A model for the day

Post-make-over: looking very different!

This weekend I had the opportunity to model for my teacher's sister-in-law who is training to be a make-up artist. I had never done anything of the sort, aside from a couple of 'photo shoots' that my mum took my sister and I to do a few years ago. I am also not a girl that wears a lot of make up and I knew my face was in for a complete transformation, as Omani women are generally not stingy when it comes to special-occasion make up!

Some of the other girls from the Arabic centre came along to get their photos taken too, making it a fun, girly day out, and a much-needed excuse to get out of our apartments and the surrounding area. We all squished into our teacher's car and headed for a town in the mountains, listening to Arabic music (along with a little Zumba music for some reason). When we arrived at the salon we were told to wait in one of the rooms for a little while before everything was set up. But Omanis won't leave you for too long without food, so after a short while we were bombarded with crisps, sandwiches, desserts, and drinks.

Once everything was ready, it was time for the first girl to get her make-up done, and we awaited eagerly to see the transformation. Special-occasion make up in Oman is colourful, daring, and can completely change the way you look (which was the case for me). Kathreen, my housemate, who was the first to undergo the make-over, looked great when she got up from the chair, and I was excited to see what mine would look like. And I didn't have to wait long, as I was up next.

As I said before, I don't wear make-up often, mainly because it's a lot of effort, and I'm not a morning person. When the make-up artist said that she'd like to use pink for my eyes I was a little hesitant, because even when I do wear make-up it's never colourful, let alone pink... But, pink would go with my outfit, so I said yes. There was a lot of different pink and brown eye shadows used, various eye-liners, and pink lip-gloss. In addition to that, in true Khaleeji style, thick, dark eyebrows were painted on top of my own. That was probably the weirdest thing to get used to, as eyebrows change the way you look more than you'd imagine. The next thing that made a big difference was the use of long fake eyelashes, which I've never tried before. When she put them on, my eyelids felt heavy and I could see them in front of me, but I must admit that I liked them! When I looked in the mirror my face looked like that of a different person. But, without my hair done, the make-up was overpowering, so I made sure that I was next for the hairdressing.

The lady who did my hair worked in silence for the first part, unaware that I could speak Arabic (she doesn't know English). But when I finally spoke to her, she started chatting away. She told me about her family and asked me questions about various things, and I was happy to practice some Arabic and also to make the hairdressing experience less of a prolonged awkward silence. She used two yarns of wool at the back of my head in order to create volume that my hair otherwise couldn't achieve, and until the balls of yarn were covered with my own hair, it looked really funny. I also had rollers in the front of my hair to add to the comic effect. However, once she had finished working her magic, it looked very elegant, and when I walked back into the room with all the other girls I was told it should be my wedding day and we were in need of a groom!

Finally, my make up was balanced out by my oh-so-voluminous hairdo! 

It turns out that they had ordered KFC whilst I was getting my hair done, and I was so ready for food! All of us girls ate fried chicken with full faces of make-up, and some with rollers in their hair; it was a funny sight to behold!

After a long wait, it was finally time for the photo shoot, the reason for all the make-up, hair, and fried chicken. The photos were taken by two guys with a great sense of humour, and we all had fun posing and pretending to be qualified models. I don't have the official photos yet but I will post them when I do. To top off a fun-filled day out, one of the models (a nursery teacher of the make-up artist's son) was celebrating her birthday that day, and we all surprised her with cake and sang Happy Birthday during her photo shoot!  

Just another day in Oman...

Volunteering in Oman: giving a little, getting a lot... (Part III)

Daymaniyat Islands- Cleaning up the beaches

Complimentary hat and t-shirt! 

By far my favourite lot of volunteering was helping to clean up the beaches at the beautiful Daymaniyat Islands Nature Reserve, off the coast of Muscat.

We arrived early in the morning for supposedly an 8am start, but due to Omanis working on a slightly different concept of time to the very punctual one I'm used to, we started about an hour after that. We were all presented with a free t-shirt and hat, and plenty of water and juices. You know you've done volunteering in Oman when you have a wardrobe full of complimentary t-shirts with the organisations logo on them... We were given coloured ribbons to put on our wrists, which decided which island we would be cleaning. My team were the whites, which sounded strange when I heard 'all the white people on this boat!'. So all of us 'whites' went on to a big police boat, and set out for the islands. Now, I'm not good with boats at all. One time my family and I rented a pedalo boat in Spain, and I had to get out and swim all the way back to shore as I couldn't hack the movement of the waves rocking the small boat... But, actually, the big boat was fine, and I couldn't feel the waves beneath us, so I sat and enjoyed the view without feeling the need to throw myself off-board!

The journey to the island that we'd be cleaning took about 45 minutes, and the view from the boat was breathtaking. There are lots of small islands dotted around, and the water is so blue and crystal clear in some areas that you can see right down to the bottom. As we approached the island, I realised that the boat was far too big to go right up to the shore, and then I saw the small boats that would be taking us from then on. Getting off of the big boat and onto the small one was quite scary and the small boat didn't look the safest, but it was an experience nonetheless! When we finally got to our island we could see why there were so many volunteers needed; the beach was littered with so much rubbish. I couldn't believe that people could just throw away everything and anything onto such a pretty beach, and a nature reserve too!

We were all handed plastic bin liners and told to only pick up certain things for each bag, so that rubbish could be sorted for recycling later on. We spent about an hour picking up bottles, plastic bags, tins, foil, you name it! There was a whole boat full of the rubbish collected and the beach looked great afterwards. It was very satisfying knowing that we'd made a big difference to the reserve, and a difference that visitors can enjoy for a while before more rubbish starts to pile up once more. We were told that they had done a similar volunteering day the year before, which is quite sad considering that people continue to leave behind rubbish year after year...

After we finished with rubbish collecting, it was time for some snorkelling! We had brought along masks in hope of some free time on the islands, and weren't disappointed. We had a long time to swim and see the coral and fish that surround the islands. I now have very strange tan lines from wearing conservative three-quarter length trousers all day out in the sun, but it was worth it.

We were then called back to the beach and it was time for lunch! One Omani guy had volunteered his rather fancy boat for the day to transport volunteers from island to island. He even brought out his sailor hat and put on some music that made us feel like we were on a party boat rather than participating in a day's volunteering. It didn't take us long to get to the other island where lunch would be served, but I was quite sad that our party boat trip had to end.

In true Omani style we all sat on the floor in circles under a large tent and ate from a big communal plate of rice and chicken with our hands. It was the best rice and chicken I have tasted here (and I've eaten a lot of it these past months!!). I'm always a bit weary when eating with my hands because a. I always end up making a mess, and b. I can hear my mum's voice in the back of my head telling me it's rude to eat with your hands. But that's how they do it here, so in order to be culturally immersed, I went along with it!

We went back to the port on the 'party boat', and it was a great end to a great day volunteering! As I've said before, my volunteering experiences in Oman tend to be characterised more by receiving than giving, but at least this time I could physically see a big difference being made, even if it only lasts a short while!

Volunteering in Oman: giving a little, getting a lot... (Part II)

Muscat- Earth Hour Event with Oman Environmental Society

Free T-Shirt with the society's logo

The second volunteering opportunity posted on the board at CIL was an event with the Environment Society of Oman who were putting on an event raising awareness about Earth Hour and the environment in general. We were the same group to sign up to do it again; they said we were the kind hearted ones, but maybe we were just the ones who wanted something to do on the weekend...

The event was to take place at a golf club at The Wave, an expat community near to the Arabic centre. The ironic thing about the location of the event was the very well watered green grass of the golf course, but oh well... The event was mainly for families, and there were lots of children's games set out around the area. However, I was in charge of collecting electronic waste and talking to the visitors about this. I was informed about what type of waste was accepted, what happens to the waste once it has been collected. The collection was run by a private company that collects electronic waste on a business level. Many people brought old computers, batteries, printers etc. etc. and even a whole van full of waste was brought along on behalf of a local school. However, I noticed that a lot of people were interested in recycling on an individual level, which is not currently available in Oman, as far as I'm aware.

This lack of recycling has been something that has annoyed me throughout my time in Muscat. So much goes to waste here: paper, plastic bottles, cartons, and everything else I religiously recycle at home. I really hope that the country (or at least Muscat city) opens itself up to widespread recycling facilities in the near future! In fact, the centre where I study now has small recycling bins scattered around, which is at least a step towards better environmental awareness in Oman.

At the event we were provided with free t-shirts, water, and a goody bag with environmentally-friendly bits and bobs in. Once again, I felt like I didn't work that hard, but people seemed to enjoy the event, we received a lot of electronic waste, and awareness was raised for a good cause!

That evening my flatmates and I sat in darkness for Earth Hour, with just the light of our laptops glowing (hmm, maybe we still have a bit to learn about being environmentalists...).

Volunteering in Oman: giving a little, getting a lot... (Part I)

Dimaniyat Islands, Oman

As a part of my Arabic course at the Center for International Learning I have had numerous opportunities to volunteer on a short-term basis. The opportunities having been rewarding to a certain point, but in reality what I have discovered about one-off volunteering in Oman is that you don't necessarily have to do all that much in terms of work, but you still receive a lot in return...

Rustaq- Elderly People's Home

The first opportunity was a day volunteering in an elderly people's home in the Rustaq region of Oman. When the sign-up sheet was put up on the board, I was quite surprised by the nature of the volunteering opportunity. You see, Omanis, and Arabs in general, are known for the importance they put on family life, and it is more likely than not that they will take in members of their family who are in need. Often, Omanis live in a house with various different members of the family under the same roof; mothers, fathers, children, aunties, uncles, grandparents... So, it was strange for me to find out that there even was a home for the elderly in Oman, taking this into account. But one thing I've definitely learnt about Oman, and any foreign country really, is not to jump to rigid conclusions about the culture, people, or happenings; there are always exceptions to the stereotypes, and things that will surprise you.

My two house mates and I were the only ones who signed up for the volunteering, but we later found out that that was more than enough people for the task at hand! The student affairs coordinator and one of the Omani female teachers also came along with us to help out. We headed to Rustaq in the school minibus, stopping on the way to take a photo by a large statue of a traditional Omani coffee pot, because why not? When we finally arrived at the home (a good two hours away and seemingly in the middle of nowhere) we were welcomed by some Omani women who were part of a charitable team and were preparing a BBQ for the residents, that we'd be helping to serve. They were very enthusiastic about us volunteering for the day and we took lots of photos before we even entered through the gates. I didn't really know what to expect, but the home was spread over a large area, and very pleasant looking. There were outdoor sitting areas under the shade and various buildings for different purposes scattered around. We were ushered into the meeting room for a quick briefing of the day ahead.

The talk was done all in Arabic- and not the Modern Standard Arabic that I learn at the centre, but mostly in Omani Arabic dialect. This was a great opportunity to practise listening skills and chat to the other volunteers around me in Arabic. I understood the majority of the talk and found out more about the home, and the reasons why it was set up. There were a few reasons given as to why people are sent to live there. Some of the residents have no family left to care for them, and others have mental disabilities which meant that their families were unable to take care of them themselves.

After the talk we took a tour of the home and met the residents. This was probably the saddest part for me, as many of them were unable to look after themselves at all, and were bedridden. We shook everyone's hand and said the formal Arabic greeting, but it was very difficult to understand anything more that was said. One man recited a poem for us, and and few other men joked around and seemed happy to see us. There were lots of people working at the home, helping the elderly residents with daily tasks and giving them the company that they need. It was nice to see that they were cared for well, by people who are keen to do their job and more.

We then started to prepare the lunch by carrying a few boxes from one place to another and setting up a table of food. To be honest, we didn't do a whole lot, in comparison to what I thought we'd do, but we made people smile and were part of a nice day for the residents and other volunteers alike. Once we'd done our (small) bit, we were invited to sit down and eat. After that we were presented with small gifts to say thank you. We all felt a little bit guilty, receiving gifts for such little work, but it seems that that would become a trend in terms of my volunteering experiences in Oman.

On the way home from the home we made a stop at the near-by hot springs, which are meant to have 'healing powers'. I don't know how much I believe that, but it was nice to dip my feet in the hot water nonetheless!

Hot springs, Rustaq