Last fall I signed up for Photo 101 course at the Daily Post, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I only completed the first two assignments on home and street. So, I am going to give it another shot. I have a Canon Power Shot A3100 IS which is a basic point-and-shot camera that I carry with me in my purse. Most of the time I only use the “auto” function on the camera, but for this photo course I am going to experiment with using some of the other functions.

For almost two years Nizwa, Oman has been my temporary home. When I go to the local shop to pick up the newspaper, the cashier greets me in a pleasant manner. Taxi drivers and restaurant workers are polite and friendly. My Omani colleagues and students are kind and helpful at work. In spite of this, it difficult to feel at home because I am a foreigner and my values, language and lifestyle are so different from the locals. For example, most ladies do not socialize outside the home. They tend to hang out with family and would never be caught socializing with a group of colleagues at the corner tea shop. I often find myself walking, drinking tea, shopping, or sight-seeing with male and female acquaintances from other countries. Although I know some Omanis at work I have not made any Omani friends during my stay in this country. The reality is that I am a foreigner and this place is not my home.

My home is in Canada where I live in a small village of less than a thousand people. There I am surrounded by family, friends and nature. I have five weeks left in my cubicle and then will return to my little log home in the woods for good. The photos below were taken this past winter.

Home2
This is my home.
This is my street.
This is my street.