The Royal Wedding

Good evening!

Today I have felt more British than I ever do whilst actually in Britain! It was, of course, the Royal Wedding. We spent the afternoon at the British Ambassador's residence where circa 300 of us all gathered around a few screens to watch the wedding whilst sipping on wine or Pimms and eating crust-less sandwiches and tiny scones! A very British day. (Although not necessarily typical day-to-day Britain mind you.) All in all, I had a lovely time and the Ambassador's house has such amazing views across the Marina (see photo below)...very jealous!

I thought Kate's dress was really pretty.

Tomorrow we are off to an art exhibition in the evening and the British Business Forum meeting on Sunday so I am busy busy! Life out here certainly is different to life at home...

xXx

Read More

Good Friday

HAPPY EASTER from Oman. 

We spent the majority of Good Friday driving around exploring other parts of Muscat and following lunch at the PDO, headed south to the oldest part of the city, Muttrah, home to the Sultans Palace. I really love driving around this part of the city; Muttrah is adorned with ornately designed roundabouts, pretty gardens and beautiful buildings. I will try and take some photo's of this part of the city soon as it really is something else. I love how all the buildings are beautifully designed and still retain many traditional aspects of Omani culture. The domes, arches and Sultan's Palace seem to have been taken out of Aladdin :-) The roundabouts are really interesting and are decorated with, amongst other things, a boat, fish, and teapots. Additionally, Muttrah harbour is home to Sultan Qaboos' two, somewhat extravagant, boats and houses a Souk, a traditional Omani market.

We continued our journey south stopping off at the Marina some 10 minutes from Muttrah. In addition to boats, the Marina houses a bar, swimming pool and offers cruises and dolphin watching and as Friday is the equivalent of our Sunday in Oman, the place was teeming with people today. It was still nice to be able to see the boats and enjoy the stunning views.

After our brief stop at the Marina we headed to our furthest port of call, the Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa. Unfortunately we were only stopping to admire its beauty; the resort is huge and very luxurious and of course pricey! See: Shangri-La. I was lucky enough to go for dinner at the resorts Moroccan restaurant for Jane's birthday last year when Oli and I visited :-). I think there are four restaurants in total and the resort even has a "heritage village":

The drive to the Shangri-La is really pretty and surprisingly green. In fact what struck me the first time I came to Oman was the amount of greenery across Muscat. I found out that although Oman's climate is extremely dry, the country's ancient water irrigation system, falaj (or "aflaj") has enabled these plants and trees to be grown. Falaj are the main source of irrigation in Oman, other than wells; the system taps underground water which is then led by (around 11,000!) man-made channels to towns and villages.

Anyway, I had better be off! I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather in the UK :-) and making the most of the long weekends!!

xXx

Read More

Week 1

Wow, nearly been here a week already! Have had a productive few days viewing properties and trying to organise some work. We viewed a nice house in Qurum the day before yesterday but unfortunately it was snapped up by somebody else not long after. You pretty much have to put the deposit down instantly to secure property out here. We did however view another nice house this morning, also in Qurum, which Oli's parents may try and get. It has 3 bedrooms and is larger than the apartment we are staying in at the moment. Plus the neighbourhood has a gym and is close to a shopping mall. Viewing places has really helped me to understand the different parts of Muscat, but also the differences in property prices. For instance we saw some teeny tiny houses in a place called Medinat Sultan Qaboos ("MQ"), a location popular with expats, valued at the same price as the large house we viewed today. Although MQ is popular, for me its far to compact with everyone on top of each other and no privacy. The main benefit of MQ is that shops and cafes are all in walking distance whereas in many other parts of the city you can't get anywhere easily without driving. I have taken a couple of photographs of the apartment block we are currently living in. Sorry for the poor quality but I would have had to stand on the road to fit the whole building in...

Today I had a meeting with the CEO of Oman National Transport Company (ONTC). The company is in a bit of a mess and the CEO joined the company less than a year ago to try and help them sort it out. Public transport in Oman is pretty awful; Muscat has a total of 7 buses. At present ONTC are planning a new bus network with the hope of improving public transport and creating local jobs. The meeting I had today was to see if there was any chance of me helping out with the project. As the government do not consider the ONTC to be loosing enough money to help fund it (which is a joke) I would not be able to work there paid, however I have agreed to undertake some work experience until I find paid work assisting with forming an evidence base to back up the CEO's public transport proposals. I do however get expenses paid for and the use of a car. A real problem in Oman at the moment is a lack of key skills but a determination to have as many Omani's as possible employed in the workforce ("Omanisation"). This creates problems for employers who feel obliged to employ Omani's despite the fact they may not be competent at the job. Anyway, I am due to start at the ONTC on 1st May, and despite the lack of pay I am sure it will be an experience and is something extra for the CV. I have also been "added to the pool of invigilators and examination paper markers" at the British Council. This is paid and so I am hoping some work will come up soon. In terms of other more permanent work, I am going to continue being patient and hope that something exciting comes along soon.

The weather here has been beautiful, sunny and hot. I am not entirely sure how I am going to find the heat in the summer months when temperatures can reach 50 degress C. I saw the weather back home this morning and can't believe that as soon as I leave England has temperatures of 25!! Typical!

Oli and I spent some time at the beach at the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) complex yesterday afternoon enjoying the sun. Apparently the jelly fish flag was flying the day before so we didn't go swimming that day! The PDO complex also has a gym, tennis courts, a couple of cafes/bars and a place to rent canoes and offers fitness classes so it is a great place to go to keep fit/relax. However at the moment I only have a temporary membership. I saw a green parrot today but couldn't take a photo so here's a link to one instead > Green Parrot.

I've not been feeling too homesick yet, probably due to only being here 5/6 days! Jasper (my dog) is keeping me company beside my bed in photographic form and facebook certainly helps with keeping an eye on things back home.

Speak soon, 

xXx

Read More

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 :-).

xXx

Read More

Last night in England

I am writing today as I won't have a lot of time tomorrow and wanted to post an entry before we leave the UK. 

I have spent the whole day cleaning/sorting and am absolutely shattered. Its now 29 hours, give or take, until we fly and everything is really sinking in. I am actually packing up my life here and moving to the Middle East...can't quite believe it! If it wasn't for the fact that I have been living out of a suitcase for the past month I would think it were just a dream. Despite knowing that I am going to miss my family, friends and the familiarity of home, I am so excited to be experiencing a new way of life and building an exciting future with Oli. The prospect of endless warmth and sunshine helps a little too!

Our flight leaves at 22:35 tomorrow and arrives in Muscat at 9:00 (6:00 GMT) on Friday. Knowing me, I am not expecting to sleep much on the plane and so it is likely I will sleep for most of Friday. (Friday, by the way, is the equivalent of our Sunday.) I will write at the end of the week to fill you in on the very first part of my new life abroad.

xXx

Read More

Ahlan wa sahlan...

… [welcome] to my blog! Hopefully the first post of many.

Myself and my boyfriend, Oli, will soon be migrating to sunny Oman in the hope of escaping the dreary weather and gloomy economy of England. This blog is my way of sharing our experiences with everyone back home. It’s just under a week until we leave and I am beginning to get butterflies! I am excited (if not a little nervous!) to see what Oman will hold for us.

xXx

Read More