Blog - Student shares details of Omani culture, food on study abroad trip

January 10, 2018 | Audrey Ewer

We started our day today visiting Dhofar University in Salalah. Dhofar is a private university with approximately 6,000 students. The dean of applied sciences said that the majority of classes are taught in English because they want their graduates to be able to compete in a global market. 

After our visit, our group went to a restaurant to sample an amazing array of local meat dishes. We tried everything-- goat, chicken, and camel meat. After lunch, we went to Lulu's hypermarket, a two-story building  larger than a Houston Walmart. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a fruit stand to try fresh coconut juice, bananas and papayas. We spent some time at the hotel to visit the Arabian Sea and the beach, since we had access to the beach through the hotel. Then, we visited the archaeological site and the Museum of the Frankincense Land, and we learned about the irrigation system called "falaj." We saw the ruins of multiple mosques at the site, as well as ancient pillars that had sustained the test of time. Later at dinner, our group had a wonderful time sharing and comparing our experiences of the day’s events.