Oman's Renaissance

These past few days, we've had the opportunity to see different dimensions of what is frequently referred to here as Oman's "Renaissance". Back in 1970, the Sultan Qaboos Bin Said came into power and has been Oman's leader ever since (he is now 69 years of age). Under his leadership, Oman transformed from a very disorganized time in its history to one with a distinct vision in terms of infrastructural development (in 1970, Oman had 10 km of roads, today it has over 10,000 km of roads), economic (careful development of the country's oil and gas industry),educational (in 1970, the country had a 34% literacy rate, today it is 80%) and political reforms (development of judicial system, etc.),and environmental stewardship.

Oman today is considered to be very stable and safe, and the Sultan is deeply respected by the country's citizens. What seems remarkable about these transitions is that Oman has seemingly been able to maintain and even strengthen its cultural identity as it has increasingly interacted with other parts of the world in its development process.

Here are a few interesting tidbits we've learned about Oman in recent days:


*Oil was discovered here in 1962, and first exported in 1967. It is harder and more expensive to access the oil here than in some it's neighboring countries, but about 75% of the country's reserves are still intact and approximately 70% of the country's income is drawn from oil.

*The day most marriages take place in Oman is on Thursday, and Friday is the day of prayers for Oman's majority Muslim population. Many Omanis adhere to a branch of the faith known as Ibadism.

*People along Oman's peninsula have been sailing for at least 7,000 years and Oman today has a coastline that extends around 1400 miles.

*The southern part of Oman (in Dhofar) has a wet season during a couple months of the summer (the edge of a monsoon flow), which produces cooler temperatures and greener landscapes than in other parts of the country.

*Oman was the first Arab country to establish formal diplomatic ties with the U.S. back in 1837-38.

*A superb Omani culinary treat is known as halwa (wow wow wow...it is good!). It's very sweet and delicious - all I know is that one of its ingredients is cardamom, which I've taken more and more of a shine to since getting here.

*Most tourists who visit Oman today come from Germany, followed by France, the U.S., and Australia.

The "Official Wadi Count" is now up to 9 after passing through a wadi yesterday en route to Sohar. In a couple of days, we'll be heading off to Salalah, in the heart of the southern part of the country that is influenced by the summer monsoon. Look forward to catching up with you more then! And thanks again for all the comments!

Forts and Falajs

The past couple days have been consistent with the rest of this week thus far in that it has afforded us a continuous stream of great experiences. Yesterday we took a road trip to the historic religious and scientific center of Nizwa, a former capital of Oman and today the country's third largest city. It is situated 2 hours inland from Muscat and is famous for its fort, which happens to be the largest in Oman. On our way, we stopped along our first really-well defined wadi of the tour! In fact, we've seen quite a few wadis the last couple days - stay tuned for the official wadi count at the end of this post.

Once in Nizwa, we sauntered through the souk (marketplace) and toured the fort, which was constructed around 1668 and is the largest in the country. Last night, a few of us from the group went to an Omani restaurant and I had the chance to try camel meat for the first time (a dish called Camel Biryani...it was good - tastes a little like beef!).

Today's highlights included learning about the falaj water system utilized within Oman and visiting a falaj in an interior village in the Al Dakhiliya region (called Sa'al), located a couple hours from Muscat. The falaj system here dates back 2,000-3,000 years, and the specific falaj that we visited today is around 500 years old. The term falaj literally means "divide" or "distribute" and it has historically served as a community-based water sharing system. These falaj's, which are largely derived from underground water reserves, are the portrait of engineering ingenuity and today there are around 3,600 falajs in Oman. We had the chance to walk along the falaj and wadi in Sa'al in what was truly a special opportunity (the pic shows the falaj snaking along the wadi).

For those of you who might be curious, the high temperature in Muscat today was forecast to be 108 degrees fahrenheit (with plenty of humidity), so it is definitely "balmy" here to say the least.

The "OWC", (Official Wadi Count): 8 - In the past couple days, we have seen or been to Wadi Qurm, Wadi Fanja, Wadi Qurai, Wadi along Nizwa, Wadi Al Hamra, Wadi Sa'al, Wadi in the Al Dakhiliya, and Wadi Samayil.

PS - Thanks to everyone who has posted comments. I appreciate and read every one of them!

O-man - we're in Oman!

It has been an action packed first couple of days in Muscat, Oman! The trip to get here was quite long but our first 72 hours here have been so action-packed that we have hardly had a chance to even ponder whether or not we're jetlagged.


I have an extremely favorable first impression of Oman. First of all, Muscat anchors the capital region and is the largest city in this country of 3 million people. Muscat is in an arid region and it is hot and humid here this time of year. The surrounding landscape is mountainous desert and it is set along the strking blue waters of the Gulf of Oman. Muscat actually consists of a string of communities strung along the coast (Mutrah, Qurm, Ruwi, etc) and is considered different in many ways (for example, more progressive and modern) than many other parts of the country. As far as the people, the main word that comes to my mind is generous!! To say that Omanis have been gracious and welcoming would be an understatement, and our group has been treated to some wonderful experiences and opportunities in our short time here.



Yesterday, for example, we started out the day with a tour to the Sultan Qaboos Mosque - Oman's largest. Visiting it was truly a moving experience, and not only did we have a chance to learn all kinds of fascinating things about the mosque (such as the fact that the entire Qu'ran is incribed within the walls of the mosque grounds, and the massive chandelier within the main mosque weighing a total of 8 tons), but we had the opportunity to visit and meet with a panel of Islamic officials who gave us more insight into the faith.



We also visited a museum, took an introductory class in Arabic, and in the evening met with a group of Omani scholars, businesspeople, and officials to discuss topics ranging from religion, cross-cultural communication and education to the role of women in contemporary society and social and economic networking. The function last night was held in a magnificent hotel and hosted by Brand Oman - not only was it an impressive venue, but the people we interacted with were very nice and possessed a wealth of knowledge and information.





And have I mentioned the food yet? Wow! We have been fed like royalty, and the food has been delicious! One of the local businessmen was joking last night that there is a weight requirement in Oman, and if you are unable to prove that you have gained 5 kilograms during your stay in Oman, that you will not be allowed to leave the airport. I'm really starting to believe that!



Wadi count: Still haven't officially been to a wadi yet, but can see some in the distance!

Orienting Ourselves in Washington, DC

We descended on a surprisingly cool and rainy (enjoying the coolness while it lasts) Washington, DC on Wednesday from different parts of the country. 12 of the 14 college instructors and administrators are now here, while the two remaining professors will be joining us tomorrow on our way to the country of Oman. It seems to be a nice, diverse group of people from first impressions. By the way, I must not have the official “Fulbright look” down yet because on my way to our hotel here in Washington, DC, the shuttle driver asked me if I was with the World Bank (that was a first!).

Our pre-departure orientation is designed to give us an opportunity to meet one another and to give us a glimpse of what lies ahead of us for the next five weeks in Oman and Jordan. The organization hosting us here in DC and helping facilitate our fellowship is called AMIDEAST (www.amideast.org), which works closely with the Fulbright program and is a “private, non-profit organization that promotes cooperation between America and the Middle East through education, information, and development programs.” We have had an action-packed first couple of days here, full of speakers, former ambassadors, presentations, and activities. I already feel like I have learned a lot.

Our evenings have been free, and since the hotel we are staying at (Club Quarters) is literally two blocks away from the White House and this evening was particularly nice out, I took the opportunity to run on over and say hello to President Obama (check out the pictures below).
Tomorrow we have a free day until taking off for the airport at 3 PM to catch our flight. Before leaving DC, I will have the chance to meet with a good friend from my Up With People days (Leslie Lissimore) for lunch here in the city and am looking forward to that. Then, it will be off to Muscat, Oman (stopping in Zurich, Switzerland, and Dubai, UAE en route) and ultimately arriving around 10:30 PM on Sunday night. This is truly the start to a new adventure and the “G.F.” (aka “giddiness factor”) has officially kicked in full-force!

Thanks to everyone who has either sent emails or posted comments here on the blog. I very much appreciate your interest and support! Also, thanks to those of you who have played the “wadi count” game – so far, there are 3 official guesses. Remember, it’s not too late to guess the number of wadis we’ll encounter over the next several weeks, and since I probably won’t have a chance to post again until early next week, I’ll extend the deadline for participating in “The Great Wadi Guessing Challenge of 2009” to next Tuesday. If you want to play, just post your guess in the comments area below this message or my first message from earlier this week. Remember, a grand prize of a super duper magnet from this part of the world will be the spoils for the winner!

I’ll leave you with the pics I referred to a moment ago, from my outing earlier this evening to the White House. Hope all is well with you and I’ll look forward to catching up with you again from Oman.




Official Wadi count = 0, no wadis in Washington, DC :)

Fulbright-Hays Sojourn, Part Deux

Dear friends and family,

After a 3 year hiatus from the wonderful world of blogging, I’ve decided to come back for a second spin. Thus, I’d like to cordially invite you to join me in this virtual wonderland known as cyberspace as I embark on a Fulbright-Hays adventure to the Middle East.

Before moving on, let’s get geographic (oh, the joy, or should I say, ode to joy!) and talk a little terminology. More specifically, the title of this blog, which is named after a prevalent physical geographic feature found in the North Africa and Southwest Asia.

Wadi (wä-dee), n. the bed or valley of a stream in regions of southwestern Asia and northern Africa that is usually dry except during the rainy season and that often forms an oasis

Wadiful, (wä-dee-fel), adj. a completely made up word by yours truly, designed to capture the essence and fusion of this part of the world with this blog

This is my second stint with Fulbright-Hays, and I feel very grateful and fortunate to have this opportunity. The Fulbright-Hays Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and “provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities for the purpose of improving their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries.” My first Fulbright-Hays voyage was to Argentina and Uruguay in 2006, and it was one of the most memorable travel experiences of my life. Since it was such an all-around valuable and enriching experience, I decided to apply once again for this summer. So, last October, I applied for two of the three postsecondary seminars available this year (one to Jordan and Oman, which I listed as my first choice, and the other to Senegal). In March, Fulbright lightning struck twice as I found out that I had been accepted to participate in the “Jordan and Oman: Middle East Neighbors” Travel Seminar. Beginning this Wednesday (June 17th), I will embark on a 5 week odyssey with 13 other college professors that will take us first to Washington, DC for a pre-departure orientation, followed by two weeks in Oman and another 3 weeks in Jordan.

I want to give those of you who might be interested in following my journey a glimpse of what I will be experiencing this summer, hence this blog page. And, I’d like this to be an interactive type of blog, so I very much welcome any comments or questions you might have. In fact, in an effort to make the blog a bit more interactive (and more wadi-centric), I’d like to play a little game and do a wadi-count throughout the Fulbright. Anyone want to guess how many wadis we’ll encounter over the next several weeks? The grand prize will be a magnet from one of the countries for the winner! The only catch is that you will need to guess between now and Saturday, June 20th, for that is when we will take off for Oman and the wadi-counting will begin. If you want to play, please post your guess in the comment section of the blog.

In any case, thank you for being a travel companion on this adventure. I will try to post whenever I have the opportunity and will try to include pictures along the way as well. Until then, happy trails…