End of First Year!

Yes I know…I’ve been a bit slack but in my defense it has been exam time and as I have been the only ICT teacher left standing since we got back from our ‘Easter’ break you can see that I may have been very busy.

So let’s recap (in no particular order):
Mellissa came out to see me and we got around and seen quite a lot of Muscat. She arrived on the Tuesday evening (day before we broke up for Easter) just after it had been raining! In fact we had had some quite stormy weather for a few days previous. The temperature had gone right done to about 75F (23C) but that was during the night! Anyway got her settled in then we started touring, did the usual things, The Grand Mosque, Al Seefa Beach, Mutrah Souk and promenade, Muscat Old Town and Sultan’s palace, Shati Beach (which we went back to a few times as Mel liked it) Al Sawadi Beach, Nizwa Fort and souk, Rustaq Fort and the National Park etc,. Melissa took a few photos (about 2300) and you can see many of them on Facebook. Heat got to her after a couple of days so we slowed everything right down, must admit, think I needed to chill as well, was really tired. We also had a great morning out dolphin spotting. We had booked a boat to take us out and it turned out to be just me and Melissa on it. Was a really great day and Mel has started a ‘spot the dolphin’ game from all the pictures she took….was really hard to catch the dolphins as they surfaced/jumped etc.

What with the end of term/year exams and me being the only ICT teacher left standing, didn’t really get out and about for the next few weeks after Melissa left, too busy marking!

Anyway exams are over now and so I have managed to get a little R&R in. Five weeks ago I went to Wadi Bani Khalid, which for those of you who follow my blog will know is an oasis in the middle of barren mountains. This time I went swimming and swam the length of oasis (quite tiring as its fresh water) until I came to where it narrows and is blocked by boulders. Anyway tried to climb out but couldn’t make it but some Indian lads seen me struggling and came to give me a hand. I managed to get out and started up the rocks when I lost my footing! I bounced all the way down but at least the landing was soft, straight in the water! Hurt my elbow and back, didn’t want to try climbing out again so had to swim all the way back!. Needless to say I was in no fit state to go anywhere the next day….couldn’t sit down for long, couldn’t stand up for long, it hurt to walk and as for lying down…needed pain killers!

By the Monday though was feeling pretty well ok, just a little bruised so went to a musical recital at the PDO (Petroleum Development, Oman). We are quite cultured out here!

Temperature has soared here in the last month with the average daytime temp of about 46C, if you are in the sun round about lunchtime it really feels as if the sun is burning your skin! Spent the last couple of weekends on the beach (Oman Dive Centre and Marjan) just chillin out, but really didn’t spend much time in the sun…TOO HOT!

Year 12/13 students graduated with a presentation ceremony and then on to an Italian restaurant for a meal (paid for by the school).

About 2 weeks ago we took a drive up Jebel Shams, which is a mountain road near Nizwa just to see the scenery. Was quite spectacular but my car was struggling…and on the way back it broke down! 140 kilometers from Muscat….Friday (holy day here , so nothing open) and the temperature in the upper 40’s! Anyway got the AAA out and eventually got my car back to Muscat and had to do without for a week till it got fixed!

Choir has been going well and we have performed at the local churches and also for the prize giving at the British School of Muscat. We also gave a charity performance in aid of the Kachele Village (http://kachelevillage.org/) at the Intercontinental Hotel which was a great success.

Well it’s coming to the end of the year. Brian, Linda and Donald will not be coming back next year so the 4 Muscateers will have to disband. Over the year we’ve seen an awful lot of Oman and enjoyed each others company and it will be strange not to have them around. I have been offered ‘Head of Department’ and have decided to accept so will be returning for at least another year. We are getting a new school principal (Mr Michael Welland) and also a new head of secondary (TBA). Have approached Mr Welland about opening a Ju-Jitsu class here and he is in favour of doing it …so will just have to wait till I get back from holiday.

I am going to put a load of pictures on the web (in no particular order) and also here are some links to pictures Brian and Linda have taken.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lezmcg54/FromMarchTillJuneVarious?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lezmcg54/NizwaAndDolphinWatchingApril7th?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/Moffat.linda26/PromMISJune2009

http://picasaweb.google.com/Moffat.linda26/GraduationMIS#

http://picasaweb.google.com/Moffat.linda26/CoastalSharqiyaTour#