You've got mail and it's 8 months fresh

Oman has an interesting snail mail system. Post is not delivered to your 8 digit home address consisting of a home number and way number but only to a PO BOX.
I guess it is easier, or instead of writing the address you'd have to draw a map!

Apparently it is notoriously difficult to get your own PO Box. I have heard that there aren't many free and you have to put yourself on a waiting list. We never bothered and we use, like most of the people we know, the office PO Box. It seems to work or anyway, if paper mail is missing I am not too sure we'd notice...

I am used to S. coming back home every now and then with a bunch of paper and useless junk that miracolously works its way through from the UK with the mail redirection. Will I ever get rid of this junk mail??

So today was one of those days. I got my mail, including a payslip for a UK job that I no longer hold. Yes the one that terminated at the end of January.

I thought it would be the P60.. but when I started looking through it I thought... "wow! it's Christmas again! What's this for?" I searched for the date... it was my November pay, unfortunately the one I have already spent.

I turned the envelope over: the stamp reads LONDON 21.11.08 - a true blast from the past!

To be fair I do not think the problem lies with the Omani post system. The delivery address has been printed correctly but the country was omitted.. it is scribbled on the side of the envelope... probably a recent addition.

I wonder where on earth this envelope has been before someone worked out which country it had to go to... did it sit somewhere in England being looked at over and over again until some 8 months later someone's bulb lit up and worked out where Muscat is on the map?

ahhhh, things I have to live with without ever knowing!

No, really. Leave me alone!

So I am back..

Things have been hectic but all the sudden I have gone from 15hrs days to total nothingness which has thrown me into complete confusion over a week or so.

I think that this was the turning point: my honemoon phase with laziness has come to an abrupt end. I am ready for a new beginning which hopefully is not too far ahead in time (if only could I tame my impatience).

Don't get me wrong, I'll probably be regretting these words in a few months time when I have to juggle all the little projects that I am planning to throw onto myself but right now I crave stimulating activites that go beyond picking stuff off the shelves in spermarkets, filling the car with petrol, straightening pictures on the walls at home, cleaning the cats' litter, choosing the nail varnish colour or ruminating after the maid.

The problem is that the rest of the world works and I am no coffee morning type (especially because I do like a lie in if there's no good reason to get up) and it is too hot right now to go to the beach during the day. So we're here, me and the cats, in the empty house, most of the time and the conversation is hard to get going. Even my imaginary friend is starting to get bored.

Work kidnapped the husband recently. As I spend a fair amount of time on my own these days I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of what Muscat has to offer and headed for the local beach near home for a stroll at sunset. Temperatures are just about bearable at that time of the day and there are a few people around. It's a pleasant way to let the thoughts roll and feel at one with nature.

With music pouring into my ears, the colourful sky slowly unvealing its night curtains, the placid mass of water gently following its dance and tickling my feet, I was really enjoying this moment for myself. It is a great antidote to any mood: good music, the sea, the sunset.

Until something gets in the way that is. In my case it came in the form of a white DD (the local male outfit). Like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland this misterious guy jumped right next to me from out of nowhere. Just I wasn't going to follow him into the rabbit hole rather I must have looked like a giant carrot with legs.

My tactic is usually to ignore them, pretend they ain't there. Normally it works.

I immediately shifted my body to get the shadow out of my sight and to ignore what was coming. Then I heard it, the muffled call to attract my attention.. a barely recognisable human voice under the sound of my music. I pretended not to notice, even when it became louder but the white shadow never gave up and followed me like a ghost, despite my sustained walking pace. I don't know how long I ignored the guy for... at least 10 minutes.

Now this must be cultural because I am sure in Europe anyone else would have been deterred.

I decided to change tactic. I stopped, lifted my face and without hiding my irritation I paused my iPod, turned around and said "what?" - my temper recently earned me and interesting title amongst my course colleagues and the trainer; I can feel it coming all back out in the heat, the many years in London had only put it to sleep. I have been told that I can be pretty scary when I lose it, which ain't that often anyway, but this guy was on a mission to get me annoyed.
Completely unperturbed he asked me the time!!!

Time for you to move on I should have said but I was polite and I read him my watch. Then to my dismay it turns out that what he really wanted to do was conversation to practice English!!
Now, I know I long for a new occupation but somehow I had better plans for the end of this day. I was tempted to recommend him a college.

As I stuff my headphones back into my ears I tell him that English is not my mother tongue, I do not do conversations, I want to listen to my music and in short I want to be left alone... it must have been the lingo because he didn't take a word of that.

No, no worries, I am not turning into a bitch, in my desert-inspired forced meditation hours I've discovered that I've always been one. ;)

He kept on talking over my music... he really was desperate to practice his English.

That's how my beach stroll ended, I went back to my car, forgot about my music, gave up my magic moment and started considering a career as a TEFL (not).

Just an insight on what it can be like here for a girl on her own (let's say that today I was undercover). One thing is for sure, you're not going to be left alone for too long!!

If you go to the public beach have a strategy! It's not dangerous but it could seriously spoil your moment.