Alia Al-Lawati's Blog

Attempt to blog: Take 3

So I had just spent forever writing out my first entry here... and forever resulted in my log-in to expire.. thus losing my entire entry!! :( So here i try again....

Hello from Sunny and -currently- HOT Oman :) My name is Alia Al-Lawati. A 25 year old graduate with a bachelor of Chemical engineering; obtained from the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia :).

Before I start talking about my experience with connecting cultures, let me talk a little bit about my background: I come from a family of 6: My father is Omani who had spent most of his high school years in Pakistan. He then travelled to the US for his higher education, and that is where he met and fall in love with my mother, who is Peruvian. After completing their studies, they got married, moved to Oman and had my two elder siblings. That is when my father decided to further his studies and obtain his ACCA certificate in the UK; and that is where I was born :).

So as you can see, even before I was born there was a lot of cultural exposure happening in my family. But despite this cultural collague that shaped my life... my connecting cultures experience was truly an inspirational one.. not only did i learn some more about the different cultures, but i was awed by the earnesty and determination that carried all the different girls from the comforts of their homes to the deserts of an unknown country... to learn about compromise and understandings -- it's always easier to talk of such things when you are nestled in the comfort of ones own home isn't it?

To the present ambassadors starting out their trek end of this year, light, loose clothes will be ideal for the walks under the glare of the sun, but it would be smart to cover yourselves as some days there are no clouds to protect you from it! Also, a light scarf to cover your face during sandstorms and a good pair of sunglasses are handy! During the night time it tends to get really chilly and therefore warm pants/tops/socks are advisable... we had gotten really cold and sometimes wore two tops/pants and a sweater on top! We had also taken with us some wet tissues as there will be no toilets, moisturizing cream and sun block. We had some shampoo and soaps for the first and last days before the start of ur trek. Also, travelling light is always a good thing!! ;)

Enjoy yourselves and we are all looking forward to having you in Oman -- and to hearing all about your future experience!!

Sincerely,
Alia :)