We have been in Muscat for a week, and things are beginning to feel normal. Well, that's probably an overstatement, but more normal than they did a week ago.
One can buy more American products here in the grocery stores than in the UK, but they also have labels in Arabic. They are cute. Arabic just looks like squiggly lines to me -- I have no idea if I will take any lessons as everyone speaks English and I don't really have any need to study Arabic. However, it does seem like the right thing to do. But so hard!
Driving is still fine. I think once I know the names of places/areas of the city, I'll feel a lot more comfortable. The road signs are in both English and Arabic, so I will be able to get where I want to go. The major problem is that Arabic names to me all sound alike. This is not something I'm proud of, and I will be working on fixing it. Adding to the confusion is that everything is named for the Sultan (or in his honor in some way, like the road I use most frequently which is called 18 November Road because that's his birthday). I have to leave to pick up Tommy from school in about an hour and am still debating whether I'm going to go by myself or whether I'm going to make Eli ride shotgun. Eli is a little bit tired of riding shotgun, but I am still a bit nervous (despite the fact that Muscat is long and narrow, with mountains to the South and the ocean to the North, and relatively easy to navigate if you stick to the big roads). Remember, I have not regularly driven in my life since I was in high school.
We had a nice day yesterday. We did some shopping because there were still things that we needed to get for T for school. We successfully purchased a red backpack yesterday, and I say successfully because (1) it does not have Star Wars, Lego, Ben 10, Spiderman, etc. on it, and (2) because it didn't cost one million dollars and (3) because it's a brand I recognize (which is perhaps a little silly of me, but I still wanted it). We did not buy new, long running pants for me, which I do need in order to take advantage of running on the pretty beach we live near currently. This is because they did cost one million dollars. But that's okay. I will figure it out. Speaking of shopping, it is also interesting to me that I am currently purchasing some produce from the west coast of the US (Driscolls strawberries, those bunny luv baby carrots, and I saw some Washington apples). In the UK, we got lots of produce from Africa, and unless my geography is really out of whack, it seems like that's where the produce I buy here ought to be coming from.
I am finding it very difficult to get dressed in the morning. This is in part because I did a horrible job packing and lack most of my wardrobe, and alos because I am uncomfortable wearing anything other than long pants or long skirts, and my shoulders must be covered but better to cover to my elbows. I think I've mentioned before that I get looked at a lot here, and I think (hope) that staring isn't considered quite as rude as it is at home, because people (mostly men) are very blatant about looking at me. Yesterday I looked like a HUGE dork because I wore a dress with a T-shirt underneath. But, I felt much more comfortable than I would have if I had gone out with a plunging neckline. I have not felt any need at all to have my head covered. There are always other women without head coverings. But, even these women tend to have their arms and legs covered (though this might change as it gets warmer; right now it's winter, remember, and it's so strange because all the shops have full-on winter clothes in them).
I realized that in addition to being confused by the new week we're on, I am also seasonally confused. I have to remind myself that it's just January, not summer.
A bit disorienting, this move. Give me another week.
One can buy more American products here in the grocery stores than in the UK, but they also have labels in Arabic. They are cute. Arabic just looks like squiggly lines to me -- I have no idea if I will take any lessons as everyone speaks English and I don't really have any need to study Arabic. However, it does seem like the right thing to do. But so hard!
Driving is still fine. I think once I know the names of places/areas of the city, I'll feel a lot more comfortable. The road signs are in both English and Arabic, so I will be able to get where I want to go. The major problem is that Arabic names to me all sound alike. This is not something I'm proud of, and I will be working on fixing it. Adding to the confusion is that everything is named for the Sultan (or in his honor in some way, like the road I use most frequently which is called 18 November Road because that's his birthday). I have to leave to pick up Tommy from school in about an hour and am still debating whether I'm going to go by myself or whether I'm going to make Eli ride shotgun. Eli is a little bit tired of riding shotgun, but I am still a bit nervous (despite the fact that Muscat is long and narrow, with mountains to the South and the ocean to the North, and relatively easy to navigate if you stick to the big roads). Remember, I have not regularly driven in my life since I was in high school.
We had a nice day yesterday. We did some shopping because there were still things that we needed to get for T for school. We successfully purchased a red backpack yesterday, and I say successfully because (1) it does not have Star Wars, Lego, Ben 10, Spiderman, etc. on it, and (2) because it didn't cost one million dollars and (3) because it's a brand I recognize (which is perhaps a little silly of me, but I still wanted it). We did not buy new, long running pants for me, which I do need in order to take advantage of running on the pretty beach we live near currently. This is because they did cost one million dollars. But that's okay. I will figure it out. Speaking of shopping, it is also interesting to me that I am currently purchasing some produce from the west coast of the US (Driscolls strawberries, those bunny luv baby carrots, and I saw some Washington apples). In the UK, we got lots of produce from Africa, and unless my geography is really out of whack, it seems like that's where the produce I buy here ought to be coming from.
I am finding it very difficult to get dressed in the morning. This is in part because I did a horrible job packing and lack most of my wardrobe, and alos because I am uncomfortable wearing anything other than long pants or long skirts, and my shoulders must be covered but better to cover to my elbows. I think I've mentioned before that I get looked at a lot here, and I think (hope) that staring isn't considered quite as rude as it is at home, because people (mostly men) are very blatant about looking at me. Yesterday I looked like a HUGE dork because I wore a dress with a T-shirt underneath. But, I felt much more comfortable than I would have if I had gone out with a plunging neckline. I have not felt any need at all to have my head covered. There are always other women without head coverings. But, even these women tend to have their arms and legs covered (though this might change as it gets warmer; right now it's winter, remember, and it's so strange because all the shops have full-on winter clothes in them).
I realized that in addition to being confused by the new week we're on, I am also seasonally confused. I have to remind myself that it's just January, not summer.
A bit disorienting, this move. Give me another week.
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