Culture Shock? nah...

            Perhaps the most shocking thing I have experienced here in Oman is that I have not experienced culture shock. Not yet anyways. Perhaps it’s because of the environment that I’m surrounded by. Everywhere I go I see English. Traffic signs, store names, and menus are not only in Arabic, but in English too. Also, most people here have way more advanced phones than my Verizon LG dumb phone that I have in the States. And there are cars and TVs and Pizza Huts and Subways and a lot of other things here that America has too.

            Even living in this urban setting, however, I have received a fair share of cultural experiences. I have visited Oman’s interior, observed a live animal market, walked around ancient villages, played lots of soccer, talked with countless Omani taxi drivers, explored most of Muscat, and have been hosted inside many Omani homes. My past experiences in other non-American cultures besides Oman have prepared me to live abroad and I accept the differences I see between the American and Omani culture. Granted Omanis live differently, that doesn’t confuse or scare me. Concepts of child-rearing, marriage, and religion are also vastly different, but you accept them the way it is and you move on.

            For the past month and a half, the only frustration that I have been experiencing on a regular basis is the language barrier. You don’t realize how important communication really is until you move to a different culture where they speak a different language. When you want to ask, “Which one of you took my Head and Shoulders shampoo from the bathroom? or “Can you please make me a sandwich without French fries in it?”, you realize how little you know and how stupid you sound. (Five semesters of Arabic before this cultural immersion in Oman gave me a very elementary background of the Arabic language. The teachers at the Academy are fantastic, but of course there is only so much you can teach in three hours per week. Here I have Arabic all day, every day.)

            It’s been a long journey. I remember the first chapter of my Arabic book and learning my first two words… “United Nations.” I didn’t think I’d ever use that word, but yesterday, Bam! I heard it on the news. I’ve been asked before how many words I know in Arabic. I have no clue. How many words do you know in English? I learn so many new words a day, at the Center and at my homestay. The key now is to use them so I don’t lose them. Every time I make a mistake in the language, someone is glad to correct me, and I genuinely appreciate it. I make lots of errors every day, and at times it gets frustrating, but I am getting so much better at the language as well.

            Culture shock perhaps targets people who may not have been exposed to many outside cultures before. I don’t know; maybe I’m wrong and have yet to experience disorientation and surprise and discomfort. Maybe. As for right now, I am fully embracing this new world and enjoying every Omani experience I get. Throughout all my travels in my lifetime, I have realized one thing: there are some beautiful places out there, but there is no place like home. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, although I like Oman, I love America. And I am definitely coming back to the good ol’ US of A, the land of the free and the home of the brave.