a day in Khasab

A few weeks ago some friends and I drove to Khasab, Oman, which is about a four and a half hour drive from Abu Dhabi. We arrived around midnight and used the car headlights to illuminate the beach while we set up camp. In the morning, I was amazed by the beauty of the pristine coastline.

After breakfast we boarded a dhow boat at the harbor for a day-long boat cruise. 

When the boat first headed out, I was worried that I'd get sea-sick because of the pitch and roll of the boat. But we soon pulled into an inlet and slowed down so the motion was more pleasant. The tour guide started whistling, and dolphins suddenly appeared...

The dolphins tired after about five minutes of swimming by our boat, but then another school seemed to find us just a little while later. Incredible!







The boat lay anchor near a tiny island called Telegraph Island. We donned snorkeling gear and jumped in the water. Angel fish and many other tropical fish filled the warm water. It was my first time snorkeling, so it took a while to coordinate breathing, but it was easy to take breaks when needed.

Snorkeling, diving, swimming... off and on the boat in blissful sunshine. It was the kind of day I wished would never end.

Don't leave home without your passport

Not every day can be filled with a safari or excursion. Here's a taste of today's rather unusual workday:

5:45: get up early for an appointment to get an Emirates ID, required for UAE residents
6:45: realize while in the cab that I left my passport at home by mistake
7:15: the NYU PRO (Public Relations Officer) says we should try anyway, so I join my coworkers on the shuttle for a 25 minute ride to the appropriate office
8:15: arrive at Emirates ID office and find out that I must have passport with me; I'll have to return later this week
10:00: arrive at work; try to read email but am quite tired
11:00: receive four boxes of new books: complications over address because name on box is for someone who works in NYUNY. We've tried to fix this problem but the vendor has yet to fix the shipping label
11:30: receive one box of out-of-print books on the Middle East: complication over address because no name given on box; fill 2.5 waste baskets with packing popcorn; don't know if we should accept one title that has some defaced pages
12:00: receive delivery of computer desks from a local office furniture store: complication over delivery because three other library staff people aren't available to receive the delivery. The company didn't confirm delivery, so staff didn't know when to be available; more delivery men emerge from the truck in order to assemble the desks. Security staff tells me that next time I need to make sure all delivery staff to receive visitor badges. (Only two delivery men had entered the building initially, so I didn't know five more were on the way!)
13:00: lunch break with coworkers in the cafe; (brought my lunch today, as usual)
14:00: handle some cataloging issues and discuss ILL delivery challenges
15:45: considering my early start, leave work for the day; try to stop by a postage vendor but he's closed for afternoon siesta/break; it's 102 degrees (F) outside, so I splurge on taking a 5 dirham (~$2) cab ride home rather than walking 20+ minutes home in the heat.

Disclaimer: Most days I work 8-5 and spend more time ordering books than receiving them; but I'm happy to finally be in receiving mode after four months of ordering. I usually take the NYU shuttle to and from work but today is just different!