Day 9
Out of all the days ive spent in the middle east,today has been the most interesting in terms of the people [beduwins].We first went to Sinal Souk which is a market.Here we saw the way the locals make their money but what i noticed was how everybody dressed.95% of the Omani men wore white dish-dashers and cap[looks like a turbin] and it was the first time i got to see the women in one place.They also wore dish-dashers with bright colours but some had black on and they wore a black face-mask which symbolised a bird.
In the market most of the shops were owned by men and the women had stalls outside.There were alot of goldsmiths stores and the things were selling were mostly for women.There were fruit and vegetable stalls and they even sold live animals such as camels and goats.They people were very friendly and made feel welcome as soon as you stepped in the shop,this made me feel respected even though they may seem to see us as a tourist.
We visted a beduwin family in the desert and we had an informal interview with them.They explained the reasons why they live in the desert.All of the Offscreen team asked questions and the answers we got was translated for us because the Beduwin people couldnt speak English.I never realised that there were people living in the desert but the striking thing was the fact that they seemed so happy and it just makes me appreciate them even more because i think that they are very strong people and kind.
February 17th, 2007 at 7:46 am
Hi Reagan,
Thought you might like this poem by Mike Hywel-Davies
‘Burkha’ (About a Wahiba Woman )
No man shall gaze upon my face
No man but he
My brow and nose,
My lips, soft pink-petal rose
Shall treasures be
For only he.
My eyes, those mirrors pf my soul
Shall always be
Forever free
February 17th, 2007 at 7:48 am
(two more lines!)
For me
To choose what I shall see