As-salamu alaykum! (Peace be upon you!) That’s how people greet one another across the Arab world. My name is Maya and I am a Japanese-American, 22-year-old woman excited to spend the next 10 months living in Muscat, Oman. I am a fresh graduate of the University of Washington, where I fell in love with the art of diplomacy and the value of development studies while studying economics and international studies. In college, I had the opportunity to spend a summer in Senegal working at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, before living for a semester in Jordan. Both experiences solidified my desire to work abroad and to pursue a career in diplomacy. I loved getting to work with Senegalese and Jordanian people, and even more, I loved making friends across cultures and delighting in new shared experiences!
I am now headed to conduct research at the Sultan Qaboos Univeristy in Muscat, Oman for a Fulbright U.S. Student Reseearch Grant. I will be researching opportunities for non-oil related economic investment and development, with a particular emphasis on economic opportunities for women. While research is the primary reason I‘ll be in Oman, I can’t wait to make Omani friends, work on my Arabic, explore the beautiful country, and grow as an individual. I’m really looking forward to sharing my experiences in Oman with all of you!
