November

Alright, so nearly 2 months since a blog seems like a cause for concern, one might say. However, things happen quite slowly in this country and in 2 months not a whole heck of a lot has happened! The only thing that has happened quickly is the departure of both the Principal of the whole school and the Head of Primary. They were dropping like flies for awhile but things seem to be under control now.

We’ve made it through the first half term somehow and were able to enjoy a great holiday away in Oman. We’ve just returned and are back to work today – but only 6 weeks until Christmas holidays! We had some fantastic experiences in Oman and felt very lucky to get out of this dust swept abyss of Qatar. Even though Oman is not far from Qatar at all and is a Middle Eastern country we were shocked with the difference. The Omani people were incredibly kind and even had a sense of humour about them – something we have yet to see in Qatar. The country is also very beautiful with plenty of mountains, trees, and desert to keep anyone occupied. The 4 of us, Jen, Aaron, Barret and I stayed with some friends of Aaron’s parents in Muscat for a few nights. They took great care of us! They took us out on their boat where we could really get a taste of the good life Oman has to offer. From Muscat we drove south in our rental car and stayed in a really cool Dive Lodge. We got to sleep in these great little huts, surrounded by mountains and the sea. From there we headed to the desert! We had an Omani pick us up in a 4 wheel drive and drive us 45 minutes deep into the Wahiba Sands desert where we stayed in Bedouin style tents for two nights. Aside from the tents smelling like the camels wandering around, it was awesome! We had a relaxing two days playing on the sand dunes, playing games, and yes, riding camels. It was one of the things to do on my “bucket list” and now it’s been checked off. 10 minutes on one of those animals and I wondered why I ever wanted to do it in the first place… talk about discomfort! Anyway, it was a wonderful and well deserved holiday. I felt very lucky to spend it with my good friends and husband (it still seems crazy to call him that!)

I never thought I would, but I’ve taken up golfing. A bunch of us from school have been going for lessons throughout the week and it’s starting to become fun because I am actually hitting the ball. Ha! It’s not only the fun of playing, but to go to the golf course is a pleasure in itself. The landscape is beautiful, the grass is soft and green, the people are normal, and I somehow find myself having visions of retiring in Myrtle Beach as a leathery old lady driving a golf cart and dragging around some pink golf clubs. We’d better start saving I guess! Just outside Doha is an interesting course – it’s a sand course and where I played my very first 9 holes on Saturday. I even got par on the last hole! One of the main reasons I didn’t do as badly as one would expect, is because Barret was an unbelievably supportive husband and kept telling me I was doing well, even when I hit the ball in the water and got the golf cart stuck. What a gem. The possibility that I might actually get half decent at this game is fantastic - so much to look forward to wherever we go.

My birthday passed just before our holidays - 28 years old. Barret made sure I had all the DQ ice cream cake I could eat and organized thai food and bowling with our school friends so it was a lovely day - thanks again, B. Funny, I never noticed the time passing as a child, or hardly even as a teenager. I always looked to the future, not back at the past. But, somehow now I have all of these memories that seem so close, as if they only happened yesterday. One of my friends from the first cruiseship I worked on is happily married and pregnant, living in Abu Dhabi. When I think of her I think it was only a short time ago we met and were having a crazy time in the Caribbean - but it was over 7 years ago. I guess living each day to the fullest and taking every opportunity you are given is the most important thing to remember. I have much to be thankful for and as unclear as the future is I know it will be exciting. And it will include golf.

As much as living in the present is important, I can't help but think of where we might be in 6 weeks time. We have been looking into trips and will need to book something soon. Sri Lanka might have the best weather out of the places we've been looking. We don't have enough clothes to last us a week somewhere cold so we're going to stay away from Europe and keep our eyes east, likely somewhere in South East Asia. It would be great to visit some other countries where we might consider moving for work BEFORE we get jobs there. There is some excitement in going in blindly, like we did with Qatar, but I think it would be better knowing where what we are getting ourselves into before hand!

Well, I've updated you as much as possible as to what has happened in the last two months, sure not as much as the excitement we had in England, but it's good to be a bit more relaxed I suppose. I hope you are happy and healthy and are looking forward to the holiday season. I will truly miss Christmas adverts on TV, decorations in malls, and just the overall feel Christmas brings. I might miss the snow for 1/2 an hour, but that's it :)

My love to you all,

Amy