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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: University of Nizwa

weekly photo challenge: a day in my life

30 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Al-Dakhiliyah Region, Middle East, Nizwa, Oman, Photography Challenges, postaweek2013, University of Nizwa, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 64 Comments

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Nizwa, Oman, postaweek2013, University of Nizwa, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, March 30:  The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge asks us to create a tiled gallery of A Day In My Life.

What does your day look like? Here’s your chance to share with everyone a day in your life! Here are some suggestions to get started: snap a picture once an hour and share what your day was like, walk us through a typical day for you, or even just what happened today!

Pick the best pictures which give your readers a sense of a day in your life and share them!

Since I’m 9 hours ahead of the east coast of the United States, I always get the photo challenge late on Friday afternoon.  So for this challenge, I started taking photos on Friday evening.  So my day is from Friday evening at 5:00 to Saturday evening at 5:00.

Friday afternoon: writing about the gift of time on my blog
Friday afternoon: writing about the gift of time on my blog
I leave to go to Mario's for a seafood, olive, veggie, tomato & olive pasta
I leave to go to Mario’s for a seafood, olive, veggie, tomato & olive pasta
Mario the chef
Mario the chef
Candles and a table set for 3
Candles and a table set for 3
Saturday morning, driving down my road, heading to work
Saturday morning, driving down my road, heading to work
I park my car in the university parking lot
I park my car in the university parking lot
my desk at work
my desk at work
my students working on exercises
my students working on exercises
My students writing their answers on the board
My students writing their answers on the board
Me checking their exercises
Me checking their exercises
Students present new vocabulary to other students
Students present new vocabulary to other students
LOVE
LOVE
My studenst want me to photograph them making hearts and peace signs
My studenst want me to photograph them making hearts and peace signs
me in front with my students behind
me in front with my students behind
in the "canteen" for lunch
in the “canteen” for lunch
Mona Lisa at the canteen
Mona Lisa at the canteen
walking on the campus under covered walkways
walking on the campus under covered walkways
driving home to Nizwa after shopping at Lulu
driving home to Nizwa after shopping at Lulu
I park my car and take out the groceries
I park my car and take out the groceries
the groceries in my kitchen waiting to be unpacked
the groceries in my kitchen waiting to be unpacked
one bag of my groceries
one bag of my groceries
Coca-Cola Light ~ Arabic style
Coca-Cola Light ~ Arabic style

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a teacher’s greatest gift

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Foundation Institute, Middle East, Oman, University of Nizwa

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Oman, University of Nizwa

Tuesday, March 5:  Today, one of my colleagues came to my desk and said he had something I would be really happy to see.  He then handed me an essay one of his Level 2 students wrote about her Level 1 class in the fall semester.  I taught this student in Level 1 in the fall semester of 2012, and it made my day to read her essay.

Here it is, transcribed exactly as she wrote it.  Pardon the errors in English; please remember this student is in her second semester studying English at university in a country where Arabic is the native tongue and there are not many opportunities to speak English, except with their teachers on campus.

“Level One”

Last fall my teacher name is Cathy was committed and active for Level 1. I learned English and TOEFL.  I’m glad I had this class because the teacher was very funny, jovial, committed and the English I learned will help me in the future.

She is a married. She has two children.  She is 51 years old was a good mentor.

First, I learnd English.  Next I learned TOEFL.  Lastly, I learned skills.  English lecture was wonderful we were looking forward to attending  because it was a very learned lessons was a wonderful example.  We explain lessons play.  I like English very much.

As you can see my class was very useful to me becauce I met new friends who were good to me and I’ve loved them.  Teacher also liked the lessons she taught us well and tanks. Succeeded and moved to the next stage Level 2.

The teacher was very funny and happy.  I love my teacher very very mutch. The material I learned is going to help me on the toefl and in my future career.

————————–

I love how this student describes me as jovial, funny and happy. 🙂 I also love how she described me as only 51 years old (thanks to her for that!!).  She also forgot to mention my third child.  None of that matters.   I see a great improvement in her writing and obviously she feels she learned something from me.  I feel I also inspired her.

This is what makes my job worthwhile: the relationships I have with my students, who still drop by to visit me, smile & shake my hand warmly, telling me they miss our class and miss me.

Another student dropped by today, a lovely girl who worked extremely hard in level one.  She said, “Teacher I miss you so much!!” I asked how her current class was going and she said, “Bad, teacher, bad.”  I said, “Why??”  She said, “Teacher is always angry!!”  She shook her head.  “Angry, teacher, angry!”  (This comment is quite common to many students in Oman, describing teachers as angry, but maybe they just mean demanding.  I am very demanding too, so maybe they say this about me as well.)

My students are what, in the end, matter more than anything.  These kinds of written or spoken words from these girls are the greatest reward of my job.

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” ~ Brad Henry

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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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giving notice

22 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Foundation Institute, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Life, Oman, University of Nizwa

Saturday, December 22:  Today, I tendered my 6-month resignation to the University of Nizwa.  My last day of work here will be on Wednesday, June 26, 2013.

The reasons I am leaving are numerous.  Basically, the main reason is that I’m homesick.  I miss my family and friends and my home in America.  I want to be close to my children.  I want to work on my marriage, and I can’t do that living abroad.   I miss the work environment I had in the community college in Virginia.  I miss feeling connected to my people back home.

entrance to the University of Nizwa

entrance to the University of Nizwa

Finally, it is simply time to move on to a new phase in my life.  I have been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish next.  I am thinking seriously, as I always do, about my resolutions for the New Year of 2013.  Thirteen has always been a lucky number for me, so I have high hopes for the new year.

Stay tuned for my post on New Year’s Day, where I will spell out in great detail, as I always do, my New Year’s resolutions. (Maybe too much detail for my readers!!)  I always take this process seriously.  As I remember someone saying once, you have to create the life you intend. Or something along those lines.  Nothing will happen unless I make it happen.  A little luck thrown in is always a good thing as well!

“Edward: You know what the difference is between a dream and a goal? he used to say to me. A plan.”  ― Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf

I will miss a lot about Oman.  I love the country and I’ve explored many hidden places that even Omanis don’t take the time to explore.  I will continue to do this over the next 6 months.

I get a new vocabulary word in my email inbox every day from Dictionary.dom.  The word I received today is this:

decathect \dee-kuh-THEKT\, verb:  To withdraw one’s feelings of attachment from (a person, idea, or object), as in anticipation of a future loss.

This word applies to what I will have to do when I leave Oman and the amazing people I have met here.

I’ve learned a lot while I’ve been here.  I’ve learned something about who I am.  I’ve learned to enjoy my solitude.  I love the sense of adventure that has grown in me.  I’ve learned to be independent.  I’ve learned about the kind of people I like to seek out and spend time with.  I’ve learned what feels good about a work environment, and what doesn’t. I’ve learned more about what I am seeking.

When I leave Oman, I will write a final reflection piece about what I’ve learned about myself and about coping in a foreign land.  Until then, I hope you’ll continue to join me for the final leg of my journey in Oman.

“If you have a goal, write it down. If you do not write it down, you do not have a goal – you have a wish.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

“There is always a gap between intention and action..”
― Paulo Coelho

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the case of oman’s missing calendar

16 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Birthday of Sultan Qaboos, Calendar, Islamic New Year, Oman, Ramadan, University of Nizwa

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

Sunday, December 16:  After a year and a quarter of living in Oman, I still haven’t been able to solve the mystery of the missing calendar.  It seems there is NO OFFICIAL CALENDAR in this country at all.   This phenomenon extends even into the universities.  Though the institutions of higher learning make a half-hearted attempt to establish an academic calendar, they make little or no effort to follow it.

In Western countries, a calendar is issued well before the new year begins, specifying all the official holidays for the entire year.   As a matter of fact, I think these calendars are issued years in advance, so that if you want to plan a holiday for 3 or 5 years from today, you can just look at a forward calendar and figure out the best timing.

In the United States, we all know with absolute certainty that New Year’s Day is January 1, Christmas Day is December 25, and Fourth of July is, duh, July 4.  All the other holidays follow on a specific Monday or Friday of the month, such as the third Monday (Martin Luther King Day in January & President’s Day in February), the last Monday (Memorial Day in May), or the first Monday (Labor Day in September).  Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November, and that often means everyone gets off on Friday as well, making for a four-day weekend. While Veteran’s Day is legally on November 11, if that date happens to be on a Saturday or Sunday, then organizations that formally observe the holiday will normally be closed on the adjacent Friday or Monday, respectively.

The only holiday that is changeable each year is Easter.  The Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox.

We know that Easter must always occur on a Sunday, because Sunday was the day of Christ’s Resurrection. But why the paschal full moon? Because that was the date of Passover in the Jewish calendar, and the Last Supper (Holy Thursday) occurred on the Passover. Therefore, Easter was the Sunday after Passover.

If there were not an official calendar, it could all become very confusing because, in the USA, there are many holidays throughout the year, as you can see from the above.  Westerners would be up in arms if they were left dangling every year wondering when each holiday would be.  We simply wouldn’t tolerate it.  Because we are used to planning our free time ahead of time.  If we want to take a three-day weekend in the mountains or at the beach, we want to know well in advance so we can plan to do just that.

Here is Oman, there is never any certainty as to when any holiday will be.  Of course, most of the big holidays are religious holidays and are based on the sighting of the moon.  Although Ramadan is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This difference means Ramadan moves in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The date of Ramadan may also vary from country to country depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.  This same logic applies to the other major religious holidays in the Muslim world, Eid al Adha and Eid al Fitr.   These holidays, being changeable, can in some ways be likened to how the Easter holiday in America and in the Christian world is determined.

With Easter in the United States, as it falls on a Sunday, which is already the weekend, there are no official days off, although most schools and some universities grant a week-long spring break either before or after Easter. Sometimes this spring break is not related to Easter at all, but it is still ALWAYS granted sometime in the spring. However, whatever holidays these institutions decide to grant are built into the academic calendar well in advance of the actual academic year.  Thus students and faculty know when they can plan a spring holiday getaway.

In addition, in the Western world, the academic calendars are all set well in advance of the academic year, with the start day of classes, the add-drop period, and the final day to drop a class and get either a full or partial tuition refund fully spelled out.  Also spelled out in these academic calendars is the last day of classes, the period of final exams, and the break between semesters.

Well.  NONE OF THIS HAPPENS IN OMAN!! I don’t know about ALL universities in Oman, but I can speak for the University of Nizwa.  And I can speak for how the official government holidays have unfolded in the time that I’ve been here.

This fall, for example, the university calendar said the first day of classes would be October 6.  However, October 6 came and went and there were no sign of students. There were placement tests for many students, who straggled in over a number of days as if they had just been startled out of a long nap.  Then, since many students didn’t know about the placement tests, there were more placement tests for students who didn’t make the first round.

So.  Classes finally half-started on October 15, which was a Monday.  I went to my assigned classes on that Monday only to find no students showed up.  I went again on Tuesday to find one student out of my class list of 26.  Suddenly on Wednesday, we got a brand new class list, with a whole new set of students, and not one of THEM showed up.  Thursday and Friday were the weekend.

Finally, we started real classes on Saturday, October 20.  But by this time, the Eid Al-Adha was only one week away.  This holiday, though written on the academic calendar, is apparently not to be counted on until it’s officially announced by the Chancellor.  This wasn’t announced officially until three days before the Eid began on October 25. Thus, there was really no time to plan a holiday. However, I had taken a gamble in August and booked my ticket to Ethiopia then.  If it hadn’t been announced on the day I thought it would, I could have been in big trouble.  But I didn’t want to wait because of the experience I had the year before.  Last Eid, in 2011,  I waited until the last-minute to book a holiday to Jordan, and because it was so late, all the flights were booked and I couldn’t get on a flight AT ALL until 3 days after the Eid began!

We had our week holiday, and started back to school on Saturday, November 3. By this time we had only completed one week of classes.   The official holiday to celebrate Sultan Qaboos’s birthday is National Day, on November 18.  However, this holiday seems to never be celebrated on this day.  This year, there was an Islamic New Year holiday also around the 14th.  All the faculty at the university was in a quandary as to what days we would be granted these holidays.  In 2011, we got a straight 5 day holiday, three days from work plus the weekend.  This year, they announced at the very last possible minute that we would get Saturday, November 17 off, plus the Thur-Fri weekend of the 15th and 16th, making for a three-day weekend.  At that time I took off for Abu Dhabi.  Then later, we understood we would get additional days off for National Day, but we didn’t know when they would be.  Again, only about 4 days before the holiday, it was announced we would get off Tue-Fri, November 27-30.  By then, it was too late to plan anything, and besides where can you go for 4 days?

Now the big issue is the upcoming break between semesters.  Originally, according to the academic calendar, which is apparently written only in SAND and can easily be blown away by the slightest wind,  January 5 was to be the first day of final exams.  However, surprise, surprise (!), since we had so many holidays in the fall and got such a late start in the semester, now the exams have been pushed back to January 12.  The students have a break on January 19 for one week.  But the faculty is not guaranteed that break.  Last year, we had two weeks between final exams and the start of the spring semester, and we were granted one of those weeks, at the last-minute and “out of the goodness of the administration’s heart,” as a holiday.  This year, we have no idea if we will get it at all.

For a Westerner, this is incredibly frustrating.  None of us can understand why on earth the university, or Oman’s government for that matter, cannot make a calendar and stick to it.  For someone like me, whose sole reason for living and working abroad is to travel, this problem with the calendar drives me absolutely crazy.  It is probably the NUMBER ONE reason I will be leaving Oman by this summer.  If I can’t achieve my travel goals when I live abroad because of such total confusion about holidays, then it is time for me to go back home.

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a glimpse at what teachers wear to the university of nizwa. {fall 2012}

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Foundation Institute, Oman, University of Nizwa

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Life, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

Sunday, October 7: Often, people who are considering coming to work at the University of Nizwa write to me through my blog to ask various questions about life at the university.  One question people ask me is what people wear to work.  In order to avoid having to answer these questions on an individual basis, I decided to write a post about how teachers dress.

Long skirt, long-sleeve shirt and shayla (headscarf)

Short-sleeve blouse and skirt below the knee

button down shirt and long khaki pants

Saudi dress? I’m not sure here….

For the women, the general rule is that women should be modest, cover their shoulders and wear pants or skirts that fall below the knee.  Some of the women teachers are Muslim and cover their hair.  Others are not, and they do not cover.   Some women are Muslim and don’t cover.  It is an individual choice.  It is not required.

Short sleeve long top with long pants

A variety of dress. Left to right: button down shirt and long pants; Omani dishdasha and mussar; short sleeve collared knit shirt and long pants, long skirt and 3/4 sleeve blouse with scarf.

1) Me with long skirt, 3/4 length sleeves and scarf; 2) nice jeans and polo shirt; 3) long balloon pants and long tunic

long-sleeve button-down shirt, long khaki pants, and cap

The men generally wear collared shirts, or long tunics, or dishdashas if they are Omani.  Some men even go so far as to wear ties.  Shorts, frayed jeans or sloppy T-shirts are generally not acceptable.

women teachers at the university, with long skirts, scarves, long or mid-sleeve tops

short sleeve button-down shirt and long pants

a long sleeve shirt, tie, and long khaki pants

long tunic and long pants

This is just a sampling of different teachers and what they wear, as I cannot put pictures of every single teacher on my blog.  Teachers generally keep the heat in mind when they dress, sticking to lightweight cotton fabrics.  Many people wear sandals year round here, although many people wear close-toed shoes as well.

Indian cotton top with colorful scarf and long pants

long sleeve cardigan and blouse, long pants and headscarf

polo shirt and long khaki pants

long Indian tunic and long loose-fitting pants, cardigan over blouse and capri-length pants, and polo shirt with long pants

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back to work ~ booted from office!

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Foundation Institute, Six Word Saturday, University of Nizwa

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Life, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

Saturday, September 15:  Today is Six Word Saturday, and here are my six words:

BACK TO WORK ~ BOOTED FROM OFFICE!

I didn’t open my university email even one time in the six weeks I was on vacation for this very reason.  I didn’t want to be upset by anything that had to do with work.  No one wants to find out while they are on vacation that they’ve been sacked, that their house has burned down, that they’ve been demoted, or WHATEVER!!  I didn’t want my peace of mind ruined, or even threatened, during my time of relaxation and leisure.

my new office

I found upon my return that the office I shared with two other people (it was bad enough we didn’t have our own private offices!) has now been confiscated by the university administration (for what use I’m not clear).  I was told upon my return to pack up my stuff and move to a newer building across the campus with a lot of other Foundation Institute teachers into a bullpen area full of cubicles.  It’s not that bad really, but the worst thing is that I’m separated from my closest friends all the way across the campus.

my special new desk

Welcome back to the real world.

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listening final is over; marking begins…

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Foundation Institute, Oman, Six Word Saturday, University of Nizwa

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Nizwa, Oman, Six Word Saturday, University of Nizwa

Saturday: July 28:  Today is Six Word Saturday, and here are mine:

LISTENING FINAL IS OVER; MARKING BEGINS…

This summer, I have been the coordinator for what is called our Post-Foundation program at the University of Nizwa. These are students who have somehow completed the Foundation Program and are now still taking English courses because their TOEFL score isn’t high enough to start studying in their majors.  My coordinator position was just a summer position, and luckily I can just go back to teaching in the fall.  The only class I did teach this summer was Listening, focused mainly on academic listening and note-taking (including mind maps and linear note-taking).  Having taught the highest level of Speaking and Listening last summer at Northern Virginia Community College, I found this course was an exercise in futility.  My students are at a very basic level, and the lectures were about franchises, solving the traffic dilemma in London, macro- and micro-economics and Gestalt theory.  The curriculum level is simply not matching the abilities of our students.

Anyway, today was the final exam for listening.  This afternoon, our team, and other teachers who were hijacked for the job, began the double marking.  Tomorrow, we have the Grammar Final and on Monday the Reading Final.  We have to double mark nearly 500 exams.  All this by Tuesday afternoon, so as coordinator, I can check over everything for our group before submitting it to the administration on Wednesday.  Thursday morning at 5:40 a.m., I will be on the plane for Washington.  I am so ready for my 6-week break.  One month in Northern Virginia and two weeks in Greece!

As the Arabs say: Al Hamdullilah!

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weekly photo challenge: create

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in postaweek2012, University of Nizwa, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 17 Comments

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weekly photo challenge

Friday, June 22:  The Weekly Photo Challenge for this week is CREATE. The best part about creating something is being in the moment, relishing the creativity you’re experiencing, and letting your actions guide you to an end goal. Then you can step back and admire your work!  Have you snapped a picture of something you’ve created, or something someone else has created?  

Share a picture that means CREATE to you! (Weekly Photo Challenge: Create)

Walking around the University of Nizwa art department one day, I came upon the following things that students at the university created.

a turtle made of spoons & plumbing fittings

some kind of animal made of sticks (possibly a horse?)

I don’t know what this is, but it’s certainly colorful and cool!

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weekly photo challenge: close

15 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Camels, dates, Dhofar Region, dhow, Khasab, Musandam, Musandam, postaweek2012, Salalah, University of Nizwa, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

postaweek2012, weekly photo challenge

Friday, June 15: This week’s photo challenge is Close. It’s a feeling, it’s a proximity…it’s people, it’s a place, it’s objects. They’re close.

Here are some dates found on date palms on the University of Nizwa campus.  They are clustered together, as close as close can be.

dates close together on the tree

A mother and baby camel in Salalah who are quite close.

two close camels

Finally, I went on a dhow cruise in Musandam over the holiday for the Prophet’s Ascension.  Omani families are very close, and I love the picture of this father and daughter.

Omani father & daughter on the dhow cruise in Musandam

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Heading to Spain and Portugal!!

To Barcelona & beyond! :-)June 28, 2013
To Barcelona & beyond! :-)

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  • weekly photo challenge: escape
  • friday meditation: on choosing one memory to relive for all eternity
  • a fond farewell to the gardens of wekan
  • on preparing for spain & portugal: first steps
  • sunday post: mother’s day
  • travel theme: beaches
  • weekly photo challenge: pattern
  • getting my green fix in the gardens of misfat al abriyyen
  • weekly photo challenge: from above
  • friday meditation: flow
  • a sepia kind of day in nizwa: rain, rain, rain & a shifting weekend
  • travel theme: light
  • friday meditation: “addicted to a certain kind of sadness” ~ a playlist of bittersweet memories
  • happy birthday to sarah!
  • pay day at the lulu hypermarket in nizwa
  • Ma’a salama to my GMC Terrain {trials & tribulations of selling a car in Oman}
  • weekly photo challenge: up
  • friday meditation: a question of fate
  • CBBH photo challenge: multi-colored
  • weekly photo challenge: change
  • breakfast at the chedi
  • a trip to wadi bani kharous
  • weekly photo challenge: color
  • travel theme: pale
  • friday meditation: star-spangling our solitude
  • jebel akhdar: an afternoon of brits & roses, wine & bubbly
  • 2008 GMC Terrain for sale!
  • sunday post: entrance
  • weekly photo challenge: a day in my life

Archives

  • December 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (11)
  • May 2013 (18)
  • April 2013 (17)
  • March 2013 (19)
  • February 2013 (17)
  • January 2013 (20)
  • December 2012 (33)
  • November 2012 (27)
  • October 2012 (12)
  • September 2012 (44)
  • August 2012 (7)
  • July 2012 (37)
  • June 2012 (35)
  • May 2012 (38)
  • April 2012 (40)
  • March 2012 (29)
  • February 2012 (17)
  • January 2012 (21)
  • December 2011 (15)
  • November 2011 (14)
  • October 2011 (8)
  • September 2011 (4)
  • August 2011 (1)

Catbird in Oman Menu

  • home
  • About me
    • New Year’s Resolutions
    • Bucket List
    • Share Your World
    • Friday Meditation
  • Oman
    • Al-Batinah Region
    • Al-Dhahirah Region
    • Al-Dakhiliyah Region
      • Nizwa
    • Al-Wusta Region
    • Dhofar Region
    • Musandam
    • Muscat
    • Sharqiya Region
  • University of Nizwa
  • Africa
    • african meanderings {& musings}
  • Americas
    • nomad, interrupted: catbird in the united states of america
    • notes from north america
    • United States of America
      • Virginia
  • Asia
    • catbird in china
    • catbird in korea
    • catbird in kyoto
    • catbird in south asia
    • catbird in turkey
    • ride paddies and papayas
  • Europe
    • greek wanderings
    • in search of a thousand cafés
  • Middle East
    • a jaunt to jordan
    • catbird in cairo
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Abu Dhabi
  • photography
    • Sunday Post
    • Travel Theme Photo Challenge
    • Weekly Photo Challenge
    • whatever a moon has always meant
  • Fiction
    • land of make-believe

what happens when…

February 2021
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Blogs I Follow

Blog of the Year 2012

Kreativ Blogger Award

Genuine Blogger Award

Ligo Circle of Appreciation

Shine On Award

Oman Blogs

  • Adventures of an American ESL Instructor Teaching at an Omani University
  • Andy in Oman
  • Angry in Oman
  • Bethany Duffield
  • Desperate Housewife in Oman
  • Dhofari Gucci
  • English Girl in Oman
  • Hallucinations of a Kitten
  • How to live like an Omani Princess
  • Hunting the Lost Insurgency: Oman
  • Matthew Heines
  • Misadventures in HR
  • Mumoftheanimals's Blog
  • Muscat Confidential
  • Muscat Jet Driver
  • Muscat Mutterings
  • Oh Man…Oman is really nice!
  • Omani Book Mania
  • Omani Cuisine
  • Rural Route Runner
  • Samir's Home
  • Secret Salalah
  • Sleepless in Salalah
  • Sultanate Social
  • Susan Al Shahri
  • The Linoleum Surfer

Oman Information

  • Albahja Cinema
  • Background Note Oman: U.S. State Department
  • Bait Muzna Gallery
  • BBC News: Oman Country Profile
  • CIA World Factbook ~ Oman
  • City Cinema Shatti
  • Destination Oman
  • Embassy of the United States – Muscat, Oman
  • Lonely Planet Oman
  • Ministry of Information: Sultanate of Oman
  • Oman Daily Observer
  • Royal Opera House Muscat
  • Sultanate of Oman Tourism
  • Sultanate of Oman: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Travel Blogs

  • Dan & Jillian's International Teaching Adventures
  • Dude Travels to Go
  • The Cool Hunter: amazing places to experience around the globe
  • The Traveling Gypsy
  • Wildcard Travels

X-terraneous Stuff

  • CIA World Factbook ~ South Korea
  • Dawn King
  • Let me bite that.
  • Life in the Bogs
  • reinventing the event horizon

my photostream on flickr

Sunny but only 20 degrees today!uploaduploaduploadTaking a walk through the neighborhood#whpsentbymailNext door to port royal post officeNext store in port royalupload
More Photos

Goodreads

Top Posts & Pages

  • the falaj daris ~ a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • an encounter with an oral surgeon: filing down the bone
  • musandam: a hidden cove, acacia "forest" & a mountain drive
  • exploring an nakhur gorge & a hike from the old village of ghul to the ridge of the canyon

InterNations

Weekly Photo Challenge

PostaWeek2012

share your world

a-z photo challenge

52 Pick Up

Sunday Post

Six Word Saturday

No Comfort Zone Challenge

I pledge to read the Printed Word

things i write about

"Happiness" 52 Pick Up 2012 A-Z Photo Challenge Abu Dhabi Abu Nooh Building Africa Akrotírion Al-Areesh Camp Al-Batinah Region Al-Dakhiliyah Region Al-Dhahirah Region Al Aqr Al Ayn Al Hamra Al Musanaah Americas Asia As Sifah Beach Athens Bahla Balad Sayt Birkat Al Mouz Cambodia Cappadocia Crete Daegu Ethiopia Europe Falaj Daris Hotel Family Foundation Institute Friday Meditation Geoje-si GMC Terrain Greece India Intercontinental Hotel Jakesprinter Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams Jordan Kyoto Lake Langano Lalibela Life Matthieu Ricard Middle East misfat al abriyyin Musandam Muscat Muttrah Muttrah Souq Nakhal Fort Nepal Nizwa Nizwa souq Oia Oman Oman Dive Center Phnom Penh Photography Challenges Pokhara postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Rethymno Royal Opera House Sahab Hotel Saiq Plateau Salalah Santorini Seoul Share Your World Sharqiya Region Sharqiya Sands Six Word Saturday South Korea Spirituality Suncheon Bay Sunday Post Travel Travel Theme Photo Challenge Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Virginia Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Bani Habib Wadi Bani Khalid Wadi Damm Wadi MIstal Wadi Muaydin Wadi Shab Wadi Tiwi Wednesday Song Title Interpretation Weekly Photo Challenge Wekan Western Hajar Mountains

oh say can you see?

Free counters!

Tag Cloud

#capturethecolour 7 Super Shots 52 Pick Up @travelsupermkt a-z photo challenge Abu Dhabi Al Amerat Architecture Art Balad Sayt Birthdays Blogging books Bucket List CBBH Photo Challenge Christmas Daydream Saturdays DPchallenge Egypt Empty Quarter Ethiopia GMC Terrain Greece Hyundai Sonata Ibri InterNations Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams karma's photography scavenger hunt Life middle east Misfat Al Abriyyin Muscat Nepal Nizwa Nizwa Souq No Comfort Zone Challenge Oman Omar Khairat Optimism Pessimism Phoneography Challenge Picture the World! postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Roses Royal Opera House Royal Opera House Muscat Saiq Plateau Salalah share your world Shine On Award Six Word Saturday South Korea Spain Spirituality Story Challenge Sunday Post Tibet Travel travel theme Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Tiwi Wedding wednesday song title interpretation weekly photo challenge Western Hajar Mountains Wordpress WPLongform wwwp5k

Blogs I Follow

  • Fairfax County Emergency Information
  • ~ wander.essence ~
  • Living in Paradise...
  • SterVens' Tales
  • PIRAN CAFÉ
  • Word Wabbit
  • Cardinal Guzman
  • Pit's Fritztown News
  • Fumbling Through Italy
  • Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek
  • snowtoseas
  • Cornwall in Colours
  • Slovenian Girl Abroad
  • Let Me Bite That
  • Running Stories by Jerry Lewis
  • Finding NYC
  • The World according to Dina
  • Cornwall Photographic
  • snippetsandsnaps
  • SITTING PRETTY

Administrative Stuff…

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

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Categories

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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

SITTING PRETTY

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

SITTING PRETTY

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