Cultural Shock

Since being over here, I really haven't experienced many things culturally that I was not expecting. Today, that changed. I was watching Man vs. Food's BBQ episode.  It was a episode about BBQ in the Durham N.C. area. When they were talking about pulled pork, pork shoulder, pork sandwich, the word "pork" was silenced out. I thought I was hearing things till the word "pork" was pixelated on T.V. Coming over, I knew that pork wasn't going to happen, but I never expected the word itself to be censored. I mean even curse words aren't censored on T.V. and "pork" is.

Tupac's in Oman!

Went shopping at Lulu's today. Lulu is a chain mega store all through the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The one in Salalah is 3 stories with a grocery store on the bottom, a clothing and goods store on the second and food stalls with a huge children play area on the third. All the floors have other smaller store intermixed on the wings. (money exchange, pharmacy's, etc.) When we were in the grocery area, I had my heart set on some good cheese, green olives and pita bread. The one thing that amazed me was the sound track the store was operating on... Who knew the Oman people were such Tupac fans.

O for the want of Bacon!!!

  One thing that is a pleasant surprise to me is that I rather enjoy the food here. At the Haffa House, there is a decent restaurant that serves Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and Continental food. All of the dishes are made to order and are very tasty. All around the hotel, there are Coffee Shops, Bakeries, Kebab stands, Walk in and Dine in dinners. You can get a good meal for around 3-10 U.S. Dollars. Also, 2 blocks from the hotel there is a Lulu’s, which is comparable to a local market. There are also copious amounts of fresh produce and meat shops around. (I wish my room had a small kitchenette!) But, much to my chagrin, NO BACON!!!

A Beautiful Day at the Beach

A Beautiful Day at the Beach

               

 Today was the first time that I set foot on a beach in years and I have to tell you, the beaches here are amazing.  From my hotel, it is about a 45 minute walk, or a 10 minute cab ride, to the coast.  I took a stroll around the city today and decided to walk to the beach. Here are some of the pictures I took in the process. Thanks for the early Christmas present Mom and Dad!

Because of some minor details with my host country, I should be granted my clearance either Wednesday or Saturday to start work. But on the upside I was told today that I am going to be working the night shift. So I should be able to either talk or chat with you all real time! I hope all is well at home. Although homesickness has not hit yet, I do have the perfect video ready if and when it strikes. Sorry to any LSU fans who read this… na, not really.

Greetings from the Middle East!

Greetings from the Middle East!

Well folks, this is the first, but certainly not the last, entry into my blog. I want to preface this with I do miss all of you very much and look forward to the day that I get to see each of you again. But enough of the sentimental stuff, you all know that is not me. First of all if you ever have the option to fly Qatar Air, do so. The flights length itself was helped with a healthy dose of NightQuil, but the great service during the flight, coupled with a great flight crew made the whole experience plenty more sufferable that it should have been. Being able to sleep for more than ten hours on the initial flight, because of the crew, made the inevitable jet lag that much more bearable.

While the flight from Qatar to Muscat was uneventful, with the exception of the loud Indians who refused to let me get any shut-eye, my arrival at Muscat was a eye opener. I was expecting a complicated procedure in regards towards immigration and customs but this was not the case. I waited in a fast moving live to change some of my currency to Rails, and at the same time paid for my temporary tourist visa. After waiting in another short live to see an immigration officer, I collected my bags and went to customs. Customs just involved putting my bags through another x-ray machine that was manned by a half slumbering security guard. Boarding my next flight to Salalah involved going through 2 security sections, before I even got my boarding pass, collecting my boarding pass, going through another security screening, and finally boarding my plane.

When I finally arrived in Salalah, I was greeted by a hotel employee who took me to the Haffa House, a very nice hotel but for its absence of a internet connection. I have now been here for a day and a half waiting to be picked up for my transfer to my “base”.  I am grateful for this because it has given me time to get accustomed to the weather, Alabama in June, to get accustomed to the time difference and to see a portion of this city. I hope all is well at home and please respond to this blog with any news from home. 

.... pictures to follow

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