Showing posts with label Social Networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Networking. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hyenas

I really am a sad excuse for a Dhofari. How have I managed to spend 22 years in this town without realizing that we have packs of hyenas everywhere? I guess I'm never out late at night! I was told by a fellow blogger that when she was out camping, an unusual hyena almost attacked them in Mirbat. Most people say it was a Jinn because the behaviour was rather odd. Check out her blog for interesting comments on Salalah/Oman http://absolutetrygve.blogspot.com/.

Allow me to confess that I don't have anything terribly interesting to write about, so I've decided to complain. I'm not really one for complaining, but my complaints may amuse you, so here goes:

(1) I hate the way some Omanis treat Indians and other Asians. I almost walked over to the office next door to throw my coffee mug at a colleague who was rudly insulting the teaboy because his tea wasn't 'perfect'. Well go make your own tea, jerk!

(2) The new guy in my office (yes, dammit, I have to share an office now until he leaves) is too nosy. He asks too many questions about my personal life, and thinks everything is a conspiracy. This morning the CEO of a contracting company dropped by to give me documents and chat (I studied with his son). My roommate immediately bombarded me with questions when the guy left. He thought the guy was a spy. Or maybe he thought I was having an affair with a 60 year-old man. God only knows. He just thought it was outrageous that a CEO would visit me, a girl! To those of you out there who are thinking 'Why don't you just tell him to mind his own business!', I tell you: he's a relative. You can't tell a relative to bugger off rudly. I might cause a tribal war.

(3) I always tell myself that I'll never drive into town during the last five days of everymonth because of PAYDAY. Yup, payday. Every single vehicle in the whole of Dhofar seems to be stuck on the two main roads during payday. Everyone is shopping. Everyone is spending. Everyone is honking. People here are so predictable.

(4) I have a sore throat.
(5) a senior manager at my company is very gay. This morning he's got pink nail polish on, a white dishdasha with a brown tassle and a BLUE cap (kumma). Has no one approached him about colour coordination?

That's it for today, folks. As you see, I have nothing serious to complain about. Life is good. Today is Wednesday!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

I know you!

I drove to Sultan Qaboos Hospital today with my little sister to visit a distant aunt, who just went through kidney surgery (don't worry, she's fine). As we walked through the long hallway towards the surgical ward, an anonymous woman (when I say anonymous I mean dressed in black from head to toe with her eyes showing only) GRABS my arm and violently stops me and whispers 'I know you!'. I sighed .. here we go again. 'Really?', I answer sweetly, 'how is that?'.
She proceeds to explain that she was my aunt's husband's step-brother's son's neighbor. 'Ahh... ', I smile at her from under my face veil, 'pleased to meet you! Anything I can do for you?' .. and immediately she prepares herself to bombard me with questions (since we had established the connection and thus she now had authority to quesion me about any (or all) aspects of my life).
Q: Were you the daughter who went to study abroad?
A: Yup, that's me.
Q: How long were you there?
A: Five years, dear aunt.
Q: Your brother was with you the whole time right?
A: No, he's married with children.
Q: You were alone??!!
A: Yup.
Q: Without a man?
A: Yup.
Q: Living alone?
A: you know, I really have to go...
Q: Did you cover your face while you were there?
A: no, just my head.
Q: WHAT???
A: Listen, dear aunt, I have to go .. really
Q: Your sister here, how old is she?
A: 14
Q: Why doesn't she wear the face veil???
A: Because she's 14.
Q: But .....
A: It was lovely meeting you! See you soon!
And off we went (running) towards the surgical ward.
Salalah.... sigh