t have much.  After all, I’m a nomad.  I don’t need much.

living room in my new flat

living room in my new flat

I move in, organize my stuff, and go to bed without checking out the plumbing. Thursday morning, when I get up to take a shower in the master bathroom, the faucet lever breaks off into my hand.  The toilet is leaking all over one bathroom.  The shower in that bathroom spews water in every direction except down; it’s like putting your thumb over a garden hose, sprinkles shooting off like fireworks.  That bathroom sink’s faucet lever also breaks off in my hand.  I can’t seem to get water from any of the usual suspects.

the guest room where one of my sons can sleep

the guest room where one of my sons can sleep

I call Sadiq, who is the university’s maintenance man and tell him he needs to come over to fix my plumbing.  Now!  He pretends not to understand and keeps repeating, “I’m in Muscat, miss.”  I say, “I can’t go all weekend without a shower, Sadiq!! If you can’t come, you need to call a plumber here in Nizwa!”  He continues to pretend he doesn’t understand and repeats, “I’m in Muscat, miss.  I’ll be there Saturday.”  I go around and around with him, only to get the same answer. Click.  The line dies.

this room was packed with the sofa & two chairs. I moved them into a bigger room and now visualize this as my "garden" room :-)

this room was packed with the sofa & two chairs. I moved them into a bigger room and now visualize this as my “garden” room 🙂

I decide to take matters into my own hands.  I call everyone I know to find a plumber. My friend Abdullah finally delivers two Pakistani plumbers.  They list all the parts I need to buy.  They will come back later to install the parts for 10 rials.

my new kitchen

I go to the plumbing store for the new parts, which set me back 40 rials!  I am irritated that I have to spend my own money, but I keep my receipts because I will insist on reimbursement by the university.  Later the plumbers come and fix all the broken fixtures.

the entryway

the entryway

Once that’s done, I’ve been inconvenienced and I’m out 50 rials (around $130).  This for a place I don’t own and never will.  Later, after much haggling with the university, they reimburse me for my expense.  They try to put the blame on me: Why didn’t you check out the plumbing BEFORE you moved in?  You should have waited until Saturday and let the university plumbers fix it.  Why did you call a plumber yourself instead of calling Sadiq? The questions are endless, but eventually they reimburse me for my expense.

my bedroom and my rock-hard mattress

my bedroom and my rock-hard mattress

So, I’m in.  I arrange my belongings neatly into my new flat and then start thinking about everything I will need to buy in the next 6 days to make my boys comfortable when they arrive January 10.

Stay tuned for the new and updated version!!!

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a shopping spree for “new digs” decor

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Abu Nooh Building, Home Centre, Middle East, Muscat, Muscat City Center, Muttrah Souq, Nizwa, Oman, Seeb, Zara

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Muscat, Oman

Friday, December 30:  After going around and around with the university housing department about the shortfalls of my “villa” for months, I could see that no resolution was in sight.  The landlord of the villa adamantly refused to fix the problems there, including grimy walls and ratty carpet, a shared electric & water meter with the Indian family upstairs, and a dumpster outside my front door that smelled like a sewer and was swarming with scores of mangy cats. I finally accepted that nothing would ever be done to fix the problems, so I put out the word to Issa, our housing guy at the university, that I wanted to move to a new place.

heading for the mutrah souq to buy some home decor!

heading for the mutrah souq to buy some home decor!

I finally got wind of an available flat in a building in Nizwa. This building houses some of my close friends at the university, including James, Malcolm, Stephen and David.  Before Christmas, I went to a party at David’s flat, and on New Year’s I also was able to see James’s and Malcolm’s flats.  During this time I heard from Malcolm’s wife Sandy about a flat available in this building with the same layout as the other flats. With my sons both arriving on January 10, I pressed Issa to let me vacate the villa and move to the new digs as soon as possible.  He relented and we agreed on a move date of January 4.

Indian wall hangings at Mutrah Souq

Indian wall hangings at Mutrah Souq

On this final Friday of 2011, the last weekend day before my move, I go on a shopping spree in Muscat with my friend Christian, who just recently moved into a new villa himself.  Fun times!  I am finally excited to spend a little money to make my house a home.

Christian shopping in the souq

Christian shopping in the souq

We go to Mutrah Souq and then to Home Centre and Zara at Muscat City Center.  At Zara, I buy a beautiful turquoise and purple paisley duvet cover, lavender sheets and square throw pillows. I buy lamps and pictures for my walls.  At the souq, I purchase a wall hanging with turquoises and purples, to match with the duvet cover.  We have a great time shopping together as we both love decorating.

Christian, withdrawing money for our shopping spree

We pile all our goods into the back of the Terrain.  When I get home to my villa, I unload all my stuff into the living room, a temporary holding spot.  I will move into my new flat in just 5 days.  Hallelujah!

all our goods loaded in the back of the Terrain 🙂

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~ wander.essence ~

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snowtoseas

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Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

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Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

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