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...)