I remember vividly days spent barricaded inside residences of Kentucky and Indiana during rainy, cold, snowing or even cloudy days that were too "unpleasant" to venture out. I pined away for visits to Venessa in California or Michelle in the Keys, I counted down until the next vacation flyaway. I scorned air conditioning until the last possible moment (much to the chagrin of my roommate and my dog). I would drive my car with the windows down in lieu of "processed air."
When winter came this year, I laughed at my fellow Lexingtonians who'd be facing months more of chilly weather. This year was one I wouldn't have to spend waiting until May for sunshine and warmth. I loved answering the question about whether I'd like living in the desert. Tropical temperatures, I thought, I'll be sunbathing on the roof after classes. I scoffed at friends and family with experience in the Middle East who told of the burdensome heat of June through August.
I was even pretty obstinate during these last few days of 90-some degree temperatures when catching a cab within a few moments was requisite, but also manageable. That was...until today. I stood outside for 20 hot, sunburned, shadeless, helpless, sweaty, desperation-inducing, taxi-less moments. To make matters worse, every single cab that passed by with a passenger was turning out of the blasted MALL. Like no one in this darn country has anything better to do than SHOP-at a stupid MALL-that they go to EVERY DAY! My temper burned up every time I saw those taxi drivers wave me off and then my feet started burning too. Up through the soles radiated all the concentrated heat of a sidewalk that would have burned an egg on contact, let alone fried it.
Then it just started to hit me. What in the world must I look like, standing there on the side of the road, this Western woman, wearing her pants and high heels, not covered, not even carrying an umbrella to shield her from the sun. I bet they were all driving by thinking I looked about as funny as I think the dudes are who dye their beards bright red with Henna and couldn't help laughing at the thought of I thinking I was weird and just then, a cab. Salvation.
Seeing as the temperatures here are settling into (a cool) 100 or so and we have nowhere to go but up, I can't even imagine how much hotter it's going to get. Even the border guard checking my passport asked me from his air conditioned booth, "Why you are walking? It's hot! You should not be walk!"
Tell me about it.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday's not so bad...
when your Monday is Tuesday, that is. Ok, ok, and when Sunday is Monday and you spend that day touring the royal stables instead of (me) grading papers or (Jacob) going to class (In Oman and UAE, the weekend days are different than back home. We operate on a Sunday - Thursday week. Friday for us and for the locals is holy day.). We returned from an amazing long weekend in Dubai seeing the famed city Warren's way. Forget Frank's way (or my way, for once). Warren's topped it all. Right now, though, catching up is in order. Photos to come (once I've edited down the nearly 300 that I took!).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
No time like the present(s)
I will be the first to tell you that, while Buraimi is basically a dusty border town, it does have a few "comforts," which can be acquired at the "Ibrahim Marketing" or "Al Ain Gift Market" (which is in Buraimi, ironically, not Al Ain). These funny little five-and-dime "gift" or "marketing" stores boast a surprising array of necessities like cup-o-noodle and peanut butter, and if you can't find something, you might have better luck finding it (or some close approximation) in Al Ain.
That said, I received a little care package the other day from one of my girlfriends and bridesmaids, Elisabeth. It's suprising how much the close approximations don't seem so close when you get the real thing. I mean, TimeOut Dubai is nice, and some of the English-language mags are ok, but nothing quite stacks up to the pure silly indulgence of an UsWeekly. Not to mention KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese (hear that, Essie?), Starbucks coffee (which you can get here for about 40 Dhs, which is about 15 dollars, if you include the cab fare and ridiculous price of a latte) and several other goodies.
It's hard to communicate how much or why it matters, but something about seeing familiar writing on a box and a card and knowing that a friend had picked things out for me, to take care of me, someone who had been before where I am now, it was just as comforting as all the comfort items I received with it!
That said, I received a little care package the other day from one of my girlfriends and bridesmaids, Elisabeth. It's suprising how much the close approximations don't seem so close when you get the real thing. I mean, TimeOut Dubai is nice, and some of the English-language mags are ok, but nothing quite stacks up to the pure silly indulgence of an UsWeekly. Not to mention KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese (hear that, Essie?), Starbucks coffee (which you can get here for about 40 Dhs, which is about 15 dollars, if you include the cab fare and ridiculous price of a latte) and several other goodies.
It's hard to communicate how much or why it matters, but something about seeing familiar writing on a box and a card and knowing that a friend had picked things out for me, to take care of me, someone who had been before where I am now, it was just as comforting as all the comfort items I received with it!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Adventures in the The Un-adventure
The other day Jacob and I were talking about how we're spending our time here. He refers to this time overseas as our "adventure" and most of the time I'm right on board with him, but it I had pause when he said that the other day. Yes, when we got engaged after three months of dating, got married three months later, moved abroad and then moved to another country within the next two months it seemed like a pretty big adventure, but as things have settled down here, well, it's like I told him, "I think this is the least adventurous adventure I've ever been on." He just laughed.
Give me a few minutes of inactivity and I can get bored, so the day to day of non-grueling schedules is wearing in a way. Don't get me wrong, though, for a little while it was tolerable...it can even be pretty nice. You go to a class or two a week (Jacob goes to more than I) and then you hang out with a few friends, make some dinner, watch a movie, maybe play some cards...oh, and don't forget that nearly every afternoon we indulge in a nice little nap. We have little weekend or day-trips to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for shopping or networking events and we've also been to the capitol city of Muscat.
When you're used to living a packed-full existence, though, down time can be hard to swallow. So, what do you do? Wait for the next thing or make the next thing? I guess I may have been waiting for something else to hit because, for so long, things came one after the other without much of a break. It's been a long time since I've had to work hard for a schedule, so I didn't know what to do at first, but it's getting better and having some things to really work for and look forward to, it does a body good.
So, first and foremost, I got a job! It's not the exact ideal, which would be writing fab pieces of freelancing for lots of great publications with the budgets to throw a few opportunities (this is still in the works, though!), but it's fun, I'm pretty good at it and it gets me out of the house! I'm teaching English. It's a short session right now, but I think I'll have the opportunity to extend it. It's adults, too, so it's like what I did a few years ago for the horse farms, but these students are much more advanced, which is nice. It also gives me a better appreciation for my attempts to learn Arabic! They're doing it, so can I.
Secondly, Jacob and I are anxiously anticipating a fun-filled weekend with a friend from home, Mr. Warren Rogers, visiting. We'll be seeing some of the big sights, both touristy and behind-the-scenes and I can't wait to see a friendly and familiar face and capture these events!
A couple of weeks later, Jacob and I, through the miracle of budget airlines, will be traveling to Jordan to see Petra and some other sights roundabout. I think we found the RyanAir of the gulf, PTL.
June will probably be a pretty down month, but July will be an intensive course session for me in conversational Arabic and that will all lead up to what I'm looking forward to more than anything right now: a visit home! Nearly the entire month of August will be spent split between Indy and Lex with family and friends. I can't wait and even though it's three months away, I'm already making my "bucket list" of things to do while we're there.
Give me a few minutes of inactivity and I can get bored, so the day to day of non-grueling schedules is wearing in a way. Don't get me wrong, though, for a little while it was tolerable...it can even be pretty nice. You go to a class or two a week (Jacob goes to more than I) and then you hang out with a few friends, make some dinner, watch a movie, maybe play some cards...oh, and don't forget that nearly every afternoon we indulge in a nice little nap. We have little weekend or day-trips to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for shopping or networking events and we've also been to the capitol city of Muscat.
When you're used to living a packed-full existence, though, down time can be hard to swallow. So, what do you do? Wait for the next thing or make the next thing? I guess I may have been waiting for something else to hit because, for so long, things came one after the other without much of a break. It's been a long time since I've had to work hard for a schedule, so I didn't know what to do at first, but it's getting better and having some things to really work for and look forward to, it does a body good.
So, first and foremost, I got a job! It's not the exact ideal, which would be writing fab pieces of freelancing for lots of great publications with the budgets to throw a few opportunities (this is still in the works, though!), but it's fun, I'm pretty good at it and it gets me out of the house! I'm teaching English. It's a short session right now, but I think I'll have the opportunity to extend it. It's adults, too, so it's like what I did a few years ago for the horse farms, but these students are much more advanced, which is nice. It also gives me a better appreciation for my attempts to learn Arabic! They're doing it, so can I.
Secondly, Jacob and I are anxiously anticipating a fun-filled weekend with a friend from home, Mr. Warren Rogers, visiting. We'll be seeing some of the big sights, both touristy and behind-the-scenes and I can't wait to see a friendly and familiar face and capture these events!
A couple of weeks later, Jacob and I, through the miracle of budget airlines, will be traveling to Jordan to see Petra and some other sights roundabout. I think we found the RyanAir of the gulf, PTL.
June will probably be a pretty down month, but July will be an intensive course session for me in conversational Arabic and that will all lead up to what I'm looking forward to more than anything right now: a visit home! Nearly the entire month of August will be spent split between Indy and Lex with family and friends. I can't wait and even though it's three months away, I'm already making my "bucket list" of things to do while we're there.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
All New FAQ
A lot has changed since arriving in Oman/UAE. One of those is that I'm settling into what is, well, actual life somewhere. It's not quite like the three months of our engagement when there was so much to do to get ready for the transition, nor like the six weeks of Morocco where we were trying to experience things and figure out how to live with an eye on the next move...this is actually my life. It's hard to believe and, at times it's been hard to get adjusted. I currently have at two blog entries in the queue and more than that in my mind and I just haven't been able to get my mind around a feeling that I can share. It's a whole different experience here and so I figured the best way to really commence blogging here is to update the FAQs....
So, what the heck are you doing there?
Still school, same as last time in a way, but this round I'm a student, too. Not quite the same time commitment as Jacob, but I'm in some private tutoring and have learned the alphabet (Yea! I'm officially as educated as a toddler).
Are you coming back to the states?
We're still planning on being home for Christmas until internship time and the last two semesters in Columbia, but we're also planning a trip home for the August recess as well! Yea!
How long have you been married?
This is totally unnecessary but fun to say. Nearly four months!
Are you crazy?
THAT answer certainly hasn't changed. Still a big yes.
How's married life?
Still fabulous and fun. I remember his mom telling me once that being married was like a slice of heaven and, as much as I loved Jacob before we were married (and even with the great marriages I've seen in my life!) it seemed like a lot to live up to, but she's absolutely right. It's also a lot of fun to have our first "real" place. An actual apartment with more than two rooms and a kitchen and living room all to ourselves!
What's it like there?
Holy
cow. This is the biggest change in an FAQ. Reading the Morocco responses, it's so funny how different it is here and how quickly I forgot what "cold" is! First off, all my girlfriends were really fond of saying I was moving to the deserts of Africa. Morocco was not the desert. Oman most certainly is! We are surrounded by sand and dust that occassionally kicks up in furious winds that drive it right through the window cracks and under doors so that we and all our posessions are constantly powdered with desert earth. Unless, that is, it's storming furiously. We discovered that the spring storms here rival the nastiest and most surprising midwest/midsouth disturbances. Complete with flooding, hail and power outages (and that was just our apartment).
The GAP (Gulf Arabic Program) school is a lot different from ALIF (American Language Center in Fez), too. It's full of a much more diverse crowd (People from the states and Americans who grew up and were living in other places like Saudi and the Sudan, Koreans and Swedes) and most of them are either grad-level students or adults pursuing professional education or those who are simply pursuing a self improvement. The classes are taught by Omani professors, both men and women, a few of them show up in photos you'll see from us. They are very social (two, Muhammed and Hussein are both in shots from The Sacrifice).
Oman and UAE, despite what many people hear about Dubai, are both much much more conservative than Morocco was. Though there is a large expat population in the city of Dubai, the Abu Dhabi province and even the Dubai province outside the city, are less diverse. The Muslim religion is also much more common and is observed in the great majority and with dedication. The calls to prayer are about the same as Morocco, but you see a lot more people responding to them. We've even encountered taxi drivers stopped on the side of the road arranging a prayer mat to face toward Mecca. Nearly all women in Oman are covered, wearing a Burka or an Abbaya. In UAE it's a little less conservative; some 80s-inspired (very styled) bangs peep out of the headscarves and fewer faces are covered. Sometimes they switch things up a bit with colors of scarves. The men typically wear a Kandura and headscarf. Most people in UAE speak English as well as Arabic, it is very common to hear and there is a rare sign not written in English, too. It's more Arabic in Oman, but not out of the ordinary to be able to speak about as much English with someone from here as they could speak Arabic to us!
We are attending a church in Al Ain, one of several on a private hospital's compound. They are all evangelical christian churches, but each one caters to a different cultural preference. Our "western-style" service rotates contemporary with traditional worship and teaching is in English. I'm not sure of all the other services, but I know there are a couple of African services and I think Chinese. Though, as in Morocco, Islam and Mosques dominate, there is also a prominent Catholic Church in Al Ain, near our church.
Buraimi, where we live and study, is an odd place, a border town that has a burgeoning population because of the proximity to the UAE. It's well developed in that utilities function fairly well, there are many businesses and restaurants (although most are annoyingly similar to the seven just down the way that do the same thing) and a couple of institutes of higher education. The roads are paved and well-maintained, but none have names (...). The roundabouts, however, are named for their decoration or proximity (the mosque roundabout, the coffee roundabout) and are so common there is literally hardly a single left turn in the entire city! Despite it's proximity to the UAE, Oman is less westernized in its offerings as far as commerce. The entire country of Oman, in fact, has been very dedicated to preserving it's traditional roots. It's an older, more established country than the UAE and is a Sultanate, ruled by Sultan Qaboos, who is much beloved in the country and credited for the country's progress in recent years.
Al Ain, in the UAE, just about 10 minutes by car (depending on the border crossing, which is intermittantly inflamed and swollen, depending on the tempraments of the guards and the relations between local politicians), is where we go to church and have experienced a couple of cultural events, has good restaurants, hotels that are expat havens and more expanded grocery shopping. There is one great word to give you a picture of Al Ain (and if you know me, you'll know how I feel about it as anything other than an escape): Malls. They love their freaking malls! Malls and foodcourts, foodcourts and malls. Malls and foodcourts and souks. I guess when it's 120 degrees in the summer, it's good to have a place to go away from home with A/C. I grudgingly admit that the malls do provide a place to purchase nearly every critical thing (except pork, alcohol and the New Yorker magazine) familiar to home stores. UAE is a recently developed country that formed when several smaller Arab states (emirates) joined together. They are ruled by a central government comprised of regional leaders. Abu Dhabi is ruled by on Sheikh who is also the President and Dubai is ruled by another Sheikh who is also the vice president, and so on.
PS-In the UAE, they love their cars. Love them. Mostly fancy schmancy cars or trucks, which they plaster with hearts and faces of the Sheiks and drive in such a haphazard manner (Islam is very fatalistic, so hey, why not? Insh'allah-if Allah wills it-after all) that it's hardly advisable to drive anywhere near them. Especially since, even if an Emerati (or Omani) person smashed their Benz/Range Rover/Beamer into you head-on at 60 km/h while you were sitting still in the back seat of a parked Hyundai, it would be your fault (If you weren't in the country, it wouldn't have happened. Duh.).
We've had the opportunity to meet lots of new people, but we spend the most time with Omanis. The men and women are frequently separated here, and that goes for social
and meal times, too, so when we hang with our new friends (like Abdullah and Amal, pictured right) it's usually with Jacob in one room with the boys and me and the girls in another room, the two are usually separated by a curtain. At first, as with the attire, I was a little dubious, but turns out...not such a bad thing. It's easier to relax and having some private time to eat, chat, giggle and, especially for the Omanis, they can (literally) let their hair down when it's just the girls. And, don't get me wrong, I love being married, but it's always good to have girl time, right! It's not a hard and fast rule, especially in public, but it's common in homes.
One thing that is kind of funny, though, is that the hosts will frequently prepare food that is amazing and then not eat it...or at least until they're sure that you've been sufficiently stuffed and "strengthened." They think that being thin makes you weak, and they are ultrahospitable, so they're constantly picking the best parts of the fish or chicken off the bones and mixing it with the spicy rice, then pinching great portions into the fresh bread before shoving it at you insisting, "Cooli, cooli!" (Eat! Eat!).
Do you like living there?
Most of the time. It's not home, so there are times it's easier and times it's not (we both miss our family and friends and I miss my dog!). The times it isn't fun are eased by the other good times we have, a package arriving from a friend (thanks Elisabeth!) or a pending visit (can't wait Warren and Michelle!)
Are you homesick? Do you miss things from home?
Yep. Not in a debilitating way, but the things I had pangs for in Morocco are missed a bit more acutely now. Mostly the family and friends (and schedule!).
What are you doing there?
Taking some private tutoring and then an intensive summer session in colloquial Arabic. I'm still looking at some opportunities for freelancing and have also opened myself up to do some English teaching or tutoring. We're also having a lot of fun with our freedom of schedule!
Are you going to travel while you're living abroad?
Still "Duh." During our time in Morocco we saw Meknes, Volubulis and Marrakech in addition to Fez. After Morocco we took a quick trip to Rome and we've spent time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the Emirates as well as Sohar and Muscat (new photos!) in Oman. There's a lot more to see of Oman and other spots that are close, affordable and desirable like Bahrain, Egypt, India, Qatar and locales in Africa. We hope to take one more quick trip (location TBD) before our August visit home and we'll see where life takes us after that!
So, what the heck are you doing there?
Still school, same as last time in a way, but this round I'm a student, too. Not quite the same time commitment as Jacob, but I'm in some private tutoring and have learned the alphabet (Yea! I'm officially as educated as a toddler).
Are you coming back to the states?
We're still planning on being home for Christmas until internship time and the last two semesters in Columbia, but we're also planning a trip home for the August recess as well! Yea!
How long have you been married?
This is totally unnecessary but fun to say. Nearly four months!
Are you crazy?
THAT answer certainly hasn't changed. Still a big yes.
How's married life?
Still fabulous and fun. I remember his mom telling me once that being married was like a slice of heaven and, as much as I loved Jacob before we were married (and even with the great marriages I've seen in my life!) it seemed like a lot to live up to, but she's absolutely right. It's also a lot of fun to have our first "real" place. An actual apartment with more than two rooms and a kitchen and living room all to ourselves!
What's it like there?
Holy
cow. This is the biggest change in an FAQ. Reading the Morocco responses, it's so funny how different it is here and how quickly I forgot what "cold" is! First off, all my girlfriends were really fond of saying I was moving to the deserts of Africa. Morocco was not the desert. Oman most certainly is! We are surrounded by sand and dust that occassionally kicks up in furious winds that drive it right through the window cracks and under doors so that we and all our posessions are constantly powdered with desert earth. Unless, that is, it's storming furiously. We discovered that the spring storms here rival the nastiest and most surprising midwest/midsouth disturbances. Complete with flooding, hail and power outages (and that was just our apartment).The GAP (Gulf Arabic Program) school is a lot different from ALIF (American Language Center in Fez), too. It's full of a much more diverse crowd (People from the states and Americans who grew up and were living in other places like Saudi and the Sudan, Koreans and Swedes) and most of them are either grad-level students or adults pursuing professional education or those who are simply pursuing a self improvement. The classes are taught by Omani professors, both men and women, a few of them show up in photos you'll see from us. They are very social (two, Muhammed and Hussein are both in shots from The Sacrifice).
Oman and UAE, despite what many people hear about Dubai, are both much much more conservative than Morocco was. Though there is a large expat population in the city of Dubai, the Abu Dhabi province and even the Dubai province outside the city, are less diverse. The Muslim religion is also much more common and is observed in the great majority and with dedication. The calls to prayer are about the same as Morocco, but you see a lot more people responding to them. We've even encountered taxi drivers stopped on the side of the road arranging a prayer mat to face toward Mecca. Nearly all women in Oman are covered, wearing a Burka or an Abbaya. In UAE it's a little less conservative; some 80s-inspired (very styled) bangs peep out of the headscarves and fewer faces are covered. Sometimes they switch things up a bit with colors of scarves. The men typically wear a Kandura and headscarf. Most people in UAE speak English as well as Arabic, it is very common to hear and there is a rare sign not written in English, too. It's more Arabic in Oman, but not out of the ordinary to be able to speak about as much English with someone from here as they could speak Arabic to us!
We are attending a church in Al Ain, one of several on a private hospital's compound. They are all evangelical christian churches, but each one caters to a different cultural preference. Our "western-style" service rotates contemporary with traditional worship and teaching is in English. I'm not sure of all the other services, but I know there are a couple of African services and I think Chinese. Though, as in Morocco, Islam and Mosques dominate, there is also a prominent Catholic Church in Al Ain, near our church.
Buraimi, where we live and study, is an odd place, a border town that has a burgeoning population because of the proximity to the UAE. It's well developed in that utilities function fairly well, there are many businesses and restaurants (although most are annoyingly similar to the seven just down the way that do the same thing) and a couple of institutes of higher education. The roads are paved and well-maintained, but none have names (...). The roundabouts, however, are named for their decoration or proximity (the mosque roundabout, the coffee roundabout) and are so common there is literally hardly a single left turn in the entire city! Despite it's proximity to the UAE, Oman is less westernized in its offerings as far as commerce. The entire country of Oman, in fact, has been very dedicated to preserving it's traditional roots. It's an older, more established country than the UAE and is a Sultanate, ruled by Sultan Qaboos, who is much beloved in the country and credited for the country's progress in recent years.
Al Ain, in the UAE, just about 10 minutes by car (depending on the border crossing, which is intermittantly inflamed and swollen, depending on the tempraments of the guards and the relations between local politicians), is where we go to church and have experienced a couple of cultural events, has good restaurants, hotels that are expat havens and more expanded grocery shopping. There is one great word to give you a picture of Al Ain (and if you know me, you'll know how I feel about it as anything other than an escape): Malls. They love their freaking malls! Malls and foodcourts, foodcourts and malls. Malls and foodcourts and souks. I guess when it's 120 degrees in the summer, it's good to have a place to go away from home with A/C. I grudgingly admit that the malls do provide a place to purchase nearly every critical thing (except pork, alcohol and the New Yorker magazine) familiar to home stores. UAE is a recently developed country that formed when several smaller Arab states (emirates) joined together. They are ruled by a central government comprised of regional leaders. Abu Dhabi is ruled by on Sheikh who is also the President and Dubai is ruled by another Sheikh who is also the vice president, and so on.
PS-In the UAE, they love their cars. Love them. Mostly fancy schmancy cars or trucks, which they plaster with hearts and faces of the Sheiks and drive in such a haphazard manner (Islam is very fatalistic, so hey, why not? Insh'allah-if Allah wills it-after all) that it's hardly advisable to drive anywhere near them. Especially since, even if an Emerati (or Omani) person smashed their Benz/Range Rover/Beamer into you head-on at 60 km/h while you were sitting still in the back seat of a parked Hyundai, it would be your fault (If you weren't in the country, it wouldn't have happened. Duh.).
We've had the opportunity to meet lots of new people, but we spend the most time with Omanis. The men and women are frequently separated here, and that goes for social
and meal times, too, so when we hang with our new friends (like Abdullah and Amal, pictured right) it's usually with Jacob in one room with the boys and me and the girls in another room, the two are usually separated by a curtain. At first, as with the attire, I was a little dubious, but turns out...not such a bad thing. It's easier to relax and having some private time to eat, chat, giggle and, especially for the Omanis, they can (literally) let their hair down when it's just the girls. And, don't get me wrong, I love being married, but it's always good to have girl time, right! It's not a hard and fast rule, especially in public, but it's common in homes.One thing that is kind of funny, though, is that the hosts will frequently prepare food that is amazing and then not eat it...or at least until they're sure that you've been sufficiently stuffed and "strengthened." They think that being thin makes you weak, and they are ultrahospitable, so they're constantly picking the best parts of the fish or chicken off the bones and mixing it with the spicy rice, then pinching great portions into the fresh bread before shoving it at you insisting, "Cooli, cooli!" (Eat! Eat!).
Do you like living there?
Most of the time. It's not home, so there are times it's easier and times it's not (we both miss our family and friends and I miss my dog!). The times it isn't fun are eased by the other good times we have, a package arriving from a friend (thanks Elisabeth!) or a pending visit (can't wait Warren and Michelle!)
Are you homesick? Do you miss things from home?
Yep. Not in a debilitating way, but the things I had pangs for in Morocco are missed a bit more acutely now. Mostly the family and friends (and schedule!).
What are you doing there?
Taking some private tutoring and then an intensive summer session in colloquial Arabic. I'm still looking at some opportunities for freelancing and have also opened myself up to do some English teaching or tutoring. We're also having a lot of fun with our freedom of schedule!
Are you going to travel while you're living abroad?
Still "Duh." During our time in Morocco we saw Meknes, Volubulis and Marrakech in addition to Fez. After Morocco we took a quick trip to Rome and we've spent time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the Emirates as well as Sohar and Muscat (new photos!) in Oman. There's a lot more to see of Oman and other spots that are close, affordable and desirable like Bahrain, Egypt, India, Qatar and locales in Africa. We hope to take one more quick trip (location TBD) before our August visit home and we'll see where life takes us after that!
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