Back in the Desert

10 July 2010

Hmmm, so I suppose it has been almost a year since my last blog. Apparently, I seem to only have the desire to partake in this silly act of blogging when I'm living in the desert, removed from the comforting embrace of my traitorously enchanted little Krakow.

Perhaps I will write more about my Krakowian life at some point. But for now, I write about the present, and today, I find myself opening my eyes, again in Oman. Waking to the soft buzz of the AC after 16 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I peer out the small sand covered window in the corner of this awkward apartment, try to do yoga on a slippery floor (left yoga mat in the chaos of moving), shower, make coffee and sift through the 300+ middle eastern satellite channels. Iranian cooking show, news form Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi, Dubai, Yemen, etc...but I always return to Aljazeera, and currently am watching a highly heated debate on Iraq Now... ah yes, nothing like listening to overweight diplomats yell back and forth, never answering the direct questions that are put before them.

Today is Saturday, so normally I should begin the working week. However, blessed with a religious holiday, I have a day to catch up on sleep and acclimate to life in the hot, humid Middle East (or shall I say, to the contrast between hot and humid, and stale, air conditioned air ). The past two days are a tad blurry. Left my apartment of two years on Thursday, had breakfast with friends who will have moved to South East Asia by the time I return, was offered a job contract for Kurdistan, enthusiastically decided to take it, did further research at the airport on the company... then, due to their draconian teaching methods, disappointedly decided to 'probably' not take the position. My unwavering optimism often gets me excited about a future that is too good to be true, but alas, I refuse to be deterred. Anyway, despite a stunningly veracious hangover, self inflicted by a night of farewells and celebrations, my body refused to let me sleep on the six hour plane ride to Abu Dhabi, only to soundly crash on the short 45 min flight to Muscat, missing most of the Abu Dhabi coastline, of course. In Oman, beers, pool and Baily's? When I finally arrived at my borrowed apartment, I half curiously, half asleep smiled at an attractive man as he walked down the stairs, unlocked the door, noted the starkness of my new 'home', and fell asleep in my clothes, watching Muholland Drive on channel 223.

A wee bit different from my life here a year ago. Ascetically, the June cyclone and other unseasonal storms have slightly altered the seaside landscape,moving around earth, and leaving the air temporarily clean of blowing dust. The two colleagues I spent my time with last year are both gone – one to the UAE, the other to northern Oman. The one remaining familiar face, is that of an American woman who has lived in the Middle East for some 30 years? Her family was all killed off in the Syrian Lebanon conflict in the 80's, leaving her scattered and broken, with an outlook on life that is a far cry from optimistic, but a fascinating character, to say the least. I am living in a tiny, dark apartment, in a tiny, dusty city, far removed from the comforts of home. The school is riddled with disorganization, and communication and power issues abound, making the return to this position, anything from idyllic. But as long as I am paid (which is another tricky issue), I think I can handle just about anything... hahaha... we shall see.