I love to EAT. It's the only reason I exercise :)

I LOVE FOOD.  Plain and simple, I love eating.  I'm not a hoity-toity food snob who claims to know all the proper techniques of cooking, or all the styles of fancy food preparation.  Nor do I profess to be a connoisseur of flavors and tastes.  What I can do, is stuff my face with deliciousness and tell you whether I enjoyed it or not.  Since arriving in Oman, I have been indulged in so many amazing food styles that my mind has officially been blown.

Easting some delicious Syrian food

"Middle Eastern Food"
In the United States, and many other places abroad, you will find restaurants serving "Middle Eastern" food.  I always thought there was no difference.  But when you are actually in the Arab World, (a gigantic region that consists of 22 countries), there is no such thing as "Middle Eastern food."  You have Lebanese food, Jordanian food, Syrian food, Eqyptian, Omani, Moroccan, etc etc.  And every one of them is different, how could I possibly group them all into one?  There are so many kinds of hummus it blows my mind!

Lebanese Food - Very fresh veggies and hummus with bread

"Fateer Meshaltet" - Cheese filled Crepe with honey on top - YUMMY

Traditional Omani style grilling on hot stones

Fresh falfel, hummus, smoked baba ganoush, bean dip, and veggies.

International Foods in Salalah
Salalah is a melting pot of nationalities.  You have so many people from all over the world, each with their own distinct cooking style.  I've seen Phillipino restaurants,  Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, African, American,  Thai, and so many more.  The only difference here, is that these restaurants are highly authentic due to the mass amounts of immigrants that have come to Oman for work, and now they live here.  Back home in the Unites States, it's more common to find Americans cooking Chinese food, Mexicans making sushi, and Asians making hamburgers.  Authentic food is always a treat to find!  So we have gotten to enjoy amazing food here in Salalah from all over the world!

Enjoying Indian food with Muayad

Indian food sampler

Traditional Indonesian meal

I had to be brave to give this a try, and it was AMAZING

Trying to read Aarabic got me like: "Whhhhaatttt?"

5-Star Restaurants at Anantara
On top of all the amazing local foods, the resort we work at has 3 different 5-Star restaurants.  Dare I mention that we can eat at them free of charge for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner?!  Talk about being dangerous to my health.

WARNING:  Spoiler alert.  The following images may spoil your appetite for any of the food you were about to eat, because it might not be as delicious as what you are about to see.

Chocolate Moose in a Chocolate Tea-Cup

Carrot Cake worth jumping off a cliff for

The "Germans would be impressed" Cake

The "Who Cares What it is, I'm Addicted" Cake

Am I not allowed to have dessert first?  I suppose I could show you some pictures of actual food too.  Even though that's a lot more boring:

Appetizer-palm tree-island

Performing for the Horderves.  They make a great audience

Fresh salmon with other unidentifiable tasty stuff

I never thought French Fries could be so fancy

Calzone that will demand you kneel down and worship Italy

Seafood that was probably swimming with Nemo only minutes ago

The "Vegetables are actually Good" Salad

"Seasoned Potato "frites" with a splash of fresh Sea Salt"

THE BEST FOOD OF ALL
Now you might be thinking, how could it get any better?  Well it does.  My sweet mother-in-law sent us a care package all the way from California.  And what do you think she sent us?

She sent us the very things I had been saying I missed so much from home.  Lara Bars, Organic Peanut Butter, and some Taco Seasoning to make Mexican food.  There's nothing better than a taste of Home.  I love you, mamma!

New Friends in the Middle East

Every time I meet someone new, I realize how big the world is, and just how small I am compared to the bigger picture.  The world is a vast place, and I can't even comprehend all the people living on this planet.  Right now, in this very instant, there is someone living halfway around the world that is just like you!  They wake up and eat breakfast, text friends on their phones, works jobs, and have families.  They love, laugh, cry, and experience all the same emotions you do.  They even share all the same worries: "Where can I find a job?" "What will I eat today?" "Will people like my post on facebook?"etc. ;) The only difference is, they might speak a different language, dress differently, or have a different skin color - but really we're all the same.  I have met so many incredible people here in Oman, and it's helped me appreciate this reality.

Here are just a few of the many amazing people I've met in the Middle East:

Muayad and I exploring Al Mughsayl Beach

This is Muayad.  He is a Palestinian from Jordan.  He is a manager in the spa department at the resort,  and we consider him our band's best friend.  He volunteers to teach rooftop yoga to for the staff twice a week, and he even studied from yogi masters in India. He is also the most American, non-American that I have ever met.  He is fluent in pop culture, and his karaoke skills are top notch.

Rooftop yoga under the stars!

Catalin the Romanian

This is Catalin (pronounced KAH-TA-LIN).  He is from Romania, which makes him and I fellow countrymen.  I am 1/4th Russian, and during the Soviet Union Era, Romania and Russia were the same country.  So I guess that kinda means we're from the same place?!  We love going for long bike rides and talking about borscht soup, homemade sausage, and other things you non-soviets just wouldn't understand ;)

Muhammad

Madyeen

This is Muhammad and Madyeen.  They drive the shuttles that take us to the resort, around town, shopping, etc. etc. They are both locals from Oman and speak Arabic.  Muhammad LOVES western music and clothing.  He's learning to speak english so I've been giving him plenty of Top 40 music to help with his studies ;)  Madyeen is incredibly kind and humble.  He's very down to earth and a great guy to be around.  He always greets you with a big smile.

Pool party with Muhammad and his friend

Braize and Yappa from Sri Lanka

Braize was so excited because we are the first Americans he has ever met!!!

This is Braize and Yappa from Sri Lanka.  They are both bartenders at the resort.  They are super funny and really nice guys.  They are the life of the party, and always make you feel welcome.  They make my day when I see them around the resort.

My boys from India

More friends from Kerala in India

These are my boys from India.  They are so freakin awesome.  In our traveling experiences, we have met the kindest and most hard working people from India.  They are very genuine people.  They work so hard to provide for their families.  Many of these friends have wives and children back home, and make sacrifices to take these jobs so they can provide for their families.  I really respect these guys and consider them my dear friends.

Amazing Haircut for $2.50

Abrar is from Pakistan and he owns the barbershop next to our apartment.  He came all the way here because he could make more money as a skilled barber in a tourist city like Salalah.  He's amazing with a straight razor, and he knows all the modern styles for haircuts.  In case you can't tell from the picture, I love haircuts.  At only $2.50 for a haircut, he gets a big tip.

My friend the Sharari

This is Khalid.  He works security at the resort.  He and I have become very close friends because he is a Shahari.  The Shahari people are the oldest living generation of Omanis.  Their ancestors have been living in Oman for thousands of years.  The Shahari people came to America thousands of years ago, and are believed to be related to the Native American Indians.  I told Khalid that I am Native American (1/10th Menominee Indian), and he says that I am his Shahari brother.  He's a great friend to me and it's good to know I have family in Oman!

Friends from India, Vietnman, Morocco, and Indonesia

The staff of the hotel come from all over the world:  Egypt, Vietnam, Philippines, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Congo, Senegal, and many other places.  It has been a wonderful education in geography.  I now have friends from countries that I had never even heard of before.  It's reminds me again how big the world is, and how small our own little bubble of life is.  It can be scary to venture out of your bubble, but it only takes a leap of faith to have the courage to experience something or somewhere new. I'm grateful we took that leap that has lead to so many newfound friends!

Fear is an interesting thing.  As children, we are taught to fear the things and places that are unfamiliar or dangerous to us. We are afraid of what we can't see, what we don't understand, and that which is out of our control.  Fear can be crippling, and paralyzing.  The most valuable lesson I have learned in coming to the Middle East is that love, hope, and charity exist everywhere in the world.  Deep down we are all the same regardless of race, color, gender, and origin.  There will always be reasons for us to be afraid in life, but there are far more reasons for us to be fearless, compassionate, loving, and receptive to every way of life that differs from our own.

So, my challenge to you this week?  Go somewhere that you've never been before, and experience something new.  Even if it's just a foreign restaurant down the street that you've always wanted to try, or perhaps an art class you've always wanted to sign up for, but you don't think you're good enough.  Take courage, be brave, and just try.  You'll be surprised by the joy it will bring you.

It's okay to have a bad day, but a bad week?!?

Salalah has had more than it's fair share of exciting adventures, so I should have guessed that eventually we'd hit a few bumps in the road.  Let me begin by talking about a very important topic that most people don't even think about - electricity and power!  Our world is filled with amazing technological gadgets and gizmos, and at the end of the night, we simply plug them in and "wallah" they're charged and ready to go the next day.  In the United States, our electrical sockets look like this:

The only problem is that not all countries use the same type of power.  In fact there are 15 different plug types used around the world, and every country is different.  In Oman, the electrical sockets look like this:

Pretty funky looking, huh?  So what's the first thing you do when you get to a country that has different outlet than you?  Well you buy an adapter of course!!  So I went to the local outlet store and got myself some adapters and power strips.





Sooooo, problem solved!!  Brittney sets up her fancy keyboard, and I set up my guitar amp.  I plug in our new adapters to the wall, and then I plug in the keyboard and the amp.  Everything looks good to go, and so I flip on the powers switches.  Everything lights up and we are rockin'!!

I'm think I'm smart, right?  I'm feeling pretty powerful at this point, then I begin to smell something burning.  I look around, peek into the kitchen, don't see any toast in the toaster.  I look back at the music equipment, and to my surprise the lights are no longer turned on.  This is when I start to panic.  I turn off the keyboard and then try to turn it back on - no response.  I go to my guitar amp and do the same - no response.  My heart is racing.  Did our expensive music equipment just get fried?  What could I have done wrong?  My audio engineer mindset kicks in and I begin testing all the cables.  I check all the connections and still no response.  I plug my iPhone into the same power socket and it charges no problem, so I know the outlet still works.  Then I suddenly think worst case scenario, "Please tell me the power here isn't 220 volts."



Without going into too much depth, I want to explain voltage (or volts) to you.  When you plug an electrical device into your wall, the electricity flows out of the socket and into your device at a certain rate.  It's just like pouring water from a pitcher.  The water is the electricity, and it pours out at a certain speed, and also a certain flow depending on the width of the spout.  Anyways, voltage is the flow of the water, and every country has a different standard for their "flow" of electricity.  All power outlets in the United States are 110 volts.  So all electronics made for the united states will say 110 volts.  Some products, (like our phone charges) are made to work in any country, so it will say 110-220 volts on it.  Go take a peek right now and see what your nearest electronic device says.  Now for example, if a device is made for Europe, it will say 220 volts on it.  Every country is different, but most use a voltage between 110-220 volts.  

Now getting back to the story.  I look on the back of Brittney's keyboard and it says 110 volts only.  I pull out my phone and immediately google "What is the voltage in Oman?"  You can already guess at this point.  It's no surprise that Oman is a 220 volt country.  Even though I found an adapter to plug in our devices into the wall,  I just delivered DOUBLE the amount of electricity that our equipment can handle.  Whelp, that's unfortunate.  So, after having a mini meltdown at the thought of having ruined my wife's $3,000 keyboard, my eyes glance over and I see that there is a fuse box on the keyboard!

This tiny piece of glass and wire saved me from completely destroying the entire keyboard!  This little thing is called a fuse, and it has a small wire that breaks when you send too much electricity through it.  It's supposed to break because that stops all the extra electricity from going into your device and frying all the circuits.  Not all devices have these fuses built into them though, so I really dodged a bullet here!  I  would like to officially thank the manufacturer of this keyboard, for implementing a backup plan that just saved my marriage.  So I called our taxi driver friend Ali, (remember the one who helped us get bikes), and he took me to an electronics shop where I purchased some extra fuses.  I swapped out the burnt fuse with a fresh one now IT WORKS!!!  What a sigh of relief.





Now what about the guitar amp?  Well, my amp wasn't as lucky.  I checked to see if it had a fuse and sadly it didn't.  I contacted Fender, (the manufacturer of the amp), and they said there is indeed a fuse, but it's hardwired to the circuit internally.  Unfortunately the nearest authorized repair shop to fix this is 3000 miles away in Europe.  Lucky for me we have an amazing staff of electrical engineers at the Anantara hotel we work at!  So I take the amp apart and bring it to the engineers at the hotel.  They order some parts and after a few weeks, and IT'S FIXED!!

After having learned my lesson about power, I headed straight to the store and purchased a voltage converter.  This little device is a MUST if you are going to a country with a different voltage than you're used to.  It will convert 220 into 110 (for my situation), or the opposite of 110 into 220.

In other news,  we had a staff beach party and I got sunburn.  Brittney kept saying, "Jer, you better put some sunscreen on."  I would just laugh and say NEVER.  I don't need that stuff,  I'm fine.  Whelp, 4 hours later:

To add to the pain of my sunburn, I was trying to format a thumb drive for work and I accidentally formatted my ENTIRE DJ LIBRARY.  That's over 400 gigs of music down the drain.  I had a heart attack after that one as well.  I have a backu, but it's gonna take a couple weeks to get here.  Better than nothing though.  Why did I not bring a backup?

I seriously just need to slow down this week and take a deep breath.  Everything will be fine.  It's just a bad week.  I shouldn't complain though,  I did get an incredible haircut last week for 1 Rial.  Yup, you heard me, that's $2.50 in US dollars.  At least I can have a bad week in style ;)