The Stecherbush Abroad

A group we have since labeled Oman Adventurers took Dayamiat Shells Tour out for an adventure. Our goal was to swim with Whale Sharks, Sea Turtles and lots of fish and rays. We were super excited and hopeful.  We went flying for probably 30/40 minutes and he stopped the boat and pointed. In the distance, we could see fins rolling in the water. There were at least 50 whales in a big arc, or circle. We floated in close, the only boat in sight and they began to come close, curious. This is the area. The Daymaniyat Islands were our second stop but we were somewhere between Muscat and the Islands. The Whale Sharks migrate into the Gulf of Oman in the Fall. Sometimes we would see this above the water but when you looked underneath, gentle giants were curiously watching us. You could swim right next to them, they would watch you but were happy to be your friend. They swam regally in and out with their entourage of Remora and other fish feeding on plankton I couldn't really see. ...

Band. Stechers have entered the world of band. Brigham has been bidding on band instruments for several weeks and he was REALLY excited about the possibilities. He was going big or going home. Tuba, Bassoon or percussion? We've been anxious to find out what the selection would be. His band teacher said he'd be great at any of them but his hands and his lips got him the only bassoon in the school. He was so excited. First homework assignment, put it together 5 x's. Alena is pretty sure he's going to make her crazy. Haha!  

Birthday Season began this month with Eli turning 2  1. Brigham came in today and turned 12 . He wanted to go to a water park but decided it would be better to cash in and buy the knife he's been saving for. We still made it a festive day. He had many birthday wishes at school, then the Bosses came after school to celebrate with chocolate cake, mousse, whipped cream and even raspberries.  Bosse Stecher Pool Party After Bosses left Samuel hosted some pool wrestling with the girls. They love having a brother play but there were some casualties. Poor Elise got a bit drowned. Very scary. We ended the day with sushi bowls. We sure love our Brigham.   

"I'm going to the Mutrah Fish Market if you'd like to come along." As a vegetarian, fish markets don't necessarily entice me but new friends and experiences are hard to turn down.  This is the view of the market from the outside. I love Mutrah, it's an older part of Muscat on the waterfront. Some of the notable sites are the Sultan's yacht, Sultan Qaboos' giant portrait on the grain silos across the harbor, the traditional Omani ships called dhows adding that vintage flavor to the ambiance, and the main street shops marking the outskirts of the famous sooq.   My friend and I were pegged as tourists but since there are very few females at the market, we were unique.  I was pleased that it wasn't as stifflingly smelly as I expected, they were constantly mopping and fans were blowing. The days catch was relatively small and diverse. We were there late in the morning so much had been purchased already. I was challenged not to feel sad for all the poor ...

There are times when you are happy with what you have because you have nothing to compare it to. There are times when you're happy with what you have because it is really truly special. I suppose that our love of TAISM COULD be the former but I kinda don't think so. We loved Homeschooling. I am still a Homeschool Mom at heart. I actually still feel really confident about the quality of much of their learning at home and wish I could adjust some of the academics at TAISM. BUT, my kids love school here. I love almost all of what I see and hear about their school days. My heart overflows hearing them talk of Habiba, and Shama, and Zed, and Pablo, and Dia, and Omar and . . .Sennia's at a table with Sebastian and Saniya.  Elise takes everything VERY seriously. She comes home and almost always feels starving and needs a pit stop but that one time she came home with an assignment to put all her families names in her name book, she did that first, before everything else. Matt may e...

The Embassy Folks here have been lovely. They gather and they come together for friendship and support. Many of these people have lived in 6+countries, speak at least 3 languages and they know how to make friends into family. This year in Muscat there are many families with multiple children, 4,5,6 and of course then there's us.  The Oasis Club is Federal Property where we can make our own rules. Well, a generous we, Americans. So, they sell alcohol and we can make our own rules about masks and gathering. They have Thursday night specials like Taco Thursday or Pasta or Steak is the latest. We have gone a few times to get initiated into the groups.  We met our neighbors there recently for a Street Meet and Greet. I have to say that I was incredibly happy to meet our neighbors who live on Way 2128. Some of the nicest families. I would love to meet up with them anytime. The kids all played so nicely together and although most of them already knew each other, our family enjoyed me...

So I love watching birds. WAAAAY up here on the 3rd floor, I get to see a lot of birds who think the bars on my windows make a nice safe home. They perch on the bars, and peck the glass, and poop. As you can see the sill outside is kind of gross. We were pretty disappointed that RSO had the bar installed on the 3rd floor windows that have no access for intruders. Matt petitioned to have them taken down and was told that he could if he wanted to pay for the removal. Well, I guess they don't know us very well. Matt tapped out the welding on the bolts, loosened them, Sam attached his ropes and down they went. I got my view back💖💖💖💖💖It feels so different up here without the bars. I feel badly that we can't take the ones on the 2nd floor off but that would be a little harder to justify. The embassy works very hard to keep their people safe. They invest a lot of money into our homes to make sure that they can take care of their people and we sincerely appreciate that. Even thoug...