Honestly

Trust is something I've always held dear to me. When the State Department chose me as a candidate for the NSLI-Y scholarship, I assumed this meant they trusted me. They trusted me enough to be a language scholar and to uphold the rules set in place by them. This I have done, but what frustrates me the most about this program is the lack of trust between the smaller players. Between the implenting facility in country and the students. Between the individuals that are responsible for the students and the students. One would think that they would trust us enough to believe us when we make certain claims. The complete and utter lack of trust infuriates me. The simple fact of the matter is that one should just listen and take into consideration what we are saying. If someone simply ignores what we, the students HAND PICKED by the State Department, have to say it not only demonstrates a childish attitude, but also a lack of maturity. Of course, one doesn't have to believe what we have to say on the spot, but I thought it was common courtesy to just listen. 

I guess I never expected to not be trusted; I never expected that my actions would be questioned. I would expect the trust from the State Department to be carried on by the resident director and the place of learning in country. 

As much as the State Department tries to make your stay a most pleasurable and hospitable one (which they have done and I am very grateful), it is oftentimes the indivduals not affiliated with the State Department that make you question whether you really want to be here or not. 

Bsalama for now (and insha'allah, the next post will be more upbeat. I just felt that this was in issue I wanted to address. Hopefully this doesn't cause any further issues, I'm just glad this is out in the open now). 

Honeymoon is over.

When one moves to a different country, a radically different one from their home country, and they live there for a while, they experience something called culture shock. What is culture shock, you may be wondering.
Well, it's essentially how one reacts to the culture they are placed in.

There are usually four stages: 1. the honeymoon phase (everything is great and I love it here!) 2. the negotiation phase (god this is so different from home I hate it) 3. Adjustment phase (it makes sense!) 4. The "understanding" phase (everything is put into place, and one is able to become a functioning member of society and enjoys living there).

For everyone, the time periods between these stages are a bit different. But for me (and a large part of my group) the honeymoon phase is definitely over. Right now, there are parts of living here that are irking me more than they used to, and perhaps more than they should be. But it's nice to be coming out of the "rose bubble". I like to be seeing things with a realistic glass, you know?
And I am starting to miss things in the United States more. Mostly the freedom that the United States offers its citizens. I miss being able to wear whatever I want. I could wear whatever I wanted to here, but not only would that be incredibly culturally insensitive, it would also receive a lot of unwarranted attention from people on the street. I guess part of the reason I'm realizing all these emotions right now is because Halloween is right around the corner. In the States, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays....and people in Morocco don't celebrate it.

Mumkin I'm being a bit dramatic, but hey this is my blog, I'm allowed to rant.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Morocco....yet. No no, I kid, I kid. I don't think I'll ever hate Morocco. But some things might continue to bug me. The trash on the street, the glue-sniffing street youths, the constant stares, the fact that I'm unable to connect with my host sister at all despite the efforts I'm making, the smell that ALL my clothes in Morocco have and the fact that I'm unable to make it go away...that's just a few of the things that bother me.
I know that in the future these things will start to irk me less, but for now they will continue to irk me and I will try to ignore them.

Alot of people say that study abroad is fun, and its nothing but good experiences. That is one of the biggest lies that I've ever heard. Sure, study abroad is fun, but there are difficulties. One thing is that you're learning what you have to immediately apply. There is no "understanding" period. There are no breaks. There is no bullshitting your way through class. You have to understand what you're learning, or else you're stuck in situations where you dont understand what is going on. Then again that is about 85% of your study abroad experience.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that study abroad isn't all fun. It's challenging, like almost everything else you choose to embark on.

I would suggest it to most people because it is a good way to understand your limits and what you're comfortable doing.

Sorry for the super long post but these were things I needed to get out, also they are facts about study abroad that not many people talk about.

Bsalama for now!

Oman, ready or not, here we come

We are leaving in less than 12 hours. I’m both terrified and exhilarated. I’m nervous and happy. I’m confused and strangely ready. My PDO has been a success. We visited both the Omani Embassy in DC and the Omani Cultural Center. The people there were extremely nice. They are possibly the nicest humans I’ve met in my lifetime. They were so excited to have American students who are going to be living in Oman visit them. At the embassy, they gave us a book about Oman and a map of Muscat, which will be coming in handy VERY soon. At the cultural center, they gave us a story book of traditional Omani stories and an information brochure. The woman who gave the presentation there is an Omani young woman who is studying in the University in Muscat. She gave us a bunch of advice, that I’m sure will be coming in handy soon enough.

This morning, we went to the American Councils center in DC (the Amideast part of it) and got a very long debriefing about the safety and health concerns. We also went over the program rules. One in particular stuck out-do not make any life changing decisions. For some reason, it seemed slightly funny. This program in and of itself will change our lives and our outlook on life (hopefully for the better), so it seems to be a misleading statement (although I do understand what they are trying to communicate—don’t get married, don’t get piercings, don’t get tattoos and so on). Also, we aren’t allowed to hang glide…not that I would ever want to.

We received our Arabic textbooks as well…the most exciting part is that we get to keep them! This way we can—ideally—continue our study of Arabic even when we’re done with NSLI-Y.

So tomorrow at 4pm we are getting to the airport. Our flight is at 7pm. I am beyond excited, although I am slightly hesitant about the flying…I may or may not have an irrational fear of flying. (Ohei it’s 11.11 make a wish!) We’re getting to Muscat on Wednesday night at 9 pm ish, and we are going straight to the hotel, where we can sleep in the apparently unbearable heat..yay!

We are also going to Salalah during our first weekend in Oman (weekends are Thursday Friday in Oman rather than the typical western Saturday and Sunday deal). That should be really exciting, also because there is a festival going on in Salalah during the time in which we’ll be there.

Oh I’m just so excited for everything…..the clothes, the people, the language, the experience, the friendships we’ll form…

Also, Morocco kids, this is for you: all of you guys are absolutely wonderful, and I want to hear all about your trip! It’s annoying that we were placed together, because it’s basically Amideast saying “Oh here, meet all these amazingly wonderful teens that are super accomplished and smart…BUT WAIT, we’re taking them away from you in less than 72 hours” L Have fun in Morocco!

So tomorrow. The big day. Flight at 7pm, getting to Muscat at 9 pm on Wednesday.

Oman, ready or not, here we come!

We're down to single digits

So it's official...we're down to single digits. That means I'm leaving in 9 days. At 6.04 am. I haven't started counting the hours...yet :D
Yesterday I got a wonderful package in the mail...dun dun dun IT'S MY ARABIC DICTIONARY!!!!
WOOOOOT
I'm excited. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but tonight I will. Right now, I am in the midst of packing my bag. I have most of the essentials, but I love procrastinating, so dear reader, be assured, I will be packing the night before I leave...oh well
I also finally sent in my wonderful "student profile" that we needed to fill out in order to be placed in a family accordingly. I really would love to know what my host family is like, but it is possible that we won't know until we are in Oman.

Gifts
I have started getting gifts together for my wonderful host family. So far I have a mix CD that I made last night (it has some French music, Spanish music, American music...a bit of everything), Baci Perugina (which my mother insisted I bring...) and perhaps wind chimes because I cannot think of anything else :P. I need to head downtown and get something San Francisco related though...I think they would enjoy that. To go on my non-existent to do list.

Packing
I am currently packing lightly. A bit too lightly. My mother is making me pack more.... -_-
Annoyedddddd. Oh well. Better more than less, no?
(Aside: I'm listening to the PERFECT station on Pandora. It's all of my favorite music :D )
Oh no now my room smells like sunscreen. I just opened the package with the sunscreen and now everything will be sunscreen smelly... :/ Oh well

Here is my luggage so far. These are most of my clothes...

Just need to put in all the essentials. Joy. Off to find floss, toothpaste and memory cards for my camera.

Also, I had my language test today, the OPI. The person called, and here is how the test went.
Him: "Hello, I will read you the instructions, then you can ask questions"
Me: "Ok!"
Me: (After the instructions were read) "So.....I don't speak any Arabic..."
Him: ".............None at all?"
Me: "None..."
Him: "Ok. Have a wonderful weekend!"

I think I successfully failed that one.
Oy vey.

Back to packing, my wonderful readers!

Oman Vlog #4

It's been a while, here you go!
Oh and I am flying with one girl (Cara) from Houston to DC! We're on the same flight, we think :P

Here comes the agony

The agony? How could ANYONE be in agony whilst waiting to go to Oman, you ask. It's the waiting. I hate waiting. I thought summer would be fun..but I find myself sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. I should really be studying for my wonderful SAT subject tests on Saturday shouldn't I? Oh well. Here comes the 31 days of waiting...and waiting...and waiting. It's 2012, why is there not a machine to transport you into the future? Come on, we have the technology (or at least in my mind we do).
Here are some things that actually pertain to my trip. What a surprise!

• The pre-departure guide is 46 pages...of FUN!!! 
• There is no need to veil up whilst in Oman
• All colors (clothing wise) are acceptable
• We will be going to
   1. Salalah in Dhofar
   2. Jabal Shams and the bedouin village of Nizwa
•  I don't know how I'll be able to keep my vegetarianism up during my stay in Oman
• Not many people know where Oman is
• !! I NEED to get the host family a gift..I totally forgot. Probably a scrap book or something from where I live
• The dress code after/before Ramadan is a bit more relaxed

I'm going to go start figuring out what to give to my host family..and attempt to study for SAT's...yayyy

31 days left! 


P.S: I started learning Arabic using this website. It's really tough. I'm currently learning the alphabet. My goal is that by the time I leave for Oman, I'll know the alphabet. Can I do it? There is no question. I will do it.

Airplane schedule..I think

My wonderful trip schedule. 36 days left :D

More information about the Omani trip?!!!?

So I just had the conference call. It was super informative, and all the girls (and their parents) seemed really nice, so this trip will be fun, and a great experience for all of us.

1. There are a total of 15 girls going, no guys
2. The manual/manuscript/whatever else I've called it/Pre-departure guide (the actual name!) will be coming out this week, or in two weeks
3.  Computers are allowed, so I can continue blogging!!
4. We will be in school (at the Amideast center) for four hours a day, and the rest of the time is spent either interacting with Omani youth, going around Muscat, or...doing homework, not a new thing for Lowell students.
5.  During the weekends, we will be either going around the Muscat area, or in other places in Oman to visit the country and learn more about the Omani culture as a whole.
6. For the first three weeks, we will be staying in a hotel, since we get to Oman about two and a half weeks before the beginning of Ramadan, and finding families that stay in Oman during that time to host us is virtually impossible. During the last three weeks, we will be staying with a host family, one who has either hosted an American student before through YES Abroad, or one that has children that are part of certain Omani youth programs.
7. Skinny jeans=big no no. But on the other hand, in Oman, the average daily temperature during the summer can go well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit...so why would I want to wear skinny jeans? Skirts have to be mid-calf or lower, and no spaghetti strap shirts, you have to always keep the shoulders covered.
8. During Ramadan, we are not expected to fast, but I kind of want to, just to experience Omani culture as a whole. 
9. There's a law in Oman, I can't remember the name, but it has to do with not saying anything derogatory towards Oman or anyone in Oman. I think it's a really interesting law, and I'm not too worried about breaking it. Also, swearing, even out of anger, falls under this law. 
10. We will be flying from Washington DC with United(joynotactuallythough) until Frankfurt, which, in my opinion, isn't a very easy airport to navigate, and from Frankfurt we're transferring to a flight that will bring us to Saudi Arabia, and then from there to Muscat. My mom, being a good Italian asked the program director if they were going to feed us after getting to Oman, apparently they aren't, so I can expect my mother to give me A LOT of food for when we get to Muscat.
11. Also, we're going to be meeting either the Ambassador to Oman (US) or the staff that work in the Embassy in Oman..!!!!!
12. I'm super duper uber excited!!!!!!!! Yea that's about it. 

So I have officially 40 days until I leave for DC, and 43 days until I leave for Oman. 

43 days..and counting

Today was one of the best days of my life: I finished off my last AP of junior year, and I have 5 days left of school. And 43 days left until I leave for Washington DC. And 46 days until I leave for Muscat, Oman. I am beyond excited, although I haven't received my manual yet..which is pushing me a bit over the edge, but I'll deal. Also-conference call on Monday. It's from 7-8 pm eastern time, which would have been a problem if I had school, but I don't, because it's wonderful Arena day!! No, not gladiators fighting to their death, but high school students signing up for classes in the gym. Equally horrifying, but exciting. In 5 days, I'll be able to fully devote myself to trying to learn some rudimentary Arabic, like "where is the bathroom?" or "where can I get water" since, you know, it'll be around 120 degrees Fahrenheit there. Ah I cannot wait until Monday, hopefully I'll be getting the much needed information about Oman and all the rules and regulations.

I'll leave you with a summary of how I feel right now :D

Oman vlog #3

Well that's an awkward face. Third video-log for Oman!

Rant and Ramble

So we’re actually going to be in Oman for almost all of Ramadan..we’re leaving te day before it ends, which is quite annoying, because apparently on the last day they have mega-big festivities…

This year Ramadan is from the 18^th of July until the 18^th of August..and I love food. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to deal with this..meet cranky food-deprived Ariel, Oman!
Naw it’ll be an eye opening experience, and to tell the truth, I’ve always wanted to go during Ramadan. Iftar is the breaking of the fast, which I assume means..LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD!!! I was talking to my aunt, who just came back from Oman because she was working at the university there, and she said the food is delicious…so I’m definitely looking forward to that

Muscat, Oman, is a city of trade. They have a population of approximately 730,000 people. Oman has universal suffrage for those over the age of 21, which is a very unique thing for most Arab states.  Women can also hold a position in a government office, which is a first. Three women were recently elected into the Omani government. The sultan, Qaboos bin Said al Said, keeps Oman as a neutral country and upholds good relations with different countries including Iran, America and Britain.

I got an email yesterday, and our conference call with all the participants will be in late May…I'm really excited :P