You know you've lived in Oman for a year when...

We just passed our one-year mark here in Oman. Here are some of my observations about living here in Oman and the Middle East in general. It should give you some insight into the daily life we experience here.

You know you have lived in Oman for a year when...

• This looks (and tastes!) like a gourmet meal. (Hint: it includes pork, too!)

You have no idea what a treat it was to find these Oscar Mayer Weiners on the grocery store shelf!

• Spotting this t-shirt at a mall kiosk, I was tempted to buy it and wear it every day because this has become a mantra for all those expats living in Oman!

• Seeing this ladder being used to access the roof at a major construction site does not surprise me.

• Your precious doggie that was once a princess is now sporting KU gear.

• A shower, sink, toilet and toilet spray nozzle, and a window ventilation fan all closely together in one room no longer surprises you. (No, thank goodness, this is NOT my personal bathroom.)

• The fragrance (?) of frankincense burning in your house is preferable to the smells in the stairwell of the apartment building... (there is no picture for this experience--but if you were at GA's or RA's last fall at FBC, then you KNOW what frankincense smells like! All you FBC'ers need to find one and ask them how it smells!)

• You expect the grit of sand in your mouth. 

The clouds may be low, but that's not rain clouding the view of the mountains--it's sand! Those are the sand
dunes that you can see from the deck around the swimming pool in our complex. Sand blocking
the view of the landscape is quite common. Sometimes the visibility is down to less than 1/2 mile.

• You own a variety/collection of electrical converter devices.

Note that the wall plates have on/off switches. Every outlet plug in our house looks like these!

• You finally break down and get a water dispenser with home delivery because you are tired of buying and carting water jugs up a flight of stairs.

• You are very grateful for Chacos that can be easily washed in the washing machine to remove the sand that is everywhere!

Sand left on the shoes after just one casual walk in the neighborhood...

• The kleenex box on your kitchen table is there for use as napkins as well as blowing your nose. 

Napkins are easier to find now than when we first moved here, but we just got used to having the kleenex box on the table like you find in many restaurants!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea! Living here is in and of itself an adventure. Some of these quirks just add even more to the adventure!