Worlds Apart

As I watch the floods devastate Queensland, I can’t help but feel personally affected yet a world away from it all. Sometimes it feels like I am watching a movie that I have become totally absorbed in. Many of my friends and family have been affected; some are watching the rising waters right now, playing the waiting game to see what will happen to them.


(Photo: Main street of Toowoomba, Queensland)

Looking out the window from my lounge room, the sky is clear blue, the sun is bright in the morning sky. I rarely see clouds in the sky and can count the number of times it has rained since I have been here, on one hand. When it does rain, it lasts for maybe 2 minutes at the most and is more a shower then anything else. Did I mention this is the rainy season at the moment?

Because of the lack of rain, the response by the locals when there is precipitation is quite, well, dramatic and comical.

Firstly, the roads become even more of a death trap. The drivers speed up and become erratic – that is, they increase their already ridiculous speeds and become even more erratic in their driving. I hate it if I know that MP might be on the roads when there is a brief shower. I don’t know what it is about rain that makes people feel the need to drive like a crazy person – and I don’t just mean here in Oman…

The comical part of the reaction is that of a local who is outside (which is usually only when they are moving from their car to the shopping centre). When it rains, there is a mad shuffle (Omani people rarely run) to whatever shelter they can find and remain there until well after it has stopped. Oh, did I mention they all jump on their mobile phones and rapidly discuss this rare phenomenon that has rudely interrupted their day!

I love playing up to it by standing in it, hoping for a drop of rain to land on me, with a ridiculous grin on my face. Hey, what can I say, I’m a Queenslander who loves a bit of rain! The looks of condescension that I receive only add to my enjoyment of the moment.

Maybe I am being too hard on the locals; this is a desert country after all!



(Photo: A view from the car of the drive to Muscat)

I just watched an update on CNN about Brisbane. An expected peak at 4am tomorrow (Thursday) morning, local time.


(Photo: Aerial view of Surat, QLD - taken from my Dad's plane as he does mercy flights around the area)

The amount of water is hard to comprehend from my lounge room with a blue sky view…


(Photo: The view from my lounge room)

Stay safe everyone.

Cultural Differences

I wanted to share this post that was on the Oman Forum, which I occasionally frequent...


Asalam Alaykum........................

I am a 23 year old Muslim woman-and I do not yet wear the Hijab...... however I still think it is important to maintain modest, and like to refrain from having physical contact (huggig) of the oppsite sex.

I have a Muslim Male friend (who is very respectful and like a brother to me), that seems to believe "only women that wear the Hijab are to be untouched." Basically, because I do not yet wear the Hijab, he thinks it is appropriate for me to hug him on certain occasions.

I would like everyones input on this - arn't ALL Muslim women (hijab or not) suppose to refrain from this type of contact with men....???
Thank you!


It got me to thinking about how I react to men hugging women (or me in particular) in Australia, which really is it's nothing out of the ordinary. We hug to greet each other, we hug to say goodbye, we hug in excitement, congrats, etc., etc., etc. And that is just one part of the physical contact between members of the opposite sex (I specify that this is between men and women because it is quite fine and MP & I regularly see, men holding hands or hugging - now, what reaction did you have to that!).

Since being here, I have really had to curb my natural instinct for physical contact in public. And no, I do not go around hugging randoms either here or in Oz! But just putting your hand on your partners shoulder or arm or holding your partner's hand... It is all quite natural. Next time you are out with you MP, just observe how you behave - it may be enlightening!

Anyway, here are some of the responses to the original post...

Life is too short. As long as the hug is brief, open and friendly, done in public, there should be no need to worry.
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Well being 23 year old you have to wear the hijab...It doesn't matter if other people don't you have to do the right thing. By wearing the hijab then you will be obeying the commands of the Creator of everything that exists...also by wearing the hijab it shows you are proud to be a muslim, and you are proud to be on the right path.
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You dont have to wear anything you don't want to! It's not a requirement!
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you post reinforces one of my beliefs. The Muslim woman wears the hijab not because the women are weak but because some of the Muslim men are weak.

(Note: I haven't changed any of the posts... The spelling and grammar errors where there already...)

Reflections

It is 1/1/11.

A brand new year. And like most people at this time of year, I have become somewhat reflective. It has been a while since I have had a pretty good year, but 2010 was a pretty good year. I got to travel overseas for the first time in my life and MP and I made the long awaited international move. All in all, pretty exciting stuff!

And now the new year has begun and with all things new, I have decided to do some new things too. So, instead of just writing my resolutions for 2011, I decided to write them for the next 10 years. It is a big decade for me, I've just started my 30's and when all is said and done, this is the decade to achieve things; oh and don't I have some plans (so not sharing by the way)!

Unfortunately we won't be doing any travelling any time soon because MP is saving his holidays for a trip home later in the year. We are also not expecting any public/national holidays for at least 6 months now - maybe the odd day here and there, but none like we just had and we have had an absolute stack! Actually we've been somewhat spoilt by it, but we think that there were so many because it was the 40 year anniversary of Sultane Qaboos' reign. Probably not a bad thing now though, after our last trip I didn't really appreciate it as much and I was very glad to return to our temporary home for a while.

But I digress...

I am actually going home in a few weeks for an undetermined amount of time. Homesickness has gotten the better of me - I miss my family and friends so much - but I am a little apprehensive about going home. I know that it won't have changed all that much, I haven't been away long enough, but I have a few 'what ifs'. Something I am quite nervous about is going through customs! After being to several different airports around the world now, you'd think I'd be over that, but there is still just a little bit of nervousness that I get around airport security... Ridiculous I know, but hey!

So I guess this little post is just a rambling about it being a brand, spanking new year - anticipation about what is to come, stars in your eyes about the imagined successes to be achieved and the excitement about the adventures to come... That's right folks, this is going to be another good year! Well, here's hoping...

We shall see what 2011 brings!

Different Perspecitves

I am currently lucky enough to be temporary possession of a sattelite box (on loan from GM whilst he is in South Africa for Christmas) and I'm watching my most favourite channel ever - Animal Planet! There is a marathon on of a show called Wildlife SOS International, in which a vet from Surrey, UK has travelled to Australia and Thailand to check out the 'plight' of some species. This show has elicited some discussion between myself and MP.


It appears that the tourist trade in Thailand has resulted in a black market trade in wild animals such as tigers, elephants and some primate species for both use in the tourist and pet trade. There were images of elephants being restrained in a crush, unable to move, beaten by their 'trainers' and sleep deprived. The aim of which was to produce a very subdued, docile animal that could be taking into the heart of Bangkok (sold for up to $10,000 US mind you), so that these animals could be fed and ridden by tourists. And another of a zoo on the 6th or 7th floor of a high rise building that housed gorillas and such, in cement pens, fed on sweets and junk food by the tourists. Not to mention the Buddhist sanctuary where you are able to have your photo taken with one of the tame tigers - what they don't show is how these tigers are treated; tiger urine squirted in their faces, beaten, constantly chained... I frankly, was horrified and wanted to change the channel.


MP and I started discussing this and really, both us would love the chance to pat an elephant and ride on its back - who wouldn't! What an experience that would be (I know couple of people who have actually done this). But I am now more wary of anything touristy involving animals and not because of this show. After our trip to Jordan, and Petra in particular, I saw first hand the treatment of the horses and donkeys used, not to mention the council worker who picked up a pup by its hind leg... MP brought up the point however, that tourists often go to these places to experience the animals and what is that old saying 'supply and demand'... I don't think there will ever be a point in time when humans will completely cease all 'use' of animals. So, with this thought in mind, what I would like to see if a change in animal welfare - if the animal is treated well behind the scenes, well fed, good living conditions, no abuse and maybe even some love - then swallowing the pill of animals in the tourist industry will be much easier to swallow.


When the show moved to Australia however, I believe the story portrayed was extremely narrow. The host focused on the dingoes of Fraser Island and the culling of kangaroos near Broken Hill.


As Australian's we all know the difficulties that have sprung up between humans and dingoes and the attempts to reduce interactions between the two. I personally don't agree with the fence that has been erected, to me that is more about protecting the tourist industry from themselves then for consideration of the welfare of the animals. Seriously, when are people (aka tourists) going to take responsibility for themselves? Don't feed the animals, you have been warned, but you go and feed them anyway, you get bitten, blame the animal for doing what a wild animal does and now because of that, they are fenced in!! Hmmm.... There is something just not quite right about this.



Kangaroo's are another controversial issue. One the one hand they are iconic to Australia, on the other, they can be quite a pest. It is the lack of information, or maybe the better word is 'misinformation', that floats around regarding population numbers and numbers culled. Having actually lived in a couple of roo shooter towns, I have had a little experience with these people and really, they are just like the rest of us trying to make a living, although their industry is heavily regulated (as it should be, we are talking about native wildlife) and there are many ups and downs, closing of meatworks, loosing of major contracts by the Australian Government...

From the opposite end of the scale, one conservationist felt that a more wise use of these animals would be to create an tourist industry centred around them. One major flaw with this argument however - Australia is a very long way from most other countries, costing several thousand to fly here and then to travel into these outback places, a lot of tourists don't actually realise the vast distances they would have to travel.

So I realise this is a slightly different post to what I usually write, but since living overseas and experiencing different views on places in the world, including my home country. I think that it has opened my eyes somewhat, especially to the huge variations in some many areas - animal welfare and the value of humans, for example - and I hope that it makes me a more open minded person.