One of the teachers at school wants to go home for Eid but has no money (What’s new? A teacher with no money, hehe).
Anyway she went to the travel agent who said she would book the ticket so long then you pay me half at the end of the month and another half at the end of next month. What!? It is amazing! Here you still make a deal with a handshake, even better with your mouth – and people believe you! They take your word for it. We say put your money where your mouth is. Not here. They take that you are honest. Like the Germans say: ‘Ein Mann ist sein word.’ A man is his word. If you cannot take his word, what can you take? (Crap mainly).
The downside is that the country is hot.
I went to rent a car on my flatmate’s Credit card. How was this possible? Because the car rental guy knew him. What!? That is what is amazing about this country. They take you for your word.
Did I mention that it is hot here. Not Marloth Park hot, HOT. Between Komatipoort and hell there is only chicken wire, here the wire is gone too. Hot. The camels sweat. (And bleat, or whatever it is that camels do.)
Yesterday was International Peace Day, I think in Oman every day is Peace Day. At the mall you have prayer rooms adjacent to the rest rooms – peace in itself. Except when someone has diarrhoea.
Peace be with you. And if you can’t get it, buy it. Maybe a little piece of this, and a little piece of that.
Hlala gahle, ne.
