Memories of Dubai and Oman, October 2006

Postmarked Sunday, January 14th, 2007
Topic: Travel (105 words, 33 images, 2 comments)

These have been a LONG TIME coming, so without further delay here are some images from my trip to Dubai and Oman in October 2006.

As you may recall from previous posts, I went out there with Stephen, friend and colleague, who is founder of Offscreen Education. He and Jamie are taking a group of 9 UK state-school students to Dubai and Oman from February 8-20, 2007, and this was our scouting trip out there, to garner both support and corporate sponsorships for the project! Please follow their journey through the Middle East on the website, which will be updated from the field EVERY DAY!!

While visiting one of our partner schools in Dubai, I meet a friendly camel. The view from the Dubai Cultural Council offices, with our contacts there. Learning about the city. View of the "Creek" from a dhow.
Dubai's Twin Towers, where the Dubai Cultural Council is located. Stephen captures me in a moment of rest. And I do the same! Go Offscreen!
Old and new meet in funny ways... Silhouette... Stephen thinks I should talk to the captain! I am shy! :)
Off to visit a school in Oman! This was the entrance to the boys school. Inside, we were met by many little helpers. I honestly felt like a dignitary. It was so touching.
"At attention" during the school welcome ceremony. So serious yet so cute! Being briefed by people from the Ministry of Education. Everyone was curious to see us...
It was all wonderfully formal! Then we were off to the girls school. Great computer facilities! Some of the beautiful student artwork. The Omani girls and their teacher.
Such a seemingly different world, yet familiar. Great public service announcements around the school. At the Muscat souk with friend Latifah. Time for a break! Lots to buy!
The mosque alarm clocks come highly recommended! Omani incense is a hot commodity! I make another new friend! At the Grand Hyatt Muscat, Stephen and I take a lunch break in the sun.
Can you tell why I especially loved this restaurant? Hint: check out its name.      

Reader Comments

1.

Comment from Tisha

Marjan, cultural question.

i am intrigued! i notice you sleeveless in some of the pics. is that acceptable in dubai?

just curious if you felt odd so exposed...

2.

Response from Marjan (http://www.marmerm.com)

Hello there dear Tish,

Good question. No, I never felt exposed in Dubai (or Oman even). Dubai is hard to describe. Let's just say that it is VERY commercialized, very urban, and has many many ex-pats living there. I don't have the exact numbers but there are so many nationalities and foreigners living in Dubai, that it has rules of its own and has become successful as a center for media, finance, etc because it has courted foreigners and "tolerated" Western lifestyles. Definitely can be seen as a playground for the rich and famous, has all the shopping malls you would ever want to visit, beaches, high-end products, etc. If it tells you anything, they're builidng the world's highest skyscraper there, as well as another Atlantis and millions of other crazy architectural firsts (completely manmade Palm-tree shaped clusters of islands for sale??). Worth a visit, definitely...

Add A Comment:

Optional Fields
Required Fields
Human Test

Here is a simple test to make sure you're human and not spam. Please re-type your name into the field below. It must match what you've entered above to pass.