In the beginning

15th August 2010
It's Sunday evening, 9pm, and I'm sitting in the lounge of my apartment, hardly believing I am here in Oman! I feel so fortunate to have been given this opportunity at this stage in my career.

The people who work and live in the School have made me feel very welcome in such a short period of time and I already know I will be very happy here!!

Thee first thing that struck me when I got off the plane, last Thursday morning, were the heat smell (which were not unpleasant!). As soon as I entered the baggage collection area in Muscat Airport I was met by a friendly Omani girl who helped me through customs with no fuss. The head of primary, Kate Gower, and the prinicipal, Anthony Cashin,  were there to meet me, along with nine other new teachers, and a minibus took us from the airport to Al Hail, Seeb and the Sultan's School.

The scenery here is magnificent. The elegant simplicity of the buildings contrast against a backdrop of sand coloured mountains and blue sky. Palm trees and plantation are evident which is a far cry from the desert I was expecting!

The campus has a large area set aside for staff to live. It is like a village and I will be moving in to a brand new villa in October. As I write this I am living in a two bedroom, three bathroom apartment across the road from the school.

The Omani people are kind and hospitable. They are peaceful and care for the environment. It is a law here to keep your cars clean. You have to pay a fine if you drive around in a dirty car! Petrol costs hardly anything. It would cost you about eight pounds to fill your tank! Everyone drives on the right in Oman.

Yesterday, I got my residents card which took about two hours to process. This enables me to travel anywhere in the Middle East and it is more important than my passport. I need to carry it around with me all the time.

Today we had our medicals and I'm hoping all is OK. Our campus has a large, outdoor swimming pool and I have been there everyday since I arrived!

Last Friday evening we had a social at the principal's villaand it was good to meet other colleagues. We have been told that the students don't return until after Ramadan which means I'll have plenty of time to get myself started. We start teaching on 18th September so I have a month to prepare!!!

All the men look resplendant in their dishdashers and khoumas (hats) and this afternoon a man came to talk to us about Islam and being a Muslim. Don't worry I won't be converting, but I'll be teaching and living in a Muslim country so it's really important I know as much as I can about their faith.

In public I have to cover my shoulders and knees but in private anything goes! The food here is lovely, the scenery is spectacular and the weather glorious. The Omani people are extremely generous, there is very little crime and the streets are clean.... I feel like I've won the lottery!!!