Slow down!

It looks nicer in another language :^)

Check out more wonderful Omani photography from member Rossonero on English Sabla

He paints to express

Please check out this young and promising Omani artist: Usama at The Studio

Wonderful Middle Eastern Art!

Choices

On English Sabla we are currently having a discussion/argument regarding nursing homes in Oman.

I completely understand the cultures and mindset of people out there who frown upon such institutions because of what it secretly entails.....not being able to personally care for your parent at home.

Puerto Rico is similar in attitude. I had an aunt who passed away at the ripe age of 90. She suffered from dementia and her daughter cared for her at home. I can just imagine the stress and trauma placed upon the daughter to watch her mother deteriorate.

I find such places as nursing homes and the most recent development of adult day care centers as becoming essential for societies like the United States.

For myself, both options are a godsend and I do not see anything wrong with placing a loved one in a reputable home if it is the best thing for that family member....especially if certain medical needs must be met and the child cannot provide this at home.

Culture plays allot on how it influences elderly care.

I do understand why Hispanics and Arabs prefer to care for their parents at home. There is obligation, compassion, love and respect for this human being. My own mother never quite understood the concept of nursing homes....even to this day. God bless her....at 69 she is one feisty lady and I could not imagine placing her into one. She is vibrant, colorful, simply passionate about life and being a mother to us three children.

The forum posting caused me to pause and seriously think about my own aging parents and it begs the question of "what if."

Food for thought.

Something I have always yearned to do...

Desert Camping!!!!!!!!!!

Websites:

http://www.usdivetravel.com/OmanDesert.htm

http://www.destinationoman.com/more_tour1.htm

http://www.gulfleisure.com/desertdiscovery.htm

Speech from HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mohmaoud Al-Said

His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, hailed the content of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s speech during the opening session of the Council of Oman yesterday. In a statement to reporters, Sayyid Fahd said that the cooperation between the Council of Oman and the Council of Ministers is not limited as it covers all domains. The Council of Ministers always seeks to activate the role of both the State Council and Majlis Al Shura, which have powers but need to be activated, he added. “All state institutions maintain cooperation with the Council of Oman. I hope the concept towards the Council of Oman should be comprehensive and not to be focused on certain wilayat or region.

As for women not winning at the Majlis Al Shura elections, Sayyid Fahd said the elections reflect the will of the citizens who select the right candidate who can serve the national interests. The role of women in society cannot be ignored and we hope that the Omani woman will get her suitable place in the future. As for the development of Majlis Al Shura, Sayyid Fahd said that the government is aware that Majlis Al Shura has wide authorities. The Majlis Al Shura should focus on developing the current laws to cope with the development taking place in all domains in the Sultanate, he continued. Sayyid Fahd said that an education strategy would be published soon. Education is part of the interest of all Omanis.

Therefore, we should identify the cadres to cope with the development taking place in the society. The education output should be capable of facing life. The focus should not be on getting a certificate without having an idea on the quality of education provided by such college or university. Youth should not waste their time, money and effort by studying at institutions, which do not provide high quality education, he furthered. As for the price hike in the Sultanate this year, Sayyid Fahd said that the Council of Ministers will meet to discuss this issue which is the byproduct of some international forces. We do not want to repeat the same as citizens may believe that we are not making endeavours to find possible solutions for the price hike issue. The consumption pattern of us may be good in certain areas but need more improvements on other areas. We don’t blame certain party but as a government we should identify solutions that may help the citizens. Sayyid Fahd hailed the role of the Omani media which is supported by His Majesty the Sultan and all concerned officials in the state. The Omani media has wise stance and provides objective criticism that focuses on meeting the needs of the citizens. The personal capacities play an important role in media, he added. Answering a question on democracy, Sayyid Fahd said: “You cannot find a place that respects personal freedom and rights as we do here especially we say what we believe in and we have one standard policy.

If democracy, in some places means chaos, we do not need such democracy as it will ruin our nation and waste our resources and efforts. The real democracy is the one, which respects the person, his personal views and try to develop him. “The respect for the values of democracy emanates from the respect the Omani citizen receives at his country. If you respect the person and tried to develop him, he will pay such respect back to you. (I agree with this statement).

The distinguished respect the Omanis get when they visit Qatar is a very good example of this,” he furthered. As for the next AGCC Summit in Doha, Sayyid Fahd said that shifting the venue of the summit from the Sultanate to Qatar was due to the adverse weather conditions which somehow affected the Sultanate and not because of any other reason. Our brothers in Qatar welcomed hosting the summit. The Sultanate has overcome the damage caused by the adverse weather conditions and can now host any conference. The Sultanate will host the AGCC Summit following the Doha Summit, he added. AGCC members states are like one family which is affected by the events taking place in the world. Although issues like inflation, low pan AGCC trade volume, custom tariffs and unified GCC currency are pending issues, still we are coherent and share the same destiny, he said.

As for the GCC Unified Currency, Sayyid Fahd said that the initiative lacks enthusiasm not only from the Sultanate but also from other member states. I am sure that no single AGCC member state is trying to ensure turning such a scheme into reality at the proposed deadline. “We are not against the Unified AGCC Currency but a number of issues and conditions do not allow us to join such issue. We hope we give such issue the required care and do not do anything at haste, he continued. As for Yemen joining AGCC member states, Sayyid Fahd said Yemen is a brotherly country, important to countries of the region and represents a strategic depth for the AGCC member states. Yemen has some laws and regulations that should be updated to cope with the AGCC member states laws and regulations. This doesn’t mean that Yemen is not supported by the AGCC because it participates actively in a number of activities. The Sultanate maintains distinguished relations with Yemen, he furthered.

As for the regional conditions, Sayyid Fahd said that ‘although the regional conditions are not stable, the Sultanate, under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan, adopts a quiet policy in dealing with developments in the region. The Sultanate has distinguished relations with the neighbouring countries. The Sultanate has distinguished relations with Iran and I hope that such dispute between Iran and the international community will end peacefully as understanding will help the region in avoiding the negative impacts of such conflict. As for the situation in Iraq, Sayyid Fahd said that the situation in Iraq is worrying and needs collaboration of all countries to help the Iraqi people overcome their internal strive. Countries of the world should find means to assist the Iraqi people in ensuring peaceful coexistence without looking at the radical sectarian issues, which the Sultanate doesn’t believe in. As for the conference promoted by the US and scheduled to be held next Autumn in Annapolis, Sayyid Fahd said that he believes that if such conference aims at rapprochement of view points and prepare for a better platform to solve the Palestinian issue, then it is good. We call upon all Palestinians to rally their ranks, maintain dialogue among different factions. “Using forums for conducting debates among rival factions I believe will not solve the Palestinian cause as it should be solved internally, thus providing better convictions for solving the remaining issues.

I have always admired Oman located in the Middle East (for those unsure) regarding their advancement in technology, education, and quality of life in the Gulf region. I admire them for the important role women are playing out in this country. Despite misconceptions about Middle Eastern countries portrayed here in the states, I feel that Oman is a prime example of cooperation and peace within this tumultuous region. Though any country on this planet is not perfect, I find that the oil resources and stamina of this nation's leader and the will of its people to do well and be a peaceful neighbor in this region IS an illustrious example of how to get along with one's neighbors.

Hundreds of Indian/Nepali workers left stranded in Oman

This is one of the discussion threads at http://www.omanforum.com/. I felt I had to address this issue because of the fact hundreds of Indian workers are now stranded in Oman due to the blatant disregard of human life by the Chinese company who employed these individuals & how the Omani government has not dealt with this situation:

A Chinese construction company, Chinese Sino Hydro Corporation , had been working in the irrigation sector landed hundreds of Indian and Nepali workers in hot water in Muscat after its work in the oil-rich country stopped abruptly, a report said.Over 1,000 Indians and nearly 400 Nepalis were working on an irrigation project being executed by Chinese Sino Hydro Corporation in Oman, Nepal's leading daily Kantipur said Thursday.A storm about a month ago disrupted the work of the project commissioned by the Muscat municipal authorities, the report said.The underwater pipes were filled with mud due to the storm and the Chinese company asked the Muscat authorities for more time as well as money, it said.However, the authorities refused and the project was stopped after only 20 percent of the work had been completed.

http://newspostindia.com/report-5232
http://www.omanforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18244

I wonder what kind of checks and balance system is in place to take care of the situation? These workers were brought in illegally. How did these workers get past this??? The people who hired this outside organization should have known better----since the labor history of this company was already quite shady. In addition, Muscat Municipality had refused both to pay for work done and to give the company more time to clear the mud residue left after the cyclone.

I would think that this Chinese company is responsible to ensure that these workers are sent back home. Any issues with the project should be addressed by the Omani government's Ministry of Labour along with making this company pay for any damage to this irrigation at cost due to breach of contract. It just seems highly irresponsible for this company to just quit on their project and leave. No thought given to the misplaced workers or to the Omani government and its businesses & citizens.

The plight of these workers is sad, according to the article reported in newsBriefsOman, "While the Indian authorities have begun to step in to assist its nationals, it's claimed that the Nepalis had been brought to Oman directly and illegally by the Chinese company, in contravention of Nepal's labour laws that require the recruiting agency to sign an agreement with the Nepal government."

Something like this is just unfathomable. Where is the justice for these workers? I pray that the issue is resolved promptly and these people sent back home safely to their families.

Omani Blogs

I love reading blogs from overseas, especially the Middle East since I have been fascinated with the culture there for like 4ever.

I do especially enjoy reading blog from Middle Eastern women to get their perspective on their life there. I know that in the West a lot of men and women think these Middle Eastern counterparts live unhappy repressed lives, maybe some but not all. Everything is relative and when I was in Oman I did not see the women as being repressed. They cover due to religion, partly I think also due to culture but for the most part they all looked very stylish in their abayas and hijab. I felt out of place with my head uncovered. I was not pressured to wear the veil like some people would think. I also felt very safe while in Oman and recommend it as a beautiful place to visit but do so in the winter months when it is less humid and hot.

My Travels

I have been visiting other countries since I was in diapers. My mom introduced me to the Puerto Rican culture when I was almost two years old and since then I have had this insatiable appetite to see the world. Here is my virtual tour website you can review just to take a gander of where I have been:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/2d87f/

Camels

Camels have always played an important role in Middle Eastern history with their resilience to the heat and ability to survive with limited amounts of water. Now the camels you see here are ones I viewed in Oman. There were about five of them, all female and when they saw me I swear to God that they came running in their pen to greet me. One even smiled and gave me two kisses. She smelled like sweet hay. I will always remember their trust in me and how enthusiastic they were to greet this Midwestern gal. I took a picture of these two and you can tell how sweet they are.

I was really impressed with the topography in Oman and the diversity of its landscape. Some people might think of the Middle East as being arid, dry and all desert but this is just not so. Yes, it seems that Eastern Oman is arid and dry but if you go South like towards Salalah, it lush and green. I hope one day to return. I did go hiking at Green Mountain. Here is a link:

http://www.nizwa.net/env/jabalakhdarplant/jabalplant.html

I found the area quite beautiful and just simply gorgeous!!

Omanforum-A link to the Middle East

I have been a member of this site since 2004. My username is Marianna.

I love reading about other cultures and opinions. Sometimes it can become a tad heated (esp. when dealing with sensitive issues) but all in all, this is almost like an online family and I recommend checking it out some time:

http://www.omanforum.com/

All in all, omanforum helped me through some tough times. Man, sometimes I can get downright mad at some of the narrow minded comments against Westerners but thankfully not everyone who is a member is like that. There are those who are members that thankfully have some good sense and realize that people are individuals and that people will do things well........BECAUSE they are individuals!! I wish there was less stereotyping in this world, even in my own country but alas, there will always be those men and women who are afraid of the unknown and will be more comfortable remaining with their narrow views then trying to explore and make new friends with those individuals different than themselves. We have so much to learn!

My trip to Oman

I visited Oman in August 2006. It was hot, but then I knew that prior to leaving. It was quite an adventure just wow. Gorgeous. Oman is diverse and the people were very friendly. Their hospitality in the Gulf region preceeds them. I highly recommend visiting this lovely country once they have recovered from that cyclone Gonu. The picture posted here are two Omanis in their native dress, the Disdasha. We visited one of the many
gorgeous forts to be found scattered throughout the region.
I hope to return one day. Also I highly recommend the local cuisine. I am a fan of rice. Hmmmm....being half Puerto Rican I wonder why? :)

To get there took about a full day. I flew on Air France (yummy food--I usually detest airline food). And had a layover in Paris.

I will post more pictures later on to share my experiences with this lovely Middle Eastern nation!