Omani Top 10

I visited Oman, country number 3-0, a couple of weeks ago. 

Oman in Arabic.

10 Highlights From my Omani Trip
1. The people

2. The swimming

At Wadi Shab. 

This is a sink hole.

3. The mountains

4. The beauty

At Wadi Shab.

5. The hiking

6. The culture

They wear these traditional hats.

A church. Okay, the expat culture, mainly.

A beautiful Mosque

7. The architecture 

8. The beach

9. The sunsets

10. The jumping

I totally jumped this.
No, I don't have a picture of it.
I was terrified. It was fun.

Meanwhile in Kuwait...

-I didn't see the extravagant firework show, but the iconic Kuwait towers finally reopened after 5 years. 

A depiction of the towers.

-I was impressed, and then a bit exhausted, by Kuwaiti pride during National and Liberation Day.

Me and some of my colleagues.
Wearing traditional clothing.

-I visited a quaint, garish, one-of-a-kind village in the middle of the desert. Located only 8 minutes from the Saudi Arabian border. 

Traditional dances and music.

Hanging out in a Bedouin tent.

-My students are overly dramatic, loud and needy. I am an enthusiastic, grumpy(it's cyclical), worn out, energetic(and again, it's a cycle) teacher. And despite all of this, we are still learning and, somehow, most days we really like each other.

-I'm still taking Arabic lessons, still running, still in graduate school and still moving to China.

I'm in a Dream

I learned this phrase last night, in Arabic class: 
.أنا في حلم
Ena fi holm. 
I am in a dream. Which, loosely translated means, My life is unbelievable; dreamlike.

I am in a dream. Seriously. I know. I've taken "trips of a lifetime"... a lot. Someone has said Someone should say "Take a trip of a lifetime, or live a lifetime of trips." 

Well, I have a couple upcoming trips and I think one is a contender for a "Trip of a Lifetime" label.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed to go to so many places, but I've, actually 😳, found many people are perfectly content to stay near their loved one in their respective communities. Those folks say, "I like to sit back and see the world through your eyes." Ultimately, I keep sharing, though, because, well,... this is my life. 

So whenever I start to feel sorry for myself because it's end-of-the-quarter grading and report-card-comment time, I will remind myself how much I have to be grateful for.
.أنا في حلم
Ena fi holm. 
I am in a dream.

Arabic class started again last night, after a month long break. Technically I'm at an Intermediate level, but that may be the too-good-to-be-real kind of dream. I am still having fun though and as my dad would say, "That is the important thing.", and as Pete the cat would say, "It's all good."

Actually my dad might say that, too.

FYI, BTW, the real reveal will be this coming Thursday.