Blog - Students learn lessons in foreign cultures in Oman

January 11, 2018 | Audrey Ewer

 Our group left Muscat today via four-by-fours to head toward Sur. We stopped to look at an amazing and gorgeous sinkhole. While we were there, we saw tourists swimming in the sinkhole in bikinis. After speaking with locals, we found out they were uncomfortable going to the sinkhole, particularly with bringing their children, because of the way the tourists dressed. 

Although Oman is extremely open to all people, it is important to consider other cultures and their values when visiting. It’s fine to dress the way you choose, but as visitors in Oman, respecting their culture by dressing modestly can help create a positive interaction between locals and tourists. 

We explored the wadi, or valley, visited the villages built near the mountains, hiked a trail, and viewed the irrigation system called "falaj."

Before the trip, Dr. Curtis asked us to read some academic sources about Oman. This was to give us an insight into what we would experience in Oman. One of the articles was about food, and now that we have eaten so much on this trip, I noticed that we ate nearly all of the foods the article discussed. We have eaten dates, a variety of fish, a type of tomato sauce, carrots, lentil soup, rice, chickpeas, goat meat, chicken curry and limes. This demonstrates that even though it’s important to read about a country, it cannot compare to real-life experiences.