End of March?

Once again I am struck by the date and how fast this year has gone.  We work today and tomorrow and then it's Spring Break till the 9th of April.  April!  Sheesh.  We have been actively looking at our summer calendar as well and mapping out how things will go.  Starting to book appointments for dental cleanings and checkups, getting in for eye exams, and doctor exams and vaccinations.  On top of that, packing up our house and moving out around the 20th of July so our wonderful renters can move in, getting family and friend time in, shopping for and packing things we want to bring back overseas with us, a few trips...  We are pretty sure our summer will fly by and we'll be back here in no time.  We will do our best despite the very summer to savor each day as we can.  We are so excited to see our family and friends in person instead of through the computer.

Anyways, the last week has been great.  Aberly has all of a sudden entered the "conversation" ability in language so has lots and lots and lots to tell us.  Her memory is fantastic and she is able to tell us about her day and what she did, ate, etc... when we ask.  Today, she even had a small banter with the school gate man.  He came to her window and said hello, asked her how she was ("good"), and what are you doing ("going to the park").  I loved it!  Her increased communication has also made it possible for her and Isla (her best friend) to have all kinds of little conversations while they play.  They love to play and it's so nice when they are together because it's easier for me to do things!  Same for Isla's nanny, so we often trade a couple times a week watching the girls after playgroup to give each other a break and more time to do things.  It's great.

Colin is breathing easy now that he is done with track and is happy to have his evenings back with no practices.  He had to prepare for grades and conferences right after getting back from his track meet in Chennai (he plans to blog about the track meet soon for you all) which was a bit stressful, but that is also done now and he is excited to relax over Spring Break.  We don't have any big plans, just a few local things.  I hope to get out for a trip to the souk with my friend Sarah, as well as have a pedicure, and then I am going to the Cinderella ballet at the Opera House at the end of the break.  Together, Colin and I are planning to explore one of the beautiful wadis an hour from here together while Aberly stays home with Priscilla, and then as a family, we hope to get out to a local resort for two nights and enjoy a mini getaway.

I think that is about it.  Here is a few fun pictures of Aberly and her best friend Isla, and then all her playgroup buddies.  They are all growing up!

 

 

Sandstorm fizz out...

Well the large sandstorm that closed down school ended up being rather lackluster!  We actually got a bit excited to "batten down the hatches" per se, and then in the end, the dust pretty much came in like a fog, slowly and settled itself over the area.  No blowing and racing winds, no dust cloud enveloping us while we huddled inside.  In the morning, there was just a fine layer of dust over everything, but not much more than what we would get with any windy day. 

The overall effect was that it just looked foggy.  At night, the dusty air glowed around the lights.  I pretended that it was cold and wintry outside, since that is kinda what it looked like. 

Here are a few pictures:

 The mountains near our home totally disappeared in the dust.

 

The view out our back window.  Everything was really hazy and buildings harder to see.

 

The dust layer the next morning on our car.

The paper towels and tape have been removed from our windows.  It's still hazy outside and actually looks pretty similar to the pictures above, so they were right, the dust is hanging around for a few days.  So yeah, in the end, not too exciting.  

But, I don't want to sound like I'm totally complaining.  Getting to be released early from school was fantastic and the totally different experiences we have here are just plain new and fun.  A sandstorm will never get us out of work in Oregon!  

You know you live in the Middle East when...

... when you get this announcement over the school intercom today from the school head:

"May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please.  We will be dismissing school today at 2:00 due to an approaching sandstorm.  The Omani Ministry of Education and US Embassy have advised all schools to close due the storm."

Is this just awesome, or what?  The US may have it's winter school closers and early releases/late starts due to snow and ice and we get a winter sandstorm!  Both cause dangerous driving situations, poor visibility, they coat things (although this will be brown and not so pretty), and you generally stay inside.  And while we might not have to shovel our sidewalks, we will be doing some sweeping.  School tomorrow?  We'll find out in the morning!

To prepare, our windows are closed and we've stuff paper towel pieces in the gaps (windows are not well sealed here) and taped long, thing gaps.  I've brought some of Aberly's outdoor toys in and we are watching and waiting.  Nothing big yet.

The day started out weird.  It was so hazy but didn't feel humid or dusty at the time.  The wind kept coming and going, and at one point, it felt cooler outside than it did initially in the morning when I first went out.  It just felt "off" and like something was coming, but I didn't know what.  I told Colin I feel a bit psychic now, hahahah.  Anyways, it is still pretty hazy outside and slowly becoming more so.  I don't know if we'll get a full on "blowing sandstorm" or more of one that just settles and makes it hard to see.  Here is the official bulletin posted by the Ministry (the translation from Arabic):

---Warning of the dust storm caused by the low visibility to less than 500 m in some of the Sultanate's atmosphere.

Calls upon the General Directorate of Meteorology and Air Navigationn eed to exercise caution and lack of direct exposure to the dust storm coming into the atmosphere of the Sultanate, which is expected to impact during the next two hours directly to the governorates of Muscat, Al Batinah South, North Batinah, Musandam and the South East.

Where he is expected to cause the spread of dust in low visibility to below the (500 meters) or absence in some cases.

It also calls upon the directorate of all attendees of the fishermen and the sea coast of Musandam Governorate in the Sea of Oman and the need to takec aution and make sure the case with visits by the sea due to the raging and low visibility because of the dust-laden winds.

And is expected to stay until the weather tomorrow (Tuesday)with the continued spread of plankton in the dirt all the atmosphere of the Sultanate until next Wednesday---

Next Wednesday?  As in over a week?  What an experience!  I will post pictures and more stories as things develop!