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| Buying spices by the Kilo in the Arabian Gulf! |
OK, so I don't really love grocery shopping, but shopping for food in Oman is pretty interesting!
There are four main grocery chain stores (more about these on another post) but being pretty new to Oman I just went to the closest store I could find. Since having lived all over the world for most of my life, I forget that I am a foreigner! As soon as I walked in to the store with Kiddo No.3 in the cart, I suddenly was aware of being out of place. Most expatriates shop in the main grocery stores as those ones have imported products and familiar foods from home-me, I am always looking for a bargain and I like to see what the local people buy and eat.
Happily, there I am with my newly blond ed hair and blue eyes, pushing a little one with the same blond hair and blue eyes. I could see a group of young veiled ladies staring and whispering and pointing at me. Not wanting to offend and not knowing much Arabic, I went to the next aisle. I was soon approached by a local young man who began talking in Arabic and was touching my kiddos hair and face. Not sure what was going on I politely smiled and nodded. Note: never nod when you don't know what you are nodding too!
All of a sudden the young man pulls my kiddo out of the cart and disappears around the next aisle. PANIC!! What is going on? Not wanting to scream, run or have a breakdown, I left my cart and walked quickly to find out where he had gone.
It is a scene I will never forget. There is my year old kiddo being cooed over by half a dozen young veiled ladies. They were a local family of girls from the interior of Oman, out for the day accompanied by their brother. They had never seen such a white little boy before with this strange (to them) color of hair and eyes. They were laughing as they passed him from person, so excited to be so close to this little guy.
With my heart thumping and relief sweeping over me, that my kiddo was not kidnapped (Omanis love children and this would never cross their minds) I let out a smile, held out my arms and Kiddo No.3 was safely back in my arms.
The young man who had "taken" my Kiddo knew his Bedouin sisters would love to see a foreign child-it made their day and mine-to see such delight in their eyes. What a great photo this would have made-the picture in my mind will never leave me. If only I could have spoken their language...
