Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Oman

Summary: My time in Oman has been busy but delightful.  My hosts at the language teaching institute, previously just email contacts, are now colleagues of the heart.  My six seminars on three days (for institute, university, and secondary school teachers) were well-received, but I have a greater sense of actual needs now.  I loved staying in and touring the town of Nizwa, a historical capital built around a date palm oasis.  It was very meaningful to be here over Easter.

More details:
I have really enjoyed my time in Oman.  My host here in the city of Nizwa is the Scientific Institute for Training and Administrative Development (SITAD), an institute I have been in email contact with for years.  The current director is Nigerian, from a diplomatic family, with a PhD in economics, fluency in many languages including Arabic, and many visionary ideas for “excellence in service.”  I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and his wife and family and seeing how they fit in culturally here while also leading short-term volunteer teachers from around the world—currently Tanya from NewZealand, who is also helping host me.

SITAD is hoping to expand its services to nearby towns, so they used my time here as a way to offer seminars to teachers from all kinds of schools.  I went to the College of Applied Sciences and spoke to about 20 both local and expat English teachers on critical thinking.  I went to a wonderful secondary school in the nearby town of Bahla and spoke to about 60 teachers on teaching reading, and on using student created practice activities.  I spoke to about 15 local teachers who came to SITAD for two sessions.

My time at SITAD also involved observing teachers and even being a substitute teacher for a teacher out on emergency.  It’s good for me to have fresh experience in answering student questions that come out of the blue, trying to hear the soft voice of the one woman in the class who sits in the back, and dealing with students at different levels in the same group.

I’ve also enjoyed touring Nizwa and surroundings.  It’s a pleasant town in the middle of a date oasis surrounded by jagged gray mountains.  There’s a fort (you can see the holes where defenders poured boiling date juice down on attackers) and a souq (market)—and lots of modern, but low-key buildings too.  Nizwa is hot and dry, but all buildings seem well air-conditioned. 

Tanya also took me to see Al-Hamra, a village that contains old two-story mud brick houses (as well as plenty of new villa-style homes.  Oman has a good economy and an enlightened sultan who spends the nation’s wealth on the people, so you can see a lot of palatial houses.  Since women don’t go out much, it’s a priority to have a house with a lot of space.)  In Al-Hamra, an enterprising family has turned an old-style house into a “living museum.”  Grandmothers in colorful garb demonstrate coffee-grinding, bread baking, weaving and so on.  We also drove up into the mountains to see another village.  This one is tucked into a little canyon, invisible from the plain, but lush with date palms planted on small terraces, and irrigated by an ingenious system of little channels.  Here the houses are made of rocks.  My apartment—which SITAD keeps for visiting teachers—is in an old section of Nizwa, with windy roads, high walled houses, and lots of date palms.  Very pleasant! 

It’s interesting to see how Omanis are maintaining cultural traditions, negotiating regional influences, and engaging in the modern world.  One example is dress.  Most Omani men wear a white dishdash, a long robe, along with an embroidered cap (and some of high status wear a turban wrapped in a patterned scarf).  Most Omani women out in public wear a black abaya (long robe with head covering)—a custom that came from Saudi Arabia five or ten years ago. Now they are embellishing the abaya with embroidered cuffs, ruffles on the front, or sequins along the head scarf.

People have been friendly and warm, asking me when I’ll be back. I was here on Easter (busy day with seminars and a class observation, and with lunch and fellowship at my hosts’ home in between), reflecting on all our need for resurrection power.

On Wednesday I leave Nizwa very early.  We drive to Muscat where my hosts catch a morning flight to return to Nigeria for a family reunion and where I meet a friend of theirs who will show me around the capital before my afternoon flight.  I’m flying to Dubai, and then on to Dushanbe.  Lee is heading for the same destination, from LA via Istanbul (from Lee: I'm departing LA Tues. late afternoon, flying overnight to Istanbul, then again overnight to Dushanbe. We plan rendez-vous about 4am Thurs. in Dushanbe--about Wed. dinner time east coast, mid-afternoon Wed. in Pasadena)  Yea!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Kuwait and Oman

Just finished four days in Kuwait. Such an interesting place!  For example: --Most women wear a black abaya and head scarf , but shop in incredible malls with international brands like H&M, Gap, Forever 21, and Versace. --The small oil-rich Kuwaiti population means there is a large immigrant labor force--and that gives an international air to the city, with Indian, Filipino, and Lebanese influences. --We enjoyed a meal of chicken kebabs, flat bread, and a brazier of tea in the souk...as well as a dinner at PF Chang's.  I stayed with my friend N, who's been teaching at Kuwait University for five years. She arranged for me to see half a dozen English classes there.  I really enjoyed observing the capable teachers and promising students.  I also gave a seminar on "Helping Students--and Teachers--Adjust to Change" (at N's request).  We had time for a picnic on the beach and a photo tour of the city.  With Friday being the Muslim day of worship, the Kuwaiti weekend is Fri/Sat.  That made it natural to attend Good Friday services at the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait--the only one in the country--which serves a huge range of internationals (sadly, no locals).  Among the 40 congregations which meet on the compound in several different buildings with service after service is The Lighthouse (English), with about 2000 members from 50 nationalities.  At the 9:30 service we went to, there were lots of people from Kerala (India) and the Philippines, as well as some from Nigeria, the U.S., and Canada.  What a cross-cultural blessing as well as challenge!

I'm now in Oman.  After the sophisticated city of Kuwait, the town of Nizwa is a delightful change.  Nizwa is also an oasis, with palm trees fed by streams from the mountains around two wadis (washes)--a welcome change from the dusty concrete (beautiful modern architecture notwithstanding) of Kuwait.  My hosts here in Nizwa (90 minute drive from the capital Muscat) are with the Scientific Institute for Training and Administrative Development (SITAD), which offers courses in English, other languages, computers, business, and leadership.  They've reached out to other schools and universities in the area and set up four locations/groups of teachers for me to speak to.  Today that included four hours for one group and two hours for another group.  It won't be so hectic after today, and I'm also looking forward to touring the area on Monday.  It's supposed to be high on "must see" parts of the world.  I am feeling very blessed and thankful.  God is good!   - Kitty

Friday, April 15, 2011

Presentations

Besides observing English language classes, I will be doing some seminars for teachers.  My hosts have arranged for a variety of these: some for a small group of ex-pat volunteers, some for university teachers, some for large groups of local middle and secondary school teachers.  Some are just me talking, but most involve audience experience and interaction.  Overall, I'm covering eight topics on 20 plus occasions.  I love the process of anticipating needs, thinking creatively, pulling ideas together, and planning how to engage the audience.  No matter how much "wisdom" I've accumulated or how hard I prepare, I still get nervous.  Am I giving these hard-working teachers something valuable? Am I on target for this context?  Am I speaking so the audience gets it?  Today I'm wrapping up final details on my last presentations. Praying Colossians 3:17.  --Kitty

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Psalm 23

Some words of this Psalm have been shaping some of my prayers for this trip.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
We want our ways to be those of integrity and justice as we travel, teach, and interact.  May this be for the honor of God's name.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
We will not spend very long in any of the places we visit, but we pray that following our visit there will be a little more goodness and mercy for those we have met in each of those locations.  May this be a gift from God.
--Kitty

Monday, April 4, 2011

International trip coming up

Part 1 of my sabbatical has involved lots of rest, a little writing, and the enjoyment of a beautiful California spring.

Part 2 is an international trip from April 17 to May 25 that will take Lee and me to English language teaching sites from the Mideast to Central Asia to East Asia.

I'll be visiting former students and other Christians involved in English teaching around the world.  I will be observing EFL classes, doing some individual consultation, giving some presentations to teachers.  Lee is joining me on the trip, in locations where there is also an opportunity for him to explore effective businesses and enterprise by NGOs.

Our itinerary will be:

April 17: Kitty flies LA to Dubai
April 19 - 22: Kitty in Kuwait
April 23-27: Kitty in Nizwa, Oman
April 28: Lee joins Kitty in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
April 29-May 4: Dushanbe
May 5: Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
May 6-9: Pingliang, Gansu, China
May 10: Taiyuan
May 11: Beijing
May 12-15: Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China
May 16: Guangzhou
May 17-24: Hanoi, Vietnam (including a trip to Haiphong)
May 25: return to LA

We appreciate your prayers:
--that we'll keep in touch with the Lord
--that I'll be able to prepare my presentations well in the next three weeks
--that travel will go smoothly
--that we'll stay healthy