I keep having all kinds of things I think about blogging about each day. They tend to occur to me at inopportune times, like when I am driving, or when I'm at the school watching Aberly play on the jungle gym. Always at times when I don't have the computer in front of me. So, here is my best attempt to blog about these things I've tried to keep as mental notes. We'll see how much I can remember.
There are two "English" radio stations here in Oman. 95.9 High and 104.8 Merge. They are both DJ'd by random British or Aussie folks trying to be cool and hip. Not so much. The music is also way random blends of music. They'll announce the next song up is by some current singer or band, but then it's rarely one of their popular songs. You'll be like, "I've never heard this song ever". When they do play music I know, it's usually older stuff. It's amusing. The other weird thing is that the music isn't really censored. I don't know if it's because they don't know the words or they just don't care, but you hear some language and verbiage that you wouldn't hear in the states.
On the topic of driving, I forgot to mention before how the lights work here. No worries, red, yellow, and green, but there are some extra quirks which I actually quite like. When you are waiting at a red light, you know when it will turn green because the yellow light comes on for a few seconds with the red light. It's the "get ready" indication. And, when the light is going to change to red, the green lights start flashing as a "slow down" indication. Super handy at the big intersections.
A sad note, we don't have a dishwasher. That was a bummer to find out when we moved in but not the end of the world. We just do dishes all day long and let them air dry, which here, doesn't take long. Finding the right water temperature can be hard because the water tanks are on the top of the homes here, so they sit in the sun and warm up. I don't think we've ever had "cold" water here. It's always tepid or above. There are times, particularly mid-day, when the cold water is very hot. And then the hot water is boiling hot. Literally.
We finally got our wi-fi working which has been awesome. We had to get our box switched and the right password in. It's so nice to not have to use the computer at the dining room table anymore. It's nice to blog from my comfortable couch or bed.
This morning I went to our local Carrefour to look for a few toys and such. It was low key and a nice outing for Aberly. She loves adventures. We were told before coming how much children are loved here. It's really true. It always amazes me though, to see it first hand. The people in line behind us, the checkers, the floor attendants, the random other customers in the store. They will all stop and smile and wave. They will ask how she's doing, pinch her cheeks, shake her hand, tell me how precious she is, etc... And it's not just in the stores. The construction workers in our neighborhoods will do the same. No matter the age or the gender. I love having a 40-something construction worker stop and say hello, ask how she's doing, and shake her hand. I love having the male 20-something cool, hip clothing store clerk blow kisses to my daughter and turn into a goof. I love that when my daughter pulls down her pants in the mall by the coffee shop, that the three elderly Omani men all start chuckling and look at her adoringly like she's the cutest thing she's ever seen. And what I love the most is that it's all good and genuine and that I don't have to worry one bit about them being weirdos or perverts. I don't worry about her safety at all.
The construction workers. Construction is a way of life here in Oman right now. Their economy is doing well right now and lots of people are moving here, so lots of Indian workers come over to build and live here temporarily. The live on the site they are working on. Make-shift shanties are built on the site for the men. I see the same guys across the street every day working on the new building. I've met Ayub and he says hello each day. How they work all day in the heat is beyond me, but they do. And they do a great job.
All the windows are tinted here blue or green. You can't really tell from the inside, but outside, they are colored to help reduce the sun glare and it also creates privacy. You can't see in from the outside at all!
Okay, I think I've covered most of what I've been mentally noting the past few days. Besides that, we are having a great time and enjoying each day. Colin is back to work this week for the official all-staff inservice. Aberly and I hang at home together, run errands, and go to play at the school playground. We've also hit the beach which is about 10 minutes away. Our house is slowly coming together. Once we get a few more paychecks and have our finances smoothed out and steady, we look forward to adding more personal touches and decor to make it truly our home away from home.
There are two "English" radio stations here in Oman. 95.9 High and 104.8 Merge. They are both DJ'd by random British or Aussie folks trying to be cool and hip. Not so much. The music is also way random blends of music. They'll announce the next song up is by some current singer or band, but then it's rarely one of their popular songs. You'll be like, "I've never heard this song ever". When they do play music I know, it's usually older stuff. It's amusing. The other weird thing is that the music isn't really censored. I don't know if it's because they don't know the words or they just don't care, but you hear some language and verbiage that you wouldn't hear in the states.
On the topic of driving, I forgot to mention before how the lights work here. No worries, red, yellow, and green, but there are some extra quirks which I actually quite like. When you are waiting at a red light, you know when it will turn green because the yellow light comes on for a few seconds with the red light. It's the "get ready" indication. And, when the light is going to change to red, the green lights start flashing as a "slow down" indication. Super handy at the big intersections.
A sad note, we don't have a dishwasher. That was a bummer to find out when we moved in but not the end of the world. We just do dishes all day long and let them air dry, which here, doesn't take long. Finding the right water temperature can be hard because the water tanks are on the top of the homes here, so they sit in the sun and warm up. I don't think we've ever had "cold" water here. It's always tepid or above. There are times, particularly mid-day, when the cold water is very hot. And then the hot water is boiling hot. Literally.
We finally got our wi-fi working which has been awesome. We had to get our box switched and the right password in. It's so nice to not have to use the computer at the dining room table anymore. It's nice to blog from my comfortable couch or bed.
This morning I went to our local Carrefour to look for a few toys and such. It was low key and a nice outing for Aberly. She loves adventures. We were told before coming how much children are loved here. It's really true. It always amazes me though, to see it first hand. The people in line behind us, the checkers, the floor attendants, the random other customers in the store. They will all stop and smile and wave. They will ask how she's doing, pinch her cheeks, shake her hand, tell me how precious she is, etc... And it's not just in the stores. The construction workers in our neighborhoods will do the same. No matter the age or the gender. I love having a 40-something construction worker stop and say hello, ask how she's doing, and shake her hand. I love having the male 20-something cool, hip clothing store clerk blow kisses to my daughter and turn into a goof. I love that when my daughter pulls down her pants in the mall by the coffee shop, that the three elderly Omani men all start chuckling and look at her adoringly like she's the cutest thing she's ever seen. And what I love the most is that it's all good and genuine and that I don't have to worry one bit about them being weirdos or perverts. I don't worry about her safety at all.
The construction workers. Construction is a way of life here in Oman right now. Their economy is doing well right now and lots of people are moving here, so lots of Indian workers come over to build and live here temporarily. The live on the site they are working on. Make-shift shanties are built on the site for the men. I see the same guys across the street every day working on the new building. I've met Ayub and he says hello each day. How they work all day in the heat is beyond me, but they do. And they do a great job.
All the windows are tinted here blue or green. You can't really tell from the inside, but outside, they are colored to help reduce the sun glare and it also creates privacy. You can't see in from the outside at all!
Okay, I think I've covered most of what I've been mentally noting the past few days. Besides that, we are having a great time and enjoying each day. Colin is back to work this week for the official all-staff inservice. Aberly and I hang at home together, run errands, and go to play at the school playground. We've also hit the beach which is about 10 minutes away. Our house is slowly coming together. Once we get a few more paychecks and have our finances smoothed out and steady, we look forward to adding more personal touches and decor to make it truly our home away from home.
That's kind of funny about the music, you think they would censor it.....
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that the people in Oman love kids, what a wonderful thing! =)