...nutty rants from a camel lover...: August 2006

...reflecting and processing...

So I've been back for more than a week now and I still find it hard to explain everything I saw....experienced....feel. I do a lot better with questions so if you have any-or you see me around, please ask. Reentry is a weird feeling and unfortunately I already find myself closing up.

This huge plastic statue of an oryx (Oman's endangered national animal) sits on the side of a busy highway. We got out of our car to take a picture with it.

A snapshot of Saudi Arabia from the airplane. I STILL can't believe I got to stop there!

Kantab beach, Muscat skyline, and Ayub's family plantation with "kissing" palm trees.

A view through a window in a fort, dinner with friends, pictures at Starbucks, and a big "swimming hole" filled with fresh and salt water.

Pictures with Kalsa and her cousins at Yemani food, pictures with Muneera and Hanan. Jasmine liked Hanan's glasses so much, she bought a pair!

...random video clips...

Video 1:
*layover in Saudi Arabia
*first few minutes in Oman
*driving by The Grand Mosque
*boat ride on the Gulf
*finding Starbucks
*scenes from an Omani Wedding (with dinner afterwards)
*going to church
*Ayoob's family plantation

Video 2:
*team members jumping into the ocean
*largest fort in Oman (there are 500 of them in the country)
*Jon on the guitar, us and Omani friends camping on the beach
*"Ziggy" on the guitar and our friends singing to us
*early morning on the water after our campout

Video 3:
*camel crossing
*hot springs
*cool "swimming hole" and our Omani friends jumping into it
*henna
*dancing in Aida's car (notice the very "sensual" music...talk about culture shock!)
*top of the hill with Ayoob pointing out different places
*hanging out at the mall with Hanan and Muneera

Video 4:
*dancing with Jasmine, Aida and her sisters in the car
*Kelly acting silly on our long ride home
*the call to prayer on our last night

...i feel sick...

...emotionally I don't think I want to give anymore and physically I feel strange....just really weak. Please keep me in your thoughts.

I had lots of good laughs with my team though today. I'm thankful that we all get along and Dad has done wonders in our lives while being here. Please keep them in your thoughts as they start college the day after we get back.

Thanks for continually lifting us up!

...more crazy adventures...

I feel like I'm doing WAY too much...much more than watching korean dramas at home! During the past few days since my last post we've:

* visited two homes in one day (each with tons of food and family members
* stayed up all night on a beach and had a BBQ and went swimming for hours in the moonlight
* visited Starbucks three times
* had two cell phones handed over to us because our friends want to reach us so badly
* visited 3 of the 500 forts in the country
* drove about 200 miles visiting tiny beautiful villages
* I fell in a remote hot spring in front of lots of people
* ate a Yemeni meal
* ate tons of dates (including the type Mohammed ate), chicken shawarma, and fresh mango juice
* had a special tour of one of the most expensive hotels in the country and had tea
* met two Filipino ex-pats that have converted to Islam since coming to this country to work
* danced in a car with friends

...and the list goes on. I seriously feel like I can't process it all. In the midst of having a good time, I'm challenged with thoughts about leaving and dealing with "issues" at home. Please lift up my thoughts and my emotions as my time here comes to an end. Seriously I do not think I have ever met such kind people. Our friends have welcomed us into our homes and offered us such unmatched kindness.

Please lift me up...I think this very well could be "the place". Of all the places I've been to in the Middle East, I feel the pace, diversity, location, and the sincerity of the people fit me most. It may be because for the first time in my life I am intentionally building friendships with Muslims and being so openly embraced by them. My heart is really breaking and it hurts and all I want to do is sleep and forget I'm leaving soon.

Thanks for lifting me up. I love that you are here with me.

...under the surface...

The blue sky, an ocean painted with hues of blues and greens, dolphins jumping in the air and swimming with fish and turtles.

This is what I experienced on O's boat today.

I can't tell you how beautiful this country-not only in creation but in the people. I mean how many Americans will bring you on their boat for a free tour of the coast and snokeling after oh...two days of meeting you?

Yesterday we went to O's family's plantation about 45 minutes away. There, watered by an oasis and underground spring, dates and fruit grow. I saw the coolest sand crabs scurry into holes. Before that, we had lunch at his house. He has 15 brothers and sisters. Girls were in one room, men in another. And it was the strangest thing because two of O's friends, "MG" and "KH" joined us. They are very "liberal"and wanted to take us dancing and drinking(underground at a friend's apartment) whereas O's sisters were very conservative (they still had their heads covered inside their house when usually it's okay to take them off). It was strange sitting in a room with city girls and rural village girls and yet Dad let us see under the surface of what's going on. The struggle between old and new, conformation and rebellion...all within a delicate balance. To us girls, it was strange because we expected most women to be more conservative than us rather than less. I don't know what Dad wants us to learn and it is somewhat confusing and challenging, but we embrace what He has shown us. In many ways, they are closer to embracing Him in that they have already embraced many other things outside their own, even if they aren't the most moral of things. I hope we can meet with them again.

Tomorrow we'll drive to more rural villages-places off the beaten track. I love that...more dark places to bring light.

We've been investing in "R" a worker at Starbucks from the Philippines. He just converted from being Catholic to Muslim six month ago. We have dinner with his family at his house in a few days. There's other "Starbuck friends" too. Please lift them up.

Thanks for being with me!

We're off to meet our friends "H" and "M" to night! =)

...miracles at Starbucks...

PTL- We (us girls) finally found some women to chat with. At Starbucks. It was such a Dad thing sincce most of us girls were feeling pretty depressed by starees of men and not feeling comfortable talking to women on the street. We're meeting "H" and "M" tomorrow again. Please think of us.

Again...things can be so universal no matter where you are...things like laughter, talk about makeup, boys, and clothing. =)

Many many thanks to those thinking of us at home! You are here with me!!

...a whirlwind of events...

Yesterday was our first day here. During the day we went out to a beach and hooked up with a friend of our professor. I'll call him "O" mainly because I can't spell his name. O took us out on his fishing boat and we had a wonderful time marveling over all of the beautiful creation-really nice water. Later on, we went to another beach, found a Starbucks, and walked through a mall. Then the most amazing thing happened...

We were having shwarmas (Chicken sandwiches) on the beach at 10pm at night and O drove up with two other friends. He invited us to a wedding. A WEDDING! Picture this in your head....we drive about 10km and turn on a couple dirt roads. In front of this house is loud music and lots of dancing (men on one side, women on the other). I thought we were going to just watch the dancing the whole night, but we (just the girls) were actually invited INSIDE to meet the bride and her family. I wish I had words to express all the excitement...we must have been the only Americans let alone 'sisters' that ever entered their house. Henna on their hands, beautiful adorned with goreous fabics and gold...oh I wish you all were there. After "chatting" in limited Arabic and English and partaking of a very sweet liver looking in texture dessert-that's very expensive in this country, we were ushered outside for dancing to more loud music like Shakira. It was so fun. Some things are just so universal and need no language to understand them. Well this is getting kind of long...so I'll just tell you that the night ended with eating with more of the locals ("wedding food") inside their house until 2am. As you can see, Dad has given us experiences that are MORE than we can ever think, ask for, or imagine.

This morning we were able to find some other brothers and sisters and their "house". It was such an unexpected blessing to sing and lift our hands with others. It was also nice to see such diversity in the body (brothers and sisters from all different countries including many from India and the Phillipines) and hear what Dad is doing here. He's doing awesome things!

I had some time to p-walk with my roommate Jasmine this afternoon. Doing some battles in the heavenlies together...

Tomorrow we plan on going out farther on a boat with O to maybe see some dolphins and the next day we plan on going out to his family plantation. I can't wait to see orchards and get to know his family. Lift us up, especially the girls as we long for women to talk with.

:sigh: Well, that's all for now...I'm getting a kick listening to the owner of the internet cafe sing Savage Garden, Wham, and U2. Yes...all in the same playlist!

Thanks for the thoughts...We can feel them here!

...i never want to see a plane again...

PTL-We made it safely! After hours of traveling (hm...at least 19 hours in the air plus 8 waiting around in airports) we finally made it! We have a 12 hour time difference between us.

Highlights from traveling:

-The girls in our group getting "hit on" by an Egyptian (Coptic) traveler. Not so cool
-Sitting on the plane with a Saudi Arabian man on the way and chatting for 3 hours straight about living in Saudi Arabia, Islam, being Muslim, etc. It was so cool too when he pointed out special parts of his country when we touched down.
-ULTIMATE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Stoping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I loved that. I was tickled to death. I still am. I wasn't able to get off the plane...but oh what a dream come true! =)

Keep thinking of me...new adventures await tomorrow!