Oman: A Place I Once Took for Granted I'm Raya, an Arab-American finishing up my last year at the University of New Hampshire. I will be getting my degree in English/Journalism, with the hopes of one day becoming a photojournalist.

OMAN | Monday, 10 December 2012 | Views [671] | View Smaller Image

This photo is of my father and his younger brother, Salam walking back to the village compound after picking dates, as my father and his brothers did as young boys for their livelihood. They now only pick dates as a pass time when visiting the village. My father is carrying a plastic red bucket as my uncle has collected his dates in a traditional woven bag.

Tags: oman, dates, village, father, travel photography scholarship 2012

This is of my father, Sultan, climbing a mountain in the village of Tawiyah. He didn't grow up here, but in a village near by, Al Kamil. My father has family in Tawiyah so we spend time there when I visit Oman. My father grew up selling, harvesting, picking, and selling dates to pay his way to attend school in Saudi Arabia. Like this photo, my father literally climbed his way up from the village ruins to achieve where he is now; a husband, father of six, professor, and the strongest man I know.

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As I was walking down the streets of Muttrah, a port city in Oman, I spotted far in the distance a old man experiencing homelessness. He seems to have three possessions, his cane, hat, and prayer beads. My father then pulled a few Rials from his pocket and handed it to my little sisters to put in his hat when we passed by.

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Oman: A Place I Once Took for Granted I'm Raya, an Arab-American finishing up my last year at the University of New Hampshire. I will be getting my degree in English/Journalism, with the hopes of one day becoming a photojournalist.

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