Yes, Oman loves to shop

Long day today- too long to be fasting for a large part of it . After class ended at 12:00, Kristin, Rebecca, and I got ourselves dropped off at City Center Shopping Center to chip away at our lists. We ended up shopping for Eid clothes, and I bought a lime green sundress that I can wear over pants and a beautiful silk blouse with metal details on the trim. So exciting, but I have to keep em in the closet for 2 weeks until the celebration. (For those of you who don't know, Eid Al' Fitr is the Feast of the breaking of Ramadan. Basically it is of importance like Christmas) The shop was called Monsoon and it is only in the Gulf. We also went to Carrefour where I bought a new housedress, things to bake cookies with, a dictionary, and a guidebook to Dubai. Kristin and I guided our taxi home successfully- and I engulfed myself in the guidebook. I am so EXCITED about going to Dubai in a month. I am already planning where I want to go, eat, swim, shop- EVERYTHING!

In a whirlwind, I caught a ride with my brothers to have iftar at Nashwa's. Since it was so sudden, I surprised Nashwa... I met her mother and sister when I first entered, and they couldn't have been nicer. We helped prepare a few last minute items for iftar: we took these small pancake-like bread pieces and half-filled them with cream, pinched it together, and drizzled honey all over it. Yea, Oman is a diabetic nightmare. Iftar, however, was nice, yet different from my family's. Had some amazing baked beans- felt like Texas food! So we all stuffed ourselves as we watched Omani soap operas that made fun of Omani culture.

Around 8 we all went to this big mall in the "American" part of Muscat. Hadn't been yet, but I wasn't impressed. And yes, this was #2 shopping trip of the day. It was really wild to see the damage the "unusual weather patterns" of earlier this year caused. The whole first floor was flooded, so it was still closed off and completely in shambles. Not too different from the empty lots around town with damage still laying in them. But did see some really beautiful head scarves. And tried to find some Arabic perfume/oils.... yet the kind I thought I wanted smelled horrible. And I came out of the shop with different oils all over my hands... I stank. Nashwa, her sisters, and I found it all more untolerable (as we all suffered the same perfume fate) when we were jammed in the car on the way home.

Every day here brings its own set of revelations. Some are more exciting than others, and I may have some cultural stress at times, and I cannot believe I am actually in the Gulf most of the time. But I can already tell that little things about the US will be hard to adjust to when I get home. For one- I'm already shocked when I see tourists in short sleeve shirts walking around town.... let alone a whole city of em. And lots of things I thought would be a huge adjustment- the longer clothes or abaya for example- are some of the things I love here. I mean, I can wear anything I want under the abaya... and I still look snazzy. Its amazing. And the housedresses, which we know would be considered mumus in the US, are the most comfortable, beautiful things. Funny how people think of these as such a cage for women... when really i think the men here have less freedom in dress. But hey, thats how ironic life is.