Today, almost four months after completing my last teaching contract, I begin a new assignment. Having running into problems with several of the offers I seriously pursued over the past months, I decided to return to Oman – but it is a very different Oman from the one where I was previously.
The first difference is the climate. I am now stationed in Salalah, which is subtropical, as opposed to the arid desert climate of Rustaq. Salalah is unique in the Arabian peninsula, because as the most brutal summer heat descends on the Gulf, this area catches the tail-end of the South Asian monsoon rains. Tourists from the region and beyond flock here for the cool, natural beauty of the Khareef (monsoon rain) festival each year, making people far more patient with foreigners and foreign ways.
The second difference is the number of educational institutions. In addition to the usual primary and secondary education, Salalah is home to three tertiary institutions: the privately owned Dhofar University, the Ministry of Higher Education’s Salalah College of Applied Science and the Ministry of Manpower’s Salalah College of Technology. This means the town’s professional resources extend beyond any one institution. SCT will be my new taskmaster. Of course, every institution has its challenges, but that remains for later posts.
These first two factors also imply that there is a healthy circulation of people – regional and international visitors, as well as a mix of local and foreign residents who do not all work and live in the same small social pond. It is still a relatively small community in a relatively small town, but the options are far wider than in most Omani college towns.
Another difference is that I am living on the coast, which has always been a dream of mine. I always find it heartening to dip a toe in the ocean and remember that this same body of water extends all across the globe.
Finally, on a rather materialistic note, but one that should not be ignored, I have been placed in the best accommodation I have ever lived in. Ever. I opted for furnished accommodation rather than a generous cash allowance, but it seems I chose well. The landlord has been dealing with expats and tourists for several years, and is responsive to the unique needs of this market. The place is well-maintained, fitted out with quality equipment and positively vast. The spare bedroom alone could house a ballroom dancing class, a martial arts dojo or a sleepover for the entire population of Liechtenstein. And I’m not entirely sure what one human being does with three bathrooms. What is certain, though, is that I finally have a home where I can be shamelessly hospitable. And that is an invitation.
Before I ramble too much more, there is one thing I really want to put down on digital ink in a very public way. I have been living and teaching abroad for almost a decade, and have learnt that the greatest pitfall of expatriation is negativity. I have no illusions that my euphoria at my new posting is a heady concoction of culture shock phase one, travel fatigue and sheer ignorance. Yet I am fiercely determined that the ten short months of this contract will be a time of deep contentment and unparalleled productivity. That is not a matter left over to fate, but a disciplined decision. If I ever go back on my word, please hyperlink me back to this page. Or better yet, come and stay over. If we kick out the ballroom dancers and apprentice ninjas, there’s room a-plenty.
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