Days 1 and 2

We arrived in Muscat yesterday at approximately 9 am local time (6am in the UK). The flight went by fairly quickly, however I didn’t get much sleep so spent most of Friday in bed or eating chocolate (which, by the way, isn’t as nice as in the UK!).I was feeling a little sad yesterday which got me thinking about the little things I am going to miss about England:

•           The New Forest and countryside
•           Trees!
•           Rubbish but entertaining TV shows
•           Running outside in the fresh air
•           Cheap, fast and easily accessible internet (although it’s not that bad here)
•           Fruit that ripens slowly (i.e. banana’s)
•           Drinkable tap water (you can drink it, but I'd rather not...)
•           Being able to wear short skirts and shorts without feeling disrespectful
•           Porridge oats (they only seem to have small tubs of these and they cost a fortune! Plus the heat seems to attract little bugs which apparently like oats, rice, couscous etc...lovely.)
•           Chocolate (it’s just not quite the same here...)
•           Marmite

My main priority over the next few weeks is sorting out a job. I have lots of networking to do and people to meet which is a little bit daunting but something that I can’t avoid. All being well it won’t be too much of an issue and I am trying to stay positive about it all and not get too nervous!

We have spent much of today driving around getting to know the area and as Oli’s parents are looking for a new apartment we have been property searching too. Driving around really helps with getting to know the different parts of Muscat, which parts I prefer and which parts I am not keen on. Many parts of the city are still quite undeveloped and a little shabby but others are really impressive with beautiful villas and stunning gardens. Parts are not too dissimilar to Europe really; some of the smells remind me of living in Spain which I find strangely comforting. Perhaps surprisingly, property prices here are high, possibly even more so than in the UK and being an expat you have to be careful they don’t try and charge you more than they would the locals or Asian population.  

Oli is off to watch the football at the British Embassy this evening. Apparently we are going to a party for the Royal wedding on the 29th which will be fun I’m sure. It’s quite amazing how much out here depends on who you know and the importance of networking so I am going to make sure that I try to involve myself in social events as much as I can.

Oh and I went to a little pet shop this evening with Jane (Oli’s mum). Although it’s nice to see the cats and dogs it’s really not nice how they keep them in the pet stores locked up in small cages with barely enough room to stand. All I can do is hope that they get bought by nice owners sooner rather than later. There was such a cute little pug and I just wanted to pick him up and take him home!

Also, I bought an Omani sim today and so now have an Omani mobile number :-).

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