Why Oman?

Well, ever since I started telling people that I want to go to Oman I have gotten some funny looks. A lot of people ask why in the world I want to go to Oman, and lots of other people seem to think I'm going to Amman, Jordan. So, I'm going to clear some things up!
First of all, here is Oman:



                                   

The star near the top is Muscat, where I'll be living next year.

So, my intrepid readers ask, why did you want to go to Oman again?
Well, I have a few reasons. One is that I want to learn Arabic. I think Arabic is a very interesting language, plus it is useful for a lot of jobs in international relations. If that isn't enough, it is really pretty when written! أهلا This means hello, at least I think it does. You say "ahlan."
Not only is Arabic interesting, Oman itself is extremely fascinating. Before 1970 it was a very backwards country run by a man named Said bin Taimur, who didn't like international trade and had let the infrastructure slip down to only three schools, all of which were for boys. And this was not the extent of the issues either. Then, in 1970 a new ruler came to power, Sultan bin Qaboos. Sultan bin Qaboos immediately began modernizing the country, but although he worked hard to open up Oman to the rest of the world, he worked just as hard to preserve traditions.   
Today, Oman continues to have a distinct culture, even while working hard to progress. Plus, it had a large number of schools for boys and girls, one of which I will be attending next year.
I am also really excited to live in an Omani family. Omani families are usually large, and it would be exciting to have siblings as I am an only child here. Plus, Omani families are often quite close knit, and since I'm really close to my American family that would be great for me.
If these aren't enough reasons for anyone to go to Oman, I'll add that it's extremely beautiful. Take a look:





 


So, who's coming to visit me next year? :)