I have moved to Muscat, Oman

It has been radio silence here for months now. Lack of consistency, planning and eventually moving to different country is why I haven’t invested time in writing. Uprooting from “settled” life around friends and family is never an easy choice, more so, when you are used to a comfortable routine of daily life.

Reluctance and Excitement – The opportunity of exploring a new culture, country came with the uncertainty of quitting a 9-5 job for me and moving out of the comfort of a routine life for both of us. Endless discussions with family and friends some offered their hesitations, a few genuine concerns, handful of excited ones and some with absurd reasoning coming from the prejudices towards a different culture.  

Moving Day – After hearing out all the concerns and views we decided to go ahead with what the husband and me felt was best for us. Husband moved in November and I joined him here in Muscat in January after getting my family visa. We packed away our material life in cardboard boxes for Dehradun and moved to Muscat with trunks of essentials. Was it easy? No. Long distance relationship is difficult and after being married for 5 years it has its own challenges – not the insecurities of a adolescent relationship but letting go of the habit of coming back home to the same face, waking up to the one next to you and the comfort of the  presence around you even if they drives you crazy. 

Life in Muscat, Oman – There will be hundreds of opinions you will have to filter through when you decide to move countries and many unreasonable ones when you decide to move to country that is culturally different than the one you were born in. Yes – it’s a different culture; it is conservative and deeply traditional in many ways but also welcoming at the same time. 

Muscat, Oman is the most liberal and the safest country in whole of Middle East and its beautiful. I have been in Muscat only for a month, I haven’t experienced traditional Omani culture but have found the Omani people to be friendly and have noticed their love for fragrances, incense, perfumed oils and any other aromatics. Speaking and listening to the expats that I have met here and from my own experience in Muscat – Omanis are polite, helpful and courteous. Muscat has a very laid back and relaxed lifestyle, Friday and Saturday is the weekend, and things will move at its own pace here so better get used to it. 

Public transportation in Muscat is still in nascent stages; you will have to rely on taxis to move around unless you clear all your driving tests and can drive around on your own. I use “O-taxi” to commute through the city as of now. It is an app based service like Uber and ola cabs, all you need to do is enter your pick-up and drop locations. 

I haven’t had the opportunity to explore Muscat yet – house hunting, setting up the new home, figuring out places for daily essentials has taken up most of my time and now with the quarantine in place because of corona-virus, the prospects of going out are not worth considering at the moment.

Oman’s landscape is varied – Oceans, Deserts, Wadis and windy Mountains

I arrived in Oman in January and the weather since then has been surprisingly pleasant and cold, it’s windy on the beach and is the perfect time to explore Oman. Summers in Oman last from March to October and I have been warned the heat is going to be brutal and unrelenting. So if you plan to explore Oman – November to March is the best time, and of all the places that I have been to I can reassure that Oman has stunning landscapes. 

Coastline that stretches for a distance of 3,165 kilometers there’s so much to explore

Souqs (traditional markets)

Glowing crystal water

As I mentioned earlier the fragrances in Muscat really stand out, the tones are more earthy, more of frankincense, sandalwood and few floral. Fragrances and memories are strongly linked – smell of mud when it rains nudge out the days my family spent in the government quarters tending to the bougainvillea vines, pine with the walks in forests, garlic and mint with the grinding stone in “Ija’s” kitchen and the smell of spring somehow with reading. Fragrances have a way of providing comfort and reminiscing times spent with family and friends.

The scents here are new to me, ones that are to be acquainted with new stories, people, places, culture and creating new memories. 

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