An obvious cultural difference would be clothes. Omani men wear a dishdasha and a specific Omani hat. There are two versions of the hat. The more turban style is the older style, the kuma is the one more frequently seen. Side note: I'd love to get Stephen and the boys kumas. They are very pretty! (is it okay to call a man's hat pretty?) What I didn't expect was that there were hats specific to Omanis. I also didn't realize that there are slight style differences in the dishdashas. An Omani dishdasha has a side tassel. They are typically white, but they can be in other colors or with colored embroidery and tassel. The women wear black with their head covered. Some women have their faces covered. I expected the Omani women's style. What I didn't expect was the feeling that we are going to stand out because of our skin color, but we can also blend in with the many expats by being us and dressing conservatively.
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| Omani Kuma |
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| Omani dishdasha with turban-style hat |
Speaking of Starbucks, there are coffee shops everywhere! I knew that coffee was a big deal here, but I didn't fully grasp just how many coffee shops there would be. Starbucks and Costas are everywhere. Every shopping area will have at least one coffee shop. There will be local shops at every gas station. And outside of the normal morning hours, you will find many Omani men socializing at the coffee shops.
You are not expected to clean up your table and throw away your trash at coffee shops, fast food restaurants, or mall food courts. There are people in the food courts that are there to clean up the tables. So the good news is, the tables are all very clean. Keep this fact in mind next time you see someone leave their trash at a table. They may not realize they are expected to clean up after themselves.
90s music is playing in many restaurants. There is a lovely Iranian restaurant near us that got slightly dinged on a review because the 90s music "detracted from the atmosphere". But this is what they listen to, apparently. (Or maybe it's what they think other people want to listen to?) So I laugh at the songs from my childhood, and move on. No need to let it ruin a night and/or a review.
They don't like dogs. I had read this before I left, and it was part of the decision not to bring our dogs. The bigger reason was that our Annie is a 12 year old lab. It seemed mean to put her through the flight and move. What I didn't expect was all the street cats. They are everywhere and people feed them. Honestly, beyond me why you would feed them.
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| Street cats outside Al Fair. Some people buy cat food inside for them and feed them before they leave. |
Omanis are extremely kind, especially the men. I've had a taxi driver that absolutely refused to let me walk home on a hot afternoon. The men at the airport going through customs have been very gracious. One joked around with the boys to pass the time. Two have kindly told me to calm down when they could tell I was nervous. They always say it with a smile. I apparently show my anxious all over my face. And I'm anxious when dealing with passports and visas and getting in and out of countries. Apparently, somewhat subconsciously, I'm worried about all that could (and probably won't) go wrong.
There is probably more. I guess I'll save it for the next potpourri post.
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