Countdown's done...

...I'm now in full-time employment again! No, it wasn't quite as exciting as counting down to giving birth (Olga K!). It's my first teaching post. And since I've been back from the UK, I've been preparing for what seems like all hours. I heard the Captain say to his mum that I'd been on the computer lots but it'll all be finished soon. That was about 5 weeks ago! Not sure he really knows what's involved!

A friend of mine recently said, and I appreciate his honesty, that he cannot see me as a teacher and asked what I really dream of doing.

I take a lot of pictures that I always think I will do something with...put on a photography website, print for my wall, print for my friends' wall... but we don't have such a great printer, and I never get round to taking them to a shop, dubious (nervous?) of their quality and certainly the possibility of their sneaky editing. But I think it would have to be something along these lines...certainly something artistic.

Making a coffee table book was mentioned to me, I've made a few for friends and family but they've been just holiday snaps. Such a book has been done with Oman being the camera's subject, there were always photography books in the shops. Not sure I could offer anything different...although most books I have seen are descriptive of Oman as well as the pictures. I would just like the photos to tell a story.

I have a few of my photos on the walls in our house. I love looking at them as I walk past and I'm personally proud of them, a good photograph with the added benefit of memories within! But Hubby is my critic. When I see and hear his (rare) reaction that a photo has grabbed him then I know it's worth doing something with. His desktop is of one I took in Arisaig, Scotland. So the fact he has done that means it must have registered something! However, come to think of it this was where he used to go as a kid so maybe it's just a sentimental reaction!

I want one of my photos to take someone's breath away, with them envisaging it framed on their wall.

I've had a super career in meteorology (I would like to have done it a little longer but my path wasn't leading me that way, I guess). I seem to be rather complex...an Artistic Scientist or a Scientific Artist...still trying to answer that! But the release and calm I feel when being creative (whether it is sewing, painting or photography) is perfect. And needed. Hopefully this job will satiate this creative side, but there's still a 'what else' feeling...

...anyone else still trying to find their 'what else' ??

Just googled 'Scientific Artist' and the first site I found was http://www.scientificartist.com/ , first page had lots of photos of nature...it could have been taken from my photo albums! (still, iPhoto is down!).

However, I type in 'Artistic Scientist'...the first article's byline: Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene' (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).(http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17474-artistic-tendencies-linked-to-schizophrenia-gene.html

I think I'll go to bed now...!

Eid Mubarak!

We were a bit reticent about coming back to Oman at the start of Ramadan but in actual fact it's been fine, very peaceful, a lesser need to be out and about and with more time spent at home.


We're slowly getting there ... well, the Captain has been thrown back to work and is away from home again ... I would say normal service is resumed but actually him being away is not so normal! And all my friends have slowly trickled back in to the country from their sojourns abroad (How many Antipodeans were in Italy this summer?? I know of at least 5 families! And  all separate holidays! Must be harking back to their backpacking days ;-) ) So the social calendar is starting to blossom again. (Could still do with the quiet simple camping life, if I'm honest with you). But I"m looking forward to the cooler weather and getting out and about in Oman again. Still lots we haven't seen and I really want to keep up with my photography.


But now life returns to the post-holiday routine, I know I will still totally hit the ground running come start of term ... there are never enough hours in the day.


The rush to buy school shoes, uniform, pencil cases and bags begins, the chaos of the school run commences and now into the mix I have to had the fact that I will be working full-time. Approximately 8 x more than my husband per week (on average). Not that I'm counting.


I've been under paper, printing, stapling, filing and sticking, preparing for the job. I feel quite apprehensive but I am going to make myself get in to a pre- and/or post-work day routine to maintain my sanity ... half hour for a cuppa on my own, half hour meditation (both put me in a good spot!)... maybe a run. I've been (to quote hubby), "a bit shouty" recently apparently (there's no apparently about it really, I have been) so I'm determined to shake that.


Wish me luck.

Another first...

Last weekend, the children and I were invited to the birthday party of the sister of one of C’s school friends. It was her first birthday party. I should start off by saying that this is an Omani family and this is the first time I have been to an Omani lady’s house. So I was quite excited.

I was only one of two western expat women there, we were made to feel so welcome and most ladies introduced themselves. Admittedly I introduced myself to the others in my fabulously broken and stuttered Arabic!

I found out during the party that the traditional first birthday party is called a hul-hul (sp?). But on asking the Mum if this was such a party, she said it wasn’t quite the same. 

So this is a plea to OPNO and any other Arabic readers, or those with knowledge of the Islamic culture, please can you tell me what a hul-hul is and what is involved?

It’s funny because with my two children I wanted to have big parties for their first birthdays, with family and friends. The intention was there to never have another big party again until they’re 21!

So anyway, baby H had a magician (hilarious!) and a clown (also made me laugh!). The Mother of H got me doing the facepainting! The children taught me the colours in arabic! And then she gave me her lovely Nikon SLR so I was playing with my camera and hers - I was in my element! (I won’t post any pictures as they are all of the ladies and the children so I’d rather respect their privacy of course).

And then the food! Well, it was all the traditional party food laid on and a huge tray of lamb biryani with the lamb’s head on top. Bit of a shock but if that’s the way it’s done then that’s fine! I went back to the main room and looked for Bear and there she was sitting on the floor with the other Mums and kids. So that was good, that was my excuse to sit on the floor as well. I really felt a part of the day and had a great time. I even ate with my hand without too much mess!

I was looking for a picture of a large biryani and found this one! Brilliant! (it wasn't quite this big at the party!)

On the down side, Omanis’ parties seem to last all day! I say the downside only because I had made other plans that afternoon as I just assumed it would last 2-3 hours! Whereas us Brits especially write on the invitation a set time to start and finish; we can only cope with other friends' children for so long! Plus the parents more often than not tend to (I call it ) 'drop and run', leaving you responsible. Whereas at H's party all the Mums stayed, less stress I imagine for the hostess.

I was expecting to leave by 1pm but it was still in full swing. My children were exhausted so I had to make my excuses at 2pm. H’s Mother would not let me leave until we had eaten some sweets and filled up a foil container full of yummy treats, nuts and cakes to take home. My kids loved the jellies with nuts in. I go mad for the Om Ali...I think it was like Om Ali at the party except it was a much more solid consistency so I could eat it with my fingers.

So a joyful day and a super experience, I know now that I think I can manage if I’m invited again to an Omani house! 

(And OPNO, she's going to do my makeup!)

....Eh????

I couldn't think of a title that could sum up what's in it. It is more of a reconstruction of my reaction when I read the press release that prompted this entry.

I was going to use this entry as a bit of a rare rant about some of the protests here in Oman. One in particular, the students of Rustaq College for Applied Science want to be guaranteed jobs for them after graduation. This is the clincher, and I quote,

“Students of English and Arabic want to be employed as teachers when they graduate without being subjected to tests by the Ministry of Education.”

Not only that, they want the score needed to get a teacher’s job to be reduced from 6.5 to 5.

And they want the expat teachers to be replaced by Omani teachers.

Really? Have you sat the test? No, right, OK, no problem, yes I’m sure it’s absolutely fine to teach not having been monitored. Maybe the English system should do away with all the monitoring, skills tests and NQT/QTS registering….there’d be no shortage of teachers then. Not good, conscientious, aware, determined, genuine ones, but hey ho.

I was going to vent my disbelief and anger that this is what they are demanding – what kind of example is that to set to their future students? This particular group seem to want things to fall into their lap (as are many other groups of protesters, am I right?) and have it made easy for them by having the pass mark reduced, and in English and Arabic, no test at all.

Is there any wonder that schools here employ expat teachers….? What happened to striving for what you want, seeing how far you can push yourself and developing and demonstrating the motivation to continue studying, learning and self-developing even when you become a teacher AND as a result, the rewards that come for having the impetus to do all this as well as showing to your pupils what you can achieve when you make the bloody effort to try. I can just imagine lazy and apathetic teachers in the future here…

This could have gone on for the whole page but in light of the current natural state of the world I really haven’t got the energy and I’ve gone on too long as it is. And quite frankly getting a bit cross is putting negative words and energy back in the world and it doesn’t need any more of that…

Belated 'current' events update, other news

Sorry about the lack of any news via t’internet. Our connection was down for a few days. After an initial panic that the internet communication was down nationwide (a la Egypt par example) we wondered if the bill needed paying….and yes, that was the reason...oooooooooooops. Hahahahaha!!! I can laugh now!

So, what I am writing in this entry is basically to update my family and friends. Virtual friends/bloggers, please don’t expect to get any new gems of information from me, it’s merely to put everyone’s minds at rest at home. I have based it on what I have read in your blogs and also talking to friends here. I’ve taken the international media’s perception/writing on the situation with a pinch of salt, having worked in the media myself.

Blimey, they overplayed this one. It’s amazing how some journalists can word a sentence so as to make the readers think the world is falling around their ears. Cynical? Moi?

So I've been updating my Dad by text (due to 'curious' lack of internet (!)) and I've been saying that it's about unemployment basically so 50000 jobs have been created plus job seekers' benefits. The population lost all sympathy for the protesters because they have got violent. I tried to compare it to the students in the UK that protested recently. Some Omanis are calling for political reform but more to the sort the corruption in the ministries.

Other views that back this up:
'At the same time, some in Oman say that they were not challenging the rule of Sultan Qaboos but would like simply to improve their living conditions. “The Omanis love the Sultan and respect and consider him a father to them,” one commenter on the Facebook page. “This is only about a few demands and not a coup against the Sultan.”


Another said in a Facebook post: “We don’t live in fear. All we want are jobs, better salaries and economic reforms.”'

J. David Goodman contributed reporting from New York.

A recent article from Foreign Policy that's worth a read:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/01/omans_renaissance_man

I'm a bit concerned to hear that some of the protesters had come in from the U.A.E. to basically stir everyone up...

I love the title of Muscat Mutterings latest blog, "Well now that's all over, how about some football?”!! Kinda sums it up really!

Other news:
~~ A super week with the Gillies. So happy to see them and spend some quality time with them at last. It was great showing off our favourite bits of Oman....although it was a bit touch and go over the last couple of days what with local events! AND just so you know, Mrs. Gee made the Boot Camp!! Miss you all X

~~ 30 Seconds to Mars are coming to Muscat! (Sorry, Noora, still no Mumford and Sons!) But we're otherwise engaged so no rocking for me on the 10th March...

~~ Eeurgh....no other news!! A family trip up Wadi Shab is planned this weekend though!

Enjoy your weekends...

A saunter up a hill, weekend camping, Toad-in-the-hole cake

A saunter up a hill

The Captain is off to Everest Base Camp in April with 3 other guys. So he's been training intensely the last few months. He's been walking and running up a few of the 'hills' nearby and for the first time I went walking with him. Not to his level or speed though! Just a nice husband-and-wife walk... I couldn't help get worried when he put his camel-back on, adjusted his walking boots, set his heart rate monitor and GPS and extended his walking poles...

This is where we were heading...the highest point of course!

Did I mention my neeeeeeeeeew Camera takes black and white photos?!

At the bottom of the steps that appeared randomly halfway up

It was so worth it in the end, the views are always beautiful. I'm glad they still take my breath away.

On the drive back I saw the ruined claybuild watch towers:

Last weekend camping at Sifah beach:

Hubby had made friends with the Omanis that camped next to us. Mohammed on the left of the picture is his new BFF! He gave us loads of fish from their catch and even called hubby on Friday evening asking if he wanted more!

They caught a huge sailfish...it's my favourite fish so I didn't really like to see it there in the boat. BUT this is worth at least 50 OMR to these guys AND it made a good picture.

Once a month I manage to cook a half-decent dinner; February's culinary amazement was Toad in the Hole.  I got a recipe online from Queen Nigella Lawson. She comes to the rescue again. I have never made a good Toad in the Hole...until now. Although it did start to look like a massive cake! Nigella needs to be made a Saint.

Well, that was a first...

...and judging by my research, we have gotten away lightly since we have been here.

We've just got back from a lovely weekend away and were ready to settle down with a cup of tea. Next thing we know the front door opens and there is a Muslimah standing in the doorway!! Door bell NOT rung, door NOT knocked!

She talks to the Captain and he calls me to join in and figure out what is being said. I understand Allah Khareem, daughter and khamsa...the penny drops...especially when she says in clear English with the universal money sign of rubbing her fingers and thumb together, "I need money". Oh...cr*p. What do we do??

She was a very pretty young woman in a simple abaya and hijab, nothing to suggest she was needy and in need of charity...should have raised alarm bells...but then I look around the door and there is a gorgeous little girl, probably no older than 2 years old.

We were so stunned that someone had actually come to our door that we gave her some money. I had gone back in to the living room to call my neighbour to see what she had done...she hadn't reached that side of the square...and the lady on the porch called out to say thank-you to me. And left, got on her mobile and then carried on. I only saw her call on one other house.

What would have she done if we were still upstairs unpacking? Or I was bathing the kids?

Newspapers advise you not to give money to the beggars in the car park - easy to do when it's not your space and you are in a public place. But when it is my own home and a stranger actually comes through the door uninvited makes us feel very uncomfortable. I am annoyed that we were put in a situation in our own home, in which we felt pressured into giving over money. What will she do if we say no? What is she going to do now that we have said yes?  Is she going to tell her friends that the the naive expats in that house over there will give them money...?

I've asked hubby to talk to his Omani colleagues just to find out what is the done thing to do. Although I feel I know the answer as I've been on the internet this evening; I have never heard of door to door beggars and am rather shocked to read that it is a regular occurrence; everyone had a story to tell.

School Field Trip

The Captain and I helped out today on Bear's school field trip to Wadi Fanja. She's in year 2 (Grade 1) and it was a geology and fossil hunting trip. We were so excited! Geology and fossils are our thing in this family.  I had this vision of the teachers trying to keep the Mitchells in check as they wander off along the wadi or up the hill!

We had a group of 4 children each and went through the questions listed and talked about the formation and types of rocks evident in the area. It's a great thing to hear little children talk knowledgeable about igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.

It was also amazing to see the range of ability in this one class, from the kids who copy others work and really have no interest in what's around them to those who could articulate their answer and were writing in more than one full sentence in joined-up writing.

Hubby has limited patience when it comes to dealing with more than 2 children at a time so it was fun and quite lovely to see him keep his group in tow! (He would make a great teacher...apart from the patience!) Well, not so much the group but the one boy who absolutely needed to run off and get that 27th rock and put it in his backpack!

Quote of the day heard by the Captain: One of Bear's friends runs up to him and says " Look! Look what I've found! It's igneous rock!....Or it could be dog poo......"

We found nummulites in another location near Al Khoud.

I read that there are fossilised stromatolites near Al Khoud too as well as other parts of Oman.

'The earliest fossils known in Oman are of stromatolites from Mukhadba near Duqm (570 million years ago). Stromatolites are dome-shaped or pillar-like structures built by primitive single celled algae which secrete calcite and trap sedimentary particles.'

So that's my next plan to try and find these.
[when I've found or taken a picture of these, I'll post it!]

So well done Mrs. K. and Mrs. H - this was a brilliant trip (I'm a little biased admittedly, I love this subject)...what better way for them to learn and study than out there in the field.


Post-edit: here is a picture of Bear the evening after her field trip...reading the core text from my University days. Those of you who don't know her, she is  actually reading it properly! (She was reading at 4 years old...never ceases to amaze me...)

Omani Women's Day

Today is the first Omani Women's Day as established by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos:

“We call upon Omani women everywhere, in the villages and the cities, in both urban and Bedu communities, in the hills and mountains, to roll up their sleeves and contribute to the process of economic and social development…We have great faith in the educated young Omani women to work devotedly to assist their sisters in their local communities to develop their skills and abilities, both practically and intellectually, in order to contribute to our Omani Renaissance which demands the utilization of our entire national genius, for the realization of our country’s glory and prosperity. We call upon Omani women to shoulder this vital role in the community and we are confident that they will respond to this call.”

-His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.


This is one of many articles in recent local press, courtesy of Khaleej Times Online : http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/October/middleeast_October43.xml&section=middleeast

"Oman’s women are preparing to celebrate their first annual day this month and the country’s 40th National Day in unmatched style — by presenting their leader with the longest message of greetings in the world.

The two-km-long, 1.25-metre-wide letter, carrying messages of gratitude, loyalty and affection from more than 100,000 Omani and expatriate women to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, is sure to find an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, promoters of the project said.

The sultanate is set to mark the first ‘Omani Women’s Day’ (OWD) on October 17 as decided by a high-profile national symposium held last year coinciding with Sultan Qaboos’ annual ‘Meet the People’ tour to acknowledge women’s contribution to the country’s social, political and economic progress.

Social Development Minister Dr Sharifah bint Khaflan Al Yahyaiyah launched the ‘My Message’ initiative during a Press conference here on Saturday, saying it would focus on three major themes – safety and security, equal opportunities, rights and social justice.

She added the letter, a 375-kg paper roll made of special ‘tyvak’ material that is resistant to tear and water, would give a new impetus to women, encouraging them to play an even more active role in the country’s development.
......

Sharifah said other activities planned for the first OWD included an exclusive women’s forum and an operetta showcasing women’s accomplishments in the past four decades, an art exhibition, an open day for sports and a literary evening. “The observation of OWD is a significant step in translating the vision of His Majesty the Sultan for sustainable development in the social sector and reflects His Majesty’s initiative on development in building the country according to its potential and abilities,” she added.

The minister also praised a newly-launched women’s campaign, ‘Oman 2010’, by a group of youngsters to acknowledge the advances made by women in the sultanate. A not-for-profit effort, the campaign aims at direct interaction with the community through various events, such as competitions, networking and electronic capacity-building programmes at the national level.

Eman Al Rafay, who heads the project, said the goal was to provide a national platform for women to develop self-confidence, expand their participation in community development and education and highlight the opportunities available to them".

Although the best quote has be to from Gulf News: "The day will be celebrated at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, where participants will present ideas on how to develop personality traits in women and change stereotypical concepts about women's abilities".

Happy First Omani Women's Day!