Returning Home

Man, five days has past very quickly. I have learned many things about Oman in such a little amount of time. I really learned how to travel as a political act. I found out that the Lexus is a fast growing thing in Oman. Bin Said al Said has really pushed Oman towards the Lexus by opening them up to international countries and using their oil for exportation. This has really improved the economy and made them come out of their Olive Tree. As I walked through Muscat, I saw a lot of the new Lexus but also saw hints of the old Olive Tree in their culture. They still have their Muslim roots but those are getting influenced more and more by the Lexus. I think Oman is a country that is pursuing the new Lexus but holding onto their old Olive Tree roots.
        Traveling as a political act to Oman was very rewarding. It showed me that Muslim people are not what American media portrays them as. Muslim people are just like you and me and are just trying to make money to feed their families. Traveling changed me because I realized that I need to come into the trip with a blank slate and experience everything before I judge. When I get back to America, I cannot wait to tell all my friends about my adventure and inform them about my experiences. I'll tell them that not all Muslims are like what we portray them as and we need to stop judging a book by its cover. Then I'll say, "Go out and travel as a political act and you will see how much it will change you."

Conflicts

Today I decided to go to the National Museum of Oman. I wanted to learn about the conflicts in Oman. When I got into the exhibit, I was amazed about the cool artifacts they had in there. In there they had a computer with a news article that talked about the conflicts/key events in Oman history. The link is http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14654492. The first big conflict was when Qaboos bin Said al Said set up a bloodless coup to overthrow his father. He did this because he saw that Oman would really progress if they modernized and opened up to international powers. This was important because Qaboos bin Said al Said carried out his plan of making Oman modernized and made a foreign policy to be friendly with all Middle Eastern countries. Oman is considered as the middle man for talks between Iran and US. The second big conflict was a land agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. They signed an agreement which defined the borders of Oman and U.A.E. Here is a map of the land agreement:

The white part of this map is Oman which shows that the agreement was on that piece of land that is at the tip of the continent. This agreement made sure that the U.A.E and Oman knew who owned the lands and to prevent any further conflicts in the future. 

       Alright this was my lecture on the conflict of Oman today. See you guy tomorrow!

Culture

Today I strolled into town and experienced some of the culture of Muscat. It smelled like a thriving town that was piqued about modernization but wanted to keep its roots. It was cool seeing some of the western civilizations influence but also seeing the native Muslim roots. Oman does not have its own language so the majority of people there speak Arabic. While I was walking in Oman, I spoke to a local woman who actually spoke english. I asked her about some cultural differences between here and the US. I asked her which religion does the people of Oman worship? She responded that the people of Oman are all nearly muslim. They are basically divided equally into Sunnis and Ibadis with a few percentage of Shia. It did not surprise that Oman is muslim because they are from the Middle East and their main language is Arabic. I then asked her what is the food like here? She replied that every meal in Oman has rice in it. She said that Oman food is heavily influenced by Indian food so this means their meals consist of a lot of curries and bread. This also does not surprise me because Middle Eastern food has a lot of curries and bread meals. Then I asked her to tell me something that is interesting in Omani culture. She said that marriages in Oman are usually arranged and they are arranged to their cousins. I saw that as very interesting because I thought arranged marriages are a thing in the past but I guess not. I thanked her for taking her time to talk to me and we parted ways. I was extremely hungry so I decided to try some local Omani food. I ordered this red curry with rice dish and here is a picture of it:

This dish made my mouth water just looking at it. When I took the first bite, my mouth felt like an explosion of flavor and spice. It tasted so good that my taste buds were tingling in happiness.
         When I got back to my hotel room, I realized how much I learned about Oman and how different it is in comparison to the US.

Geography of Oman

Today I went on a tour of Oman and wow! Oman is as beautiful as I thought. I went on a local tour that was sponsored by my hotel. We went around Muscat and I observed. I saw some of the most beautiful sites in Muscat. Here is one of the various photos I took:

I see a rocky mountain range colliding with a pure blue green sea. Oman is so peaceful. This picture demonstrates how it is quiet and calm. The beach is virtually empty. Oman is an extremely hot and dry environment. When I took this picture it was 92 degrees Fahrenheit!!! As you can see from this picture, Oman has a very rugged mountain terrain. Our tour guide told me that Oman is similar in size to Kansas. So Oman is a small country only about 309,500 sq km. Here is a good map that shows Oman:

As you can see Oman borders United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Oman borders the Arabian Sea which is part of the Indian Ocean. The location of Oman is very important to its economy because it relies on the exportation of oil and there is a lot of oil where they are. Also they are the middle man of the transportation of oil. Oman though in the future is trying to have more tourism dominate their economy. As you can see from their location and the pictures I've taken, they have a beautiful location with warm weather and tropical water. Also this map shows the steep changes of elevation in Oman. You can see near and around Muscat, their is a rugged terrain consisting of steep mountains and rocky areas.
          I'm done lecturing about the geography about Oman, but I hope you remember that Oman is geographically as cool as Mexico. See you guys tomorrow!

Finally Here!!!

Wow! Looking down at Oman from my plane, makes it look like a tropical paradise. The beautiful blue green water and the towering mountains. Oman gave me a interesting feeling of sitting on a warm beach in Cancun but feeling like I'm in Palm Springs. It was a relaxing feeling because it felt like I was on vacation because it has a similar environment to tropical places. This trip though is different because I am traveling as a political act. Nevertheless, this was the amazing view I arrived to:

When I arrived at the the hotel, all I could hear was the gentle sound of waves washing up the sand. Occasionally I would hear a loud splash when a wave hits the rocky cliffs. While I was on my 18.5 hour plane ride, I was running out of movies to watch on my mini TV on the back of the seat so I decided to utilize the free wifi and find information about the history of Oman. After searching for a couple of minutes I found a website and a video, I found on https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mu.html that Oman is a country that runs on the trade from the Indian Ocean. I found that Oman has had a peaceful relationship with Britain dating back to the 18th century. Over time Oman got more and more aid from Britain but was never a colony with Britain. Then in 1970, bin Said Al Said overthrew his father and has ruled since. He made a modernization plan that opened Oman to the international world but kept close ties to Britain. He also made Oman's foreign policy to have friendly relations with every middle east country. Overall bin Said al Said has been a great leader even though he is a dictator. He adapts to his countries needs and makes changes to make his country better. 

Here is the video I found that basically explains what I just said in a minute and a half:

This video just backs up what I said and shows a little bit more of the geography of Oman. Oman sounds and looks like a awesome place to travel as a political act!

          Alright I better get to sleep now, it's now 3 am here and the jet lag is really starting to kick in now. I'll see you guys tomorrow in my next post!