If the Whole World Was Omani...
Eid Mubarak.
My sense of Oman was forever changed this weekend. I was but a foreigner in a foreign land, learning to love that land - and then the people decided to love me. As I begin to reflect on the gift I was given on Saturday, I come into a new human perspective - I was witness to a kind of unconditional love of sorts, expressed through the open arms of brothers and sisters I never knew I had.
I don't know what pushes the Omani people to be as open and welcoming as they have proven themselves to be. It cannot be explained simply through Islam, otherwise the entire Islamic world would be this open. It is something deeper, something so purely human that compels Oman to open its arms to an outsider and proudly share with them their lives and their traditions. Perhaps it is a pure curiosity about the lives of others, and an honest pride in the purpose and meaning of their traditions.
As I was invited into home after home this Saturday, filling my stomach to the brim with fresh fruits and coffee, and then each neighbors home recipe of meat and spices, I began to wonder to myself if I had ever been treated with as much warmth and hospitality by complete strangers. The funny thing was, I did not really feel like a stranger at all - in a strangely familiar way, I felt like I belonged. The incredible thing was that I saw no discrepancy in attitude between generations. From the oldest man to the youngest child, their community, homes and hearts were open to me.
The communities in which I was participating in the Eid celebrations certainly had a unique character to themselves. Everyone knew everyone else, and were probably related to one another in some way or another - which may have led to the particular sense of identity in community that I sensed there. Of course, some individuals were more willing to talk with us than others, often times based on their level of English and my brief flashes of clarity in my Arabic, which led to deeper connections with some than others. But what I will hang on to from this experience, is the desire and effort of that particular few to connect and communicate through their openness and sharing trust.
My perspective on giving has forever been changed, along with my understanding of what acceptance of another truly means. In fact, my understanding about the kind of person I continually strive to be is changing as well. If I can strive daily to live the open and welcoming life that I was treated to this Eid
...Maybe the World Would Be a Better Place.
My sense of Oman was forever changed this weekend. I was but a foreigner in a foreign land, learning to love that land - and then the people decided to love me. As I begin to reflect on the gift I was given on Saturday, I come into a new human perspective - I was witness to a kind of unconditional love of sorts, expressed through the open arms of brothers and sisters I never knew I had.
I don't know what pushes the Omani people to be as open and welcoming as they have proven themselves to be. It cannot be explained simply through Islam, otherwise the entire Islamic world would be this open. It is something deeper, something so purely human that compels Oman to open its arms to an outsider and proudly share with them their lives and their traditions. Perhaps it is a pure curiosity about the lives of others, and an honest pride in the purpose and meaning of their traditions.
As I was invited into home after home this Saturday, filling my stomach to the brim with fresh fruits and coffee, and then each neighbors home recipe of meat and spices, I began to wonder to myself if I had ever been treated with as much warmth and hospitality by complete strangers. The funny thing was, I did not really feel like a stranger at all - in a strangely familiar way, I felt like I belonged. The incredible thing was that I saw no discrepancy in attitude between generations. From the oldest man to the youngest child, their community, homes and hearts were open to me.
The communities in which I was participating in the Eid celebrations certainly had a unique character to themselves. Everyone knew everyone else, and were probably related to one another in some way or another - which may have led to the particular sense of identity in community that I sensed there. Of course, some individuals were more willing to talk with us than others, often times based on their level of English and my brief flashes of clarity in my Arabic, which led to deeper connections with some than others. But what I will hang on to from this experience, is the desire and effort of that particular few to connect and communicate through their openness and sharing trust.
My perspective on giving has forever been changed, along with my understanding of what acceptance of another truly means. In fact, my understanding about the kind of person I continually strive to be is changing as well. If I can strive daily to live the open and welcoming life that I was treated to this Eid
...Maybe the World Would Be a Better Place.
Labels: Oman Time, Reflections
posted by snirapnotreknipnnyldrahcir at
11:40 AM
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