Omanis are the kindest Arabs, my father informed me over the telephone when I told him I'd be taking a trip to Muscat. They are happy people, they are generous and don't have an arrogant bone in their body, he said. "Have you visited Oman, Dad?" I asked. "No, no need to," he replied. "I just know."
As most people realise, Arabs stereotype each other to death, labelling some with good qualities and branding others with not so good qualities. But while I thought my dad was exaggerating, I'd actually never heard a negative thing said about Oman when I was growing up, or when I moved to the Middle East.
Indeed, latest statistics show that Omanis are the happiest Arabs, content with their government and leader, and working hard towards bettering their society. Having booked my flight, I was ready to witness this for myself.
An old friend from Canada, who now teaches English at a college in a town called Sur, about two hours from the capital Muscat, was putting me up. Sarah and I had never really moved in the same circles when we lived in Ottawa but after both starting our own expat lives, we grew closer through e-mails and chats on social networking sites, keeping abreast of each other's adventures and experiences. As a result it felt like I would be seeing an old friend when I landed in Muscat.
One pleasant surprise about Sarah's job was that, unlike expat teachers in Egypt, who teach mostly upper class Egyptians and tend not to socialise with them, in Oman, she teaches a range of Omanis, from Bedouins to village and city dwellers.
After a few days taking in the breathtaking rocky mountain landscape and spotless beaches around Sur, we headed down to the home of one of her pupils in an area called Jaelan. We were met by the student and her brother who took us in their SUV to a family date palm farm. It was a serene spot, humid because of the irrigation stream, shady from the long palm leaves weighed down by the heat, and with the air sticky sweet from ripening dates.
Clean and well-kept by an Indian farmhand, the farm contained 300 palms which ranged in height and girth, but all of which boasted bunches of yellow or green fruit, promising a juicy harvest. The farmhand deftly swung a rope around his waist then around a trunk, and using his bare feet began to climb it. A few minutes later, after a little swinging around under the leaves of the tree, he was back down and offering us a freshly picked date.
Back at the pupil's home, the women of the family came to greet us dressed in long colourful dresses and thin scarves, used to cover their hair and face if a man walked through the house. In the large living area, the matriarch walked in, kissing our faces, and for the first time I touched noses in greeting, in the style of the Gulf.
We were then force-fed fruit, cake, sweets, rice and chicken (in that order) and drank delicious Omani coffee in small cups. The mother kept pressing food into our hands as we begged for mercy, saying our stomachs couldn't possibly fit in anything more.
Most of the women were married and had several children, all of whom were excitedly scurrying around the living room intrigued by and a little in awe of the foreign guests.
The girls told us about their lives and were curious to hear whether or not we were married and why we didn't live with our parents or had no children by our grand old age.
The next day, we were treated to a taste of Bedouin life. Two of Sarah's Bedouin pupils drove us to where they live in the desert, an area called Bidiya.
Bedouins are known for their generosity and open-heartedness, and these boys were no different, entertaining us with their dune-bashing techniques, or their funny tales, and letting us ride their camels. Their white dishdashas made a stark contrast against the orange sand dunes and you could sense their absolute comfort in, and adoration for, the harsh conditions of the desert. It seemed like a member of the family to them. Visiting their home, we were offered coffee and dates and welcomed warmly by one of their mothers. The Bedouin boys then brought us to the top of some sand dunes from which you could see the town of Sur twinkle below us and fed us rice and chicken, which we ate with our hands like real Bedouins.
Between the village families, the attractive Muscatites and the generosity of the Omani Bedouins, the sweetness of these people shone through. My father was right.
Hadeel al Shalchi is a writer for the Associated Press, based in Cairo
Read more about the coronavirus
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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How to donate
Text the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
6025 - Dh 20
2252 - Dh 50
2208 - Dh 100
6020 - Dh 200
*numbers work for both Etisalat and du
THREE
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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