Outward Bound Oman

Well this post is coming quite a bit late but wanted to make sure I gave the update from the latest program for work. From May 12-16 I had the privilege of bringing 22 Education City students to Oman for an Outward Bound program. Outward Bound was founded in the UK in 1941 and is a program that challenges youth towards personal development through outdoor education. There are Outward Bound schools in 33 different countries including Oman. Outward Bound Oman (http://www.outwardboundoman.com/) has been around for 5 years and is the only school in an Arabic speaking country. I have been working with them since September to get a group from Qatar to join in their program.

We traveled to Oman on May 12 as a group and arrived in Muscat in the morning. Once we arrived we went directly to Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain) where we would spend the next 4 days. The students we brought were separated into a male group and a female group. This not only honored local culture but provided fewer distractions in an already challenging environment. We would be hiking and camping for 4 days and 3 nights without running water, no showers, no proper toilets, and making all of our meals. For most students this was a trip of first. First time traveling without family, first time cooking, first time cleaning, first time camping, first time hiking. It created a very challenging environment but I was VERY impressed with how they rose to the occasion. Outward Bound Oman and their staff ran an incredibly organized and thoughtful program. My role was just as an observer and it was great to sit back and learn.

Over the course of the 4 days you saw noticeable change within the students. They were more responsible, more proactive, worked together more efficiently, and most importantly learned how to manage their time. We ran on a tight schedule and there was a lot that had to get done each day. We would wake up every morning at 6am, needed to have tents broken down by 6:30am, breakfast finished by 7am, and we were having the morning brief before 8am. Being out in the wilderness during the program was just amazing. I felt very lucky to have this kind of opportunity and was very proud to see the vision for the program become a reality. It did an amazing job highlighting another GCC country and I believe that students had a transformative experience. As we have gotten reviews and feedback about the program, it is one of the most successful we have done this year. It was a great way to end the year for programming and I can't wait to go again next year!

Summer is quickly approaching in Doha and might even already be here. Temperatures are upwards of 115-120 degrees each day and people are just beginning to leave for summer holidays. Next weekend I will be in Egypt visiting Amrou before my big trip to South America that I leave for on June 21. This is going to be the summer of a lifetime and can't wait to share my adventures with you. Talk soon!