Goodbye, Oman

Muttrah Corniche - April 2010

One year ago we arrived at the Muscat airport for the very first time.  We deplaned around 1:00am with a sleep-deprived 3 year old and one year old, only to find that our university sponsor was NOT waiting for us with our visas as expected.  I can still picture Ethan jumping over men sleeping on the floor, and Claire being admired by a large group of Indonesian women while David tried to convince the indifferent man at the visa counter to let us into the country.  Finally, a nice Omani woman at the currency exchange counter gave Ethan a Galaxy chocolate bar and helped us through immigration.

Boarding the flight from Frankfurt to Muscat - August 1, 2009

 Two months ago we returned to the airport (with sleep-deprived children) and said goodbye to a beautiful country that had come to feel like home to us.  My throat became tight as soon as we entered the building.  We spent our first hour checking in our luggage (nice airport employees, primitive use of technology) and then we headed to the visa cancellation desk.  Even now I feel sad thinking about how we passed through a door that locked behind us after our visa paperwork was closed out.  Next, we raced to the gift shop to spend our last 20 rial and arrived at our departure gate just in time (camel stick and t-shirts in hand).

Boarding our flight from Muscat to Heathrow - June 1, 2010

 Deplaning in London.

Ethan was escorted off the plane by the captain... really sweet!

 

 Chillin' at Heathrow.  My friend Silvia gave the kids some toys for the trip... thank you!!!

We feel so blessed to have had this wonderful experience living in Oman.  It is a beautiful country with beautiful people and traditions.  I hope we can return to visit someday.  In the mean time, I enjoy looking at pictures with the kids, talking about our friends and experiences in Muscat, and watching videos like this from our weekend in Dubai:

Ethan sometimes reenacts this show in the bathtub, singing and throwing cupfuls of water into the air.