Home for the Holidays

In a few short hours I will be headed to the airport and flying home for Christmas (14 hour flight)....A White Christmas (the DC area got about two feet of snow on Saturday)

The snow from my sister's back porch...



My mom's Christmas Tree...



I will spend New Year's in the Blue Ridge Mountains...and then I will return to Kuwait shortly after the New Year...and then head off to Qatar

Shooting Range

I went to the shooting range in Kuwait. It was my first time ever shooting a gun. It was pretty fun and I think I did pretty good for my first time...





I thought this activity was more popular here in Kuwait, mainly because it was a part of orientation week at AUK. But, as it turns out gun laws are apparently pretty strict and most people dont own any guns...of course, many people here think that all Americans are gun loving people...

Failaka Island

CAMELS

Failaka Island

Gulf War Iraqi Tank Cemetery

OMAN

In the Desert at Sunset



Inside the Mosque next to Al Alam Palace in Muscat



Overlooking Wadi Bani Khalid



Me with the Bedouin Kids at the Desert Camp

OMAN - My GMU Day

At the top of Jabrin Castle built in the late 17th century



The Ruins at Tanouf



Inside the Nizwa Fort



On top of the Round Tower at Nizwa Fort

Oman Headwear

OMAN

The spectacular Desert in Oman (way better than in UAE)



Me about to jump off a cliff at the secluded Wadi Arabayeen



Me about to jump off an even bigger cliff at Wadi Bani Khalid



A boat trip around the local beach just outside of Muscat

Oman

MOUNTAINS!!!!!!!!! - although, they are lacking in the tree department, still stunning...



outside the Mausoleum Bibi Miriam



Oman Headwear - this style is very similar to the UAE style



Me being all GMU school spirit at the Nizwa Round Tower Fort built in the 17th century

OMAN

Everyone needs to vacation in Oman at least once in their lives! It is a wonderful place with beautiful scenery from the mountains, ocean, wadi, old ruins, desert, and the city...

The traditional Tent where i spent the night in the Desert



Me after I conquered a really tall sand dune in the desert in the dark!



Gorgeous White Sand Beach south of Muscat



Bimah Sinkhole

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a traditional Thanksgiving Day Feast!!!! Turkey (I had a leg - my favorite), Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Corn...a nice glass of homemade wine...and Apple Pie & Pumpkin Pie a la mode...we followed up the meal with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Now I am packing for my Oman trip. I leave at 6am. I am thankful that even though I was away from my family I was still able to celebrate Thanksgiving here with friends!

Holiday Spirit

Happy Thanksgiving and Eid Mubarak...



The Christmas Tree is up and decorated in true Holiday Spirit...
Makes me miss home and feel at home simultaneously...







I will be home for Christmas in one month...

Jumeirah Mosque

I also went to the Jumeirah Mosque and sat through a noon prayer, which was very interesting. The building itself has beautiful architecture and is quite peacful and calming.

Desert Camp Entertainment

Here is a picture of the Desert Camp...



There were four entertainment shows at the desert camp.
The first was a belly dancer.



Then there were Turkish Whiriling Dervishes



Then there was an Egyptian dance with sticks (of which I dont have any photos).
And then there was a number that involved musical instruments, two belly dancers, and two people inside a horse costume.

Desert Safari

While in Dubai I went on a Desert Safari that consisted of Dune Bashing, a Camel Ride, and a Barbque. The dune bashing was exhilirating, going up and down the dunes sliding sideways. It was crazy and scary fun...None of the pictures or video really showcased the experience well. Then we stopped for photos.



Then it was time to head over to the camp. First up, was the camel ride. If you have never been around camels, i should start by saying that they make this awful growling/groaning sound. They dont sound pleased to be walking back and forth with loads of strange tourists on their back. And the way that they get up is by putting their back legs up first which means that you fling forward as though you are going to fly right off them. Then when they are up, you realize just how tall they are. It was really cool! Then into the camp for dinner & drinks!

Dubai

Well, I had a great time in Dubai...although, I think that it is a little more hyped up than it actually is...Hands down the most fun that I had was learning how to snowboard. I know what you're thinking who goes to the Middle East to learn how to snowboard? But Dubai has a Ski Park in the Mall of the Emirates. I had a blast, even though I fell on my ass about a hundred times and was in some real pain by the time I left. Not to mention my hardest fall was on my last time down the mountain and I hit my head quite hard (I actually had whiplash). But over the course of four hours I made my way from the practice area all the way to the big slope.

Ski Dubai has 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient, the longest run being 400 meters with a fall of over 60 meters.

A Day at the Market - Sweets

Of course, the market also has little shops to pick up sweets to take home...



And nuts, which are also a big part of the diet here...these shops are in every market...



Also, there are little shops with very elaborate chocolates that are given as gifts. The picture below is of an example of how the chocolate is packaged and displayed and put out for guests at home...oh, and in case you're wondering these packaged chocolates are really yummy too!!!! (Although, for some reason a lot of the chocolate candy bars - i.e. Snickers - don’t really taste the same as they do back in the states)