Okay, I'm sweaty

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow

Oman is so cool! But definitely not temperature wise- its almost 11 am here, and its so hot and humid. All kinds of sweaty- at least we have the shops and this internet cafe to stop in and relax in the air conditioning.

But lets start at the beginning....

I finally departed NY at JFK on Friday night on Emirates. Which is an amazing airline, hands down. The plane was huge and glamorous- twinkle star lights on the ceiling included. And was thoroughly entertained by the endless amounts of new release movies and tv shows on my own tv console! But I was still able to tear away from the Pirates 3 and Becoming Jane to sleep for a good 7ish hours. I amazed not only myself, but the group members next to me. Which, by the way, the group is amazing so far. An interesting mix and we are all so excited to be here. Stopping in Dubai was amazing, but difficult as in we couldn't go explore. Its an interesting mesh of people, and seemed less traditional than the Oman airport (where we were glad we changed into our more modest clothing before landing), over the top, and glistzy.

We arrived at midnight local time here in Muscat, so the impact of the heat and culture was somewhat hidden at first. We basically drove from the airport, unloaded our bags at the hotel- dragging them all up the 2 flights of stairs, showered, and collapsed. Got a few winks in before we all had to be up at 8 for breakfast and our first meeting. Breakfast wasn't anything too different- toast, eggs, tea, and Nescafe. But still good. Elizabeth, the program director, gave us some info and our mission this morning. Received my Oman cell phone and maps of all that sort. We are in the Mutrah section of Muscat, our hotel looking out over the Gulf of Oman. Our goal this morning is to explore the souk (or marketplace) here and buy a "mystery item" or under 5 rial to share with the group. You all know how much I love browsing the market! But to find the mystey item is seemingly more difficult (trying to not buy perfume or saffron, which are not so mystery) And our search for a working ATM has caused us to feel like we are walking through a sauna. Luckily we found an internet service "cafe" , which is another part of our goals, to stop and rest inside for an hour.

Its going to be a very full day- exploring on our own, meeting and talking about our experiences, and eating at one of the program directors' homes. Trying to pick up some Arabic; most everyone speaks English, but want to try-as its my purpose here anyway, right!? I can now at least say thank you!

And thus day one is almost half over, but the experience is but beginning!

Oman... the abode... the land

Lets be honest... most people have no clue where I'll be spending the next four months. Its not anyones fault; the first group of tourists to Oman (a grand total of 14) visited in 1983---So some visual aids might help.....
Though I've been so nervous about my travels... I realize how amazing this trip is going to be... the items on my "to do in Oman" list is growing, and I cannot wait to cross them off in the months to come!

One thing is to brave the heat, which apparently at its height can reach 48C or around 118F. Now, maybe the Texas summers won't be so dreadful after that!

Oman is also known for its witchcraft-- I think even if I dislike everything about Oman (doubtful), this witchcraft will provide some interesting stories.

Two words..... Sea Turtles

And lastly... I so want to try to buy a goat... or a camel! at the livestock market. Okay..... maybe not buy, but at least pretend to buy

Well, little time before my departure.. I'll be leaving Friday at 8:00am, flying through Austin, landing in JFK. I don't leave the states until 11:00pm Eastern time and I will arrive in Dubai at 8:00pm local time on the 1st (which is 11:00am central). And finally landing in Muscat at 11:45 pm local (2:45pm central)

I'll be checking my emails and writing on here as much as possible.. but if you have a desire to contact me, my mailing address is
Chelsea Marshall
c/0 Maria, LLC
SIT Study Abroad Oman
PO Box 283
PC 116 Mina Al Fahal
Sultanate of Oman

Thus, bon voyage and I will talk to you all from the Middle East!