O-Man, Day 3: The day John almost died.

Woke up not knowing what time it was, but Chris was still asleep. Got showered and ready because the guys are having breakfast at 9 AM. We went to bed at about 3:15 so I was worried we overslept. There is no clock in the room, our TV isn't working, and our phones aren't picking up a signal or time either, so down I walk to the lobby. On my way down I pass a guy coming up, and we exchange greetings. I then asked him if he knew what time it was, and his response? Breakfast time! He then wishes me well, and then leaves. So needless to say, I continue to walk downstairs to find out what time it was, only to find out it was only 6:55 AM! So back up to bed I go. We head for breakfast at about 8:45, and have a tasty schwarma from the juice shop. I have a feeling that we will be eating there often. We also checked out the Souq (not sure of the spelling, but it is the marketplace) and looked around at souvenirs and such. The souqs are very popular, and we were at the largest one in Oman. This will most likely be where I buy a few gifts for back home, so hopefully I barter well!

After that we had a great devotional time together. After that we head to the Lulu Hypermarket, which is this huge store with all sorts of things, think Ralph's supermarket meets Sears. My sister would of loved the produce section, as they had fruit from all over the country, and I decided on some Saudi red grapes, which were awesome. After that Larry decided to take us to the beach for a little, just to check it out. The beaches were pretty nice, and the water felt perfect on the feet, but we only spent a few minutes there. Here is where we almost died! At this point, about 7 of us are loaded in the van, and we are about to head out, when Larry sees someone he knows, and turns the car off to go and say hi. Meanwhile, those of us in the van are dying of heat, and are yelling for someone to turn the car on so we could feel the air conditioner, so Jasmine reaches over and turns the car on, when all of a sudden the car jolts and starts to roll backwards! With nobody in the drivers seat! Apparently the car was still in gear, and Larry had to run about 10 feet and jump in the car before we rolled back into another car. Good times!

After all that, we head towards our friend Ayoob's house, where him and his friends served us fresh mango juice, dates, and Omani coffee, wich is very strong, even more so for me since I don't like coffee at all. We spent some time just hanging out with them, introducing ourselves to them, and then we headed back to the hotel to take a nap, since it had already been a long day, and we were going to meet them for dinner and hang out after. So after a brief nap time the guys come and meet us for dinner. We get schwarmas (again) to go, and then we head up this really huge mountain in our really old, really run down van. The van eventually made it up and we had dinner up there, and were able to get a bit deeper with the guys. Hospitality is a huge thing in Oman and it is showing. Ayoob and friends served us so well at his house and they were also doing it up the mountain. They bought us dinner, and kept asking us if we wanted more, and really put us above themselves.

I am already learning so much about being a servant. I talked to Fahad, and I learned how important family is here. He is 22 and many months ago he got a job at an autobody place, and he was really good at what he did. So much so that they wanted to send him to Japan to get more training for a few months. However, his family did not approve, as they were worried for him. They also asked us a lot about our lives and home, and before you knew it, it was midnight. There was actually a lunar eclipse, so we watched it for a while, before we decided to head back down the mountain. Jon and I decided to climb out the windows and hang out of the van while driving down the mountain, to feel the speed I guess, I am not quite sure. But I am sure that it was pretty dang fun! It seems today was about really forming a relationship with these guys, and I look forward to what tomorrow brings. Oman so far has been great, and the people are so friendly!