Under a Full Moon: Late Night Reflections

By this point, her breaths have fallen into a perpetually steady rhythm, and our incense-scented, shiny wallpaper-covered house is on the verge of being perfectly silent. The street lamp outside my window casts its fragmented yellow light through my worn purple curtains, and the air conditioning whirs a few feet above my head,  yielding a cold rush of air and as well as a soothing noise that will eventually lull me to sleep. I lay in this untroubled atmosphere each night, letting go of my burdens and worries and reliving all the laughs and attainments of the day.

Often, in the midst of these intricately tangled thought streams, I think about how I’ve fallen into a new pattern of life here, and how activities that once seemed so exceedingly outlandish are now a part of my daily routine. I think about how the days have begun to blend into each other, and how moments from earlier in my exchange are remembered as if they were told to me as someone else’s stories. I think about how I’ve grown, and how I’ve learned to accept what I can’t change and to embrace my mistakes and faults. I’ve learned to appreciate people I love more fully, to understand that no matter what, everything will be okay, and to see things through less judgmental eyes. I think intensely of these things until I’m pulled away by fatigue to the land of dreams.

I wake up early the next morning, ready to rifle through the seemingly endless normalities of the day ahead of me in search of the small moments that make life magical. These instances, nowadays, come in the form of deep conversations with my classmates, during which we reach a mutual understanding of each other’s beliefs and opinions and, by the end of our chat, feel a peaceful sense of happiness. They come also from the smiles and conversations I share with my host family at the dinner table, over bowls of steaming chicken-potato soup and fresh chapati. They come as well in the looks I share with the other exchange students as we bite into garlic shawarma sandwiches or in the hugs we offer each other when one of us is feeling down.

I’ve realized that precious moments like these always come, and I finally understand that once I can recognize and appreciate them, life will never be boring, and I will never be unhappy or ungrateful.

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time (from the movie, “About Time”) reads, “We’re all travelling through time together every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.”

Right now, that’s all I’m trying to do.

The Reasons Behind it All

Earlier today, I sat in a slightly broken wooden chair and stared at the gold, leaf patterned tablecloth in my dining room. Light poured through the frosted glass windows on my right and the dramatic words of mediocre actors on an episode of a Turkish soap opera, translated into Arabic, filled my ears. I looked at the black blinking cursor on my blank Pages document and absolutely no words came to mind. My brain went completely and utterly blank just as it has the past few times I’ve attempted to write a blog post. It’s not that I have nothing to write about, it’s just that so much has happened since I left home over two months ago.

I think I struggle to find the right words to describe what it’s like living in the Oman because there really are no words to describe it. I understand life here because I personally experience it. I take part in Oman’s culture everyday by seeing, tasting, feeling, smelling, and hearing. I embrace and experience life because I participate in it first hand.

Because of this reality, I’ve realized that I won’t ever be able to fully convey what life here is like, but I’ve made a promise to myself that I will try.

I’m sorry I haven’t made many posts since arriving in Oman, but I’ve needed to take some time for myself. I decided early on that it was important for me to journal and work out my own thoughts and feelings about being here, before I attempted to share them with you all.

I’ve now finally reached a point where I feel comfortable sharing my experiences, and I hope to continue writing posts frequently from now on.

Now, to add some substance to this post, I’ve decide to list some of the things I’ve noticed since coming to Oman…

1) All movies here have subtitles in both Arabic and French.

2) “Coffee Shops” in Muscat aren’t defined as places like Starbucks, Caribou’s, or Costa Coffee but rather are little restaurants that sell the Omani version of fast food (aka shawarma, falafel, fresh fruit juice, sandwiches, sambosas, etc.). When people order food at Coffee Shops, they park near the shop and honk their horn. Then, a “waiter” runs over to their car, takes the order (as well as the money for the food), and runs it over to the restaurant. The food is then prepared quickly and the “waiter” carries the food (and the change), back to the car. Coffee Shops like these are located on nearly every street corner and have incredibly cheap food (which is extremely delicious).

3) Despite how cheap little snacks and food from Coffee Shops are, basically everything else is extremely expensive compared to the USA. It’s not uncommon for a shirt or pair of pants (even from a cheap store!) to cost 20 or 30 rials (aka $50-$75), or for a meal in the food court of a mall to cost $10 or more!

4) Although, Toblerone, Kinder Chocolate, Tic Tacs (these are my main weakness, here they only cost 25 cents!), and Nutella are all cheaper here because Europe is closer to Oman than to America!

5) Rice or bread is served at almost all of meals here, and sometimes both are available. Although, you are never supposed to eat both during one meal according to a guideline within Islam.

6) Hotdog buns are often used as breakfast bread in Oman! They are used as the “on the go” bread and are filled with all sorts of things like chicken patties, eggs, or nutella. Basically, they are the Omani equivalent of bagels!

7) Pretty much all the cars you see on the roads around the city look brand new and are completely spotless. This is partly because of societal norms, but also because you can be fined 10 rials ($25) for having/driving a dirty car!

8) It’s not uncommon to see multiple Ferraris, Porsches, and Corvettes during just one car ride in Muscat! Since driving is the only way to get around this city, people care greatly about what type of car they have!

9) Everyone here uses the British pronunciations and spellings of words! (cinema (instead of movie theater), marks (instead of grades), favorite (rather than favorite), labour (rather than labor), etc.) Oman used to a British territory and although they are separate now, England still has a very large influence on Oman! This can be seen not only in the version of English that Omanis use, but also in the curriculum of Omani private schools which often follows British system of education.

10) There are tons of different languages spoken in this country including Arabic, Balushi, English, Hindi, Urdu, Swahili, etc.! aAlso

11) The mountains and/or the ocean can be seen from anywhere in the city!

12) Palm and date trees line the sides of the roads almost everywhere in Muscat.

13) Traffic is especially bad on Sundays. (I think it has something to with people coming in and out of the city for the week…)

14) The school week runs from Sunday to Thursday! This is Friday is the Islamic holy day. (In the past, the weekend was actually Thursday and Friday!)

15) Shaylas (headscarves) can be wrapped in tons of different ways! One variation between styles is that some women use pins to keep the fabric tightly wrapped around their face while others simply tuck in the tail of the scarf! Everyone’s method of wrapping is truly unique. (So much so, that I can now recognize my classmates from behind just based on the way their shayla is wrapped!)

16) American brand name restaurants are everywhere, but none of them actually taste like they do in the US! (Some restaurants include KFC, Hardees, McDonalds, TGIFs, Chilis, Baskin Robbins, Starbucks, etc.)

17) There’s no public transportation in Muscat! The only way to get around is to drive! Nobody really walks anywhere because places are simply too far apart and it’s really hot outside pretty much all the time.

18) Government schools (public schools) are completely spilt up by gender. In fact, the schools for boys are located on one side of the city, and the ones for girls are on the complete opposite side! (This was done purposefully by the government!

19) All schools have uniforms that, for girls, consist of white button down and a floor-length dress. In government schools, all the dresses are navy blue, but in private schools they are sometimes other colors like green or grey. (Mine is navy blue!) Boys in government schools wear the usual Omani outfit for men which consists of a dishdasha (a long-sleeved, loose, white dress-like garment), traditional footwear (sandals with a very flat bottom and straps that hold the foot in place, one of which usually is wraps around the big toe), and a kummah (a flat-topped, embroidered cap). (At my private school, Omani boys wear the dishdasha ensemble, and “international” boys wear a white polo and navy blue pants instead.)

20) Most neighborhoods have a little “town center” with a few local shops, including one or two “Cold Stores” which are basically mini snack stores that have ice cream bars, popsicles, chips, candy, soda, and all sorts of other goodies. These stores are mostly for children (even tiny four year olds!) in the neighborhood who walk there alone, or in packs, to buy snacks after school and on weekends!

So there you go! A post consisting of explanation and an apology, as well as a quick snapshot of the Omani lifestyle! I promise that more in-depth and eloquent posts will be written and uploaded in the future. This is truly just the beginning.

I’ll leave you with the wise words of the ancient world traveller, Ibn Battuta, who once said, “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” His description, in my opinion, describes perfectly why it’s been so difficult for me to write about my experiences. But don’t worry, I’m finally leaving the speechless stage and I’m starting to become a storyteller!

I guarantee that my stories will be told soon, just wait and see!

For the First Time: A Reflective Poem about my First Full Month in Oman

A month ago, the land of the free and the home of the brave became a place 7,500 miles away from where I am today.

Four weeks ago, in the gulf ridden with terrorists, dozens of arms opened wide to embrace a disoriented, blonde American.

30 days ago, cheese sambosas, chapati, chai mubarak, and sweetest dates greeted my lips and welcomed me to His Majesty’s land.

720 hours ago, for the first time, a scarf caressed my head, and my eyes became a camera lens into another life.

43,200 minutes ago, to the right, beautifully sculpted jebels (mountains) waved to me and on my left, I was warmly greeted by the rolling ripples in the sparkling turquoise sea.

2,592,000 seconds ago, I arrived in a place I’d never thought I’d be,

And in just one month, I’ve become a different (,better version of) me.

A No Longer Blank Canvas and a Bunch of BIG News: One Month Until Oman

Exactly one month from today, I will tightly hug my family members and friends, pet and hold my cats for the last time this year, and say goodbye to the town I know so well. My life will be packed up snugly into two suitcases and I will go through security knowing that, this time, no one will be waiting for me inside. I will sit alone in front of my gate and be overwhelmed with fear and excitement about the unknown. And then, I’ll get on a plane and take off, ready or not.

 
Imagining the year ahead of me has quickly become my favorite pastime. A month or two ago, I saw the 2014-2015 school year as an empty canvas. I had no idea what to expect of Oman, a place I hadn’t even really heard of before applying to YES Abroad.

 
However, after attending a Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) in DC from July 24th to the 27th, I had begun to sketch a design in pencil on my canvas. I had learned so much about Omani people, what to expect, and how to deal with homesickness. Many of my questions had been answered. I no longer worried about what clothes to bring or whether or not I would fit in with the other girls going to Muscat. On the other hand, many of my questions couldn’t be answered because the responses to them would differ greatly based on certain things such as my host family and host school. Eventually, our group was able to answer the majority of our questions ourselves by repeating, “It all depends…” which was the mantra constantly used by our group leaders. I left orientation feeling exhausted from our trips to the State Department and the Oman Embassy, hopeful about what the future holds, sad about having to say goodbye to so many people I truly love, and much much much more prepared for the year.

 
A week went by which was spent sun tanning, reading books written by John Green, going to an old-fashioned drive-in movie theater, eating the best ice cream on the planet, having a first annual family bonfire, and enjoying the beautiful summer weather on the Cape in Massachusetts.

 
Next came two days at home to pack and finally see my friends again and then we were off, driving to Florida. There we visited my aunt and her family for a day or two and then flew to San José, Costa Rica, for a family trip that marked my first time out of the country since second grade. We spent two weeks driving on horridly bumpy roads, eating gallo pinto and delicious plantains, and (at least in my case) practicing speaking Spanish with the locals. We went to a lot of the countries large natural attractions such as the cloud rainforest in Monteverde, the incredibly humid rainforest in San Rafael, the breathtakingly beautiful beaches on the coasts of the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, the city of San José, and the unforgettable mountains of Chirripo. Just a few major highlights from the trip include being just a few feet away from a sloth, seeing FORTY crocodiles sunbathing, taking a tour through the rainforest on huge swinging bridges, watching a Capuchin monkey steal someone’s bag on the beach, and seeing an incredible lightning “show” on a beach at nighttime. It was super exciting to be out of the USA again and the vacation helped me remember that other countries don’t live like we do. Allen’s famous quote from PDO, “It’s not bad, it’s just different,” helped me accept and view the country through non-judgmental lenses. The trip was crucial in reminding me what it’s like to be a minority and how it feels to be constantly pointed out as different. Visiting Costa Rica increased my confidence and allowed me to thicken the lines of my penciled sketch on the canvas.

 
I returned to America a few days ago and spent some more time with my cousins, aunt, and uncle. Currently, I am driving up to Birmingham, AL to visit my grandma for the last time before I leave. Then, we will drive up to NC where I will complete the behind the wheel portion of Driver’s ED. Then I have just a few weeks to pack up and prepare myself fully before I leave on August 25th at 10:17 AM.

 
In case you couldn’t tell by the eerie specificity of that time, I have some news to announce that I’ve saved until now because the best news, in my opinion, should always be saved for last! So here goes…over the past two weeks, within two emails, the “it all depends” answers I had previously received have shifted to real, concrete answers.

 
I, Ginya, finally have a travel itinerary, a host school, and *cue drum roll* A HOST FAMILY!

 
Firstly, my journey to Muscat will take me on three different planes. One from Raleigh, North Carolina to DC, one from DC to Frankfurt, Germany, and one from Frankfurt, Germany to Muscat, Oman. I leave at 10 AM on the 25th and I arrive in country at 10:30ish PM (local time) on the 26th, needless to say it will be a tiring trip. It’ll be okay though because I’ll have five other amazing girls (and Shino!) to keep me company!

 
Next, my school for the 2014-2015 academic year will be Qurum Private School (which I will often refer to as QPS)! It’s a fairly conservative school from what I understand and is located in the western part of Muscat. Two YES Abroad students last year attended QPS so I have been using them to learn more about what school will really be like! It’s going to be very different, in many ways, from my school in Durham, North Carolina but I’m thrilled to experience something completely new! I have been placed in the International Track where I will have classes with kids from all over the world! Also, Brandi will be going to QPS as well which makes me very happy! She will be a senior there next year. Oh and we will have uniforms at QPS (long-sleeved white button ups and a long blue dress) which will be new! If you want to learn more about QPS, feel free to look at their website here: http://www.qps.edu.om/AboutQPS/QurumPrivateSchool/tabi/59/Default.aspx

 
Lastly, like I said earlier, my host family information has arrived! I have two parents, two older sisters (who are 18 and 20 respectively), two younger sisters (7 and 13 respectively), and an adorable three year old brother! They have hosted American students (though I’m not sure it’s been through YES Abroad) the past three years and seem extremely friendly and welcoming! Their home is about 20 minutes away from Amideast and 40 minutes away from my school. I feel so fortunate that they have been kind enough to open their home up to me and I can’t wait to meet them in a month!

 
I’ve finally finished prepping my canvas and I really feel ready to start painting for real! Here’s to risking it all and hoping the outcome is something uniquely beautiful!

 
30 days until the rest of my life begins.
Oman, keep waiting for me.

 

Until next time,
Ginya

How did I end up here?! (the YES Abroad journey thus far)

BACKGROUND:  Lighting the Candle of Cultural Curiosity

I was six years old when my family moved to Cyprus for half a year. Despite my young age, I have strong memories of eating gyros, walking to the AISC (American International School of Cyprus) each morning, and hearing Greek spoken on the streets outside of our apartment. Living in Nicosia sparked my candle of cultural curiosity, and ever since the light emitted from it has grown and grown. Returning to the states made me realize how much I loved living abroad. It made me feel like I was missing something in my life and that I was wasting my time here. As the years went on my siblings continued to travel all over the world and my level of jealously reached an all time high. Every time after we dropped one of them off at the airport for another adventure I would complain to my mother about how unfair it was that I never got to go anywhere. Almost every time she would reply by saying that I too young and would try to cheer me up by saying that when I was older there would be many opportunities for me to travel. She would also mention examples of these programs, and after hearing about NSLI-Y and the other year long state department scholarships from her, I set my heart on winning one. This dream only became more realistic when my oldest sister won a state department scholarship to travel to Cambodia for several weeks one summer. And even more so when not long after that my other sister went South Korea on a similar scholarship. The years passed slowly (very slowly) and this year I finally made the age cut for the scholarship programs (by about 10 days!) and was able to push open my door of international opportunities. It was then that my journey truly began.

 

PART 1: Motivated By Rejection: The Online Application Process

In November of 2013, I brainstormed, drafted, edited, rewrote, and reedited essays for my NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth: http://www.nsliforyouth.org) application. After many hours of reading over them, checking grammar mistakes, and filling in standard information about myself, I submitted my application at about 11:40 PM the day before it was due. Then, I waited and waited and waited. One day, I saw on social media lots of people posting about being semi-finalists for the program, but I still had not heard back from them. About a week or two after that, I got an email saying that I would not be considered further for the scholarship. I proceed to mope around and complain for an hour or so while thoughts of inadequacy, self-doubt, anger, and disappointment filled my head. After a little while, I managed to pull myself together. I distinctly remember yelling to my mom something along the lines of, “WHATEVER. I’LL SHOW THEM. I’LL JUST MAKE MY APPLICATION FOR YES THAT MUCH BETTER!!” It was then that I decided I would not apply for CBYX (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program: http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org), and would focus solely on my application for YES Abroad (Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad: http://yes-abroad.org). The following weeks consisted of me completely rewriting and reimagining the majority of my essays. I was completely determined. I once again worked and edited until the last possible moment and submitted my application at about 11:30 PM. Then, the second wait began and it’s quite possible that it was worse than the first. I tried not to think about what email I would receive about a month later.

 

PART 2: Why not celebrate with a 12 pack of Cheerwine?

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, I heard from YES around 9 or 10 PM on February 28^th, 2014. At the time, I hadn’t been thinking about YES at all. I was sitting in my best friend’s living room (shoutout to Olivia!) after going to a rave, when I just happened to check my email. The title of the newest email read, “YES Abroad: Notification of Semi-Finalist Status – ACTION REQUIRED.” I sat silently for about thirty seconds, trying to figure out if the email was real or if it was just part of another dream (I’d had two dreams before then about becoming a semi-finalist). Then, when it finally sunk in, I screamed and got up and let loose. My friends cheered with me (after I explained a little about what the heck was going on) and I proceed to call and talk with my mom about the good news. We made a new motto that night, “No matter what happens from this point on, at least you got a free trip to DC.” Then, I went back to my friends and we each grabbed a Cheerwine (by the way, Cheerwine is a soda made in North Carolina and it is by far the best soda out there) and toasted to the good news. The next few days following that, I connected with other semi-finalists online, told my recommenders of my status (and baked them cookies to thank them!), and just generally got pumped for the IPSE (In Person Selection Event) that I would attend from March 21–23. It was just generally an exciting, exhausting, eventful, thought-filled time.

 

PART 3: Yanomami, Smiles, Magic Tricks, and Enjoyable Chaos

The weeks passed pretty quickly and next thing I knew I was going through security alone for the first time and heading to IPSE! I was really lucky because two other girls from my area were semi-finalists as well (shoutout to Sophia and Trecia!) and we all got to get to know each other in the airport and fly to DC together! I was filled with nervous, excited energy the entire flight. We landed and took a shuttle into the normal airport then raced to the Baggage Claim to look for a YES Abroad staff member who would direct us to a van that would take us to the National 4-H Center, where the weekend would be held. We eventually found her and had a few awkward first meeting moments with some other semi-finalists. We went off to look for snacks for a few minutes (we didn’t end up getting anything) and when we came back, some more people had arrived! We proceed to get in a big van and really start getting to know each other (the usual stuff: How old are you? Where do you live? Have you been to DC before? etc.) When we arrived at the center, it was raining (I think?) (but that’s not important anyways), and we grabbed our bags out of the back of the van, thanked the driver, and shuffled quickly into the building. A huge sign welcomed us to IPSE, and we proceeded to meet some of the staff and get some instructions, our nametags, and our IPSE booklets (which would tell us when we had our group and individual interviews and the schedule for the weekend). We then dropped off our luggage in a side room (our sleeping rooms weren’t ready yet) and explored the building a little bit before finding the basement room where dozens of people were hanging out and playing get-to-know-each-other games. We struggled to get all the way around our introduction circle (there were a lot of us, and a lot of us, me included, like to talk), but it was still fun to learn some cool stuff about each other. (SIDE NOTE: If you attend IPSE in the future, be prepare to give a little spiel about yourself about a billion times (aka, your name, age, grade, where you live, what your top country choices were, when you have your interview, etc.) (don’t worry though, everyone is so amazing that you won’t really care about repeating that stuff a lot)) We socialized for a few hours and learned more about each other through magic tricks (shoutout to Kyle!) and games like Mafia. Next, we had a welcoming meeting where the staff and a woman who help fund the program (I think?) gave some inspirational speeches and let us know a little more about how the weekend would proceed. We then went to dinner and got to know each other even better. As the weekend went on, each of us had an individual interview and two group interviews. We also participated in a workshop that made us think about how being an American has affected our lives. However, we spent most of our time socializing and it was amazing how close we all became over just three days. On Sunday, we said our teary goodbyes (SIDE NOTE: If you attend IPSE try to prep for these goodbyes. It’s hard to have to say goodbye to 120 people who you connect with so easily and have come to love over the weekend.) and headed back home, completely and utterly exhausted and worn out from the wonders of the weekend. It was then that my third, and final, excruciating wait began.

 

PART 4:  WHERE IN THE WORLD WILL I BE?! (Just tell me already!)

The finalist announcements came on Saturday, April 12^th, a day after we all expected they would come. My afternoon that day was spent eagerly and extremely nervously refreshing my email and refreshing the YES Abroad Facebook page for the 2014-2015 year, where we had set up a poll so each of us semi-finalists could mark our status and country when we heard from the program. The first announcements that came out were rejection emails, then alternate emails, and then finalist emails, but at the time we didn’t know that the notifications were sent out in that specific order. The finalist emails came out country by country, starting with Bosnia. After a little while, the large majority of my close friends from IPSE had received their country assignments and although I was extremely happy for them, I was going insane with anticipation. I blasted music and walked around the room to try to call myself down and just as I was yelling to my mom that I physically could not wait any longer, a new email popped up in my mailbox. The title of it read, “Yes Abroad Program- Oman”. After reading the title, all hell broke loose (in a good way). I screamed and jumped and pranced and ran and did every other celebratory thing you can think of, and my mom happened to get it all on camera. (I’ll upload that video later.) So yeah, that’s how I got to where I am now, a fifteen year old who, in less than three months, will be in Muscat, Oman.

 

PART 5: Extensive Emails, Factual Forms, and Wordy Webinars

Since I’ve been accepted into YES, I’ve gotten some emails with more concrete information about the program. I’ve also attended two webinars, lead by Shino from Amideast, that have given me a better idea of what my year in Oman will be like. In addition, I’ve been told that my in country arrival date will be August 26^th, so I will either leave the US on the 24 or the 25. We also received homework from YES in which we were required to write an essay or make a video about a cultural aspect of our lives. I chose to make a video about my family road trips, which I will share with you all soon.

 

PART 6: Dear Future, I’m Ready.

What comes next? Well, next week, I will attend a PDO (Pre-Departure Orientation) in Washington D.C. where I will get to see the other 64 finalists again and will get tons of new information about the logistics and such of the program. We will also get to visit the State Department and the Omani Embassy, I think, and maybe get to visit some of the national monuments in the area. I’m so psyched!! We will also get our host schools and host families in the near future as well! Everything is happening so fast and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the next few months have in store for me and for all the other semi-finalists!

 

Until next time,

Ginya

 

 (By the way, quick shoutout to my amazing family for helping me through all of this and constantly supporting me, the other incredible finalists (and semi-finalists) for being who you are and being some of my favorite people on the planet, the PHENOMENAL YES Abroad staff for organizing everything, the State Department for making all of this possible, and Mr. Edwards and Mr. Bryant for writing my recommendations for YES. None of this would be happening without you all!)

“But that’s the…

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

― Bill Bryson, Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe

Hey there! I’ve chosen to use this quote as my first post on this blog because I feel that Bill Bryson describes my feelings towards living abroad better than I ever could. When I was writing my application for YES Abroad I found inspiration in this quote and even ended up using part of it in one of my essays for the program. I hope it makes you think and leaves you with a new outlook on what it really means to live independently abroad. Before I leave for Oman, I am hoping to make a artistic drawing of this quote (that I will bring with me!) to remind me in times of doubt and sadness why this opportunity is so unbelievably important to me. That’s all for now! I’ll leave you to fully soak in the wisdom found in Bill Bryson’s words.