Pre-Departure Orientation

Today I felt like I was walking a marathon. We walked to the American Councils office and talked there about the goals of the NSLI-Y program. We then took a taxi to the Oman Embassy and a couple Omanis gave us a presentation about their country. They gave us these awesome books as gifts too, so I'm already being exposed to the legendary Omani hospitality. We walked back to the American Councils office and went over more stuff about the program, then walked to the Oman Cultural Center and had a presentation given to us by another Omani girl, which was also really informative. Then a group of us went (walked) to see the White House, some of us (including me) for the first time. 

A couple things stuck out today regarding Oman. First, Omanis seem very proud of their country, and what's not to be proud of? The women there are treated with respect and are able to participate in the work force, including the government. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has significantly reformed and improved their education system, and is willing to give more power to the Council of Oman as  a means of modernizing the governmental system. The country's religious groups live peacefully with one another. The list can go on and on. Overall, it seems like a very chilled-out, forward-thinking Middle Eastern country, and I am thrilled to leave tomorrow night :)

Here are a couple pictures I took at the White House too! DC was fun, but I'm ready for the real adventure to begin.