Al-Wusta

Salaamu 3alaykum!

It's hard to believe that October is already upon us, especially since I'm so used to the chilling of the air and the crispness of the brightly colored fallen leaves crunching underfoot. The weather here has gotten considerably cooler and a lot more bearable since I first arrived, and I'm not sweating as soon as I leave the air-conditioned apartment. Ramadan is fast approaching its end, and the Eid al-Fitr starts at the end of this week. Soon, restaurants will be open during the day and I can get a cup of coffee or a juice without being so self-conscious about it!

I've gotten to know my way around Muscat and its environs (although I still have yet to travel on the seemingly always jam-packed Sultan Qaboos highway, the main road); I especially enjoy a nice drive down the beach road, heading west to Al-Khod (near Sultan Qaboos University) to my Arabic lessons on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Since everyone is going to work at 8:30am, it's always traffic-jammed on the other side of the road going east, while I'm cruising happily with cheesy jazz playing and views of the beach on one side and the mountains on the other. A good view is always available here in Muscat, and more often than not, the gorgeous seascapes and landscapes and sunsets never failed to stop my breath every time I see it, no matter where I am. (See my facebook photos for evidence!)

I've gotten in touch with many SQCC contacts, who have been very helpful in their advice and have "hooked me up" with my necessities. It seems that for one to survive here, and I suppose elsewhere in general, one has to be tuned into a well-connected network. It's not like the world of connections that one needs to survive in a town like Washington, DC where your connections always seem to be related to power and getting ahead. Here, it's a source of survival, a second nature, to meet friends of friends, not just to get ahead, but to truly form a relationship with this person, whether it be a deep friendship or a simple acquiantance. This is the beauty of a patrimonial and interdependent society, where your independence and pride are sometimes sacrificed for the sake of knowing the right people (whether you are good friends with them or whether you met them through a mutual contact). Here, in Oman, it's called having the right wusta, or connection, basically. (I suppose it comes from the Arabic term meaning "middle," as in As-sharq al-awsat, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.) My SQCC contacts have been invaluable wusta, helping me find a suitable Arabic tutor, getting me set up with a cell phone and even offers to show me around Salalah, where Kristin and I will be spending 4 days next week for Eid! Even my Arabic teacher's husband had promised his wusta to Liyam and I as we stayed up late one night sitting and chatting with him over some lovely coffee late into the night ... he said to us not to worry about the impending homework we had due the next day; he'll be our wusta!

On another note, it's interesting to catch a glimpse of the personal lives of my SQCC contacts, whom I know only through professional means. I'm still getting used to Mubarak and Dr. Amer referring to their wives and kids, knowing that instead of an ocean away, they're only a few kilometers down the road. I suppose I shall meet them all soon enough, after Eid (everything seems to be going on after Eid here!), as well as find some new adventures ... and getting things straight with my sponsoring ministry.

Last night we all went to the Mutrah Souq and had a grand old time ... photos coming soon!