I have not been sucked into a black hole!

Just things have been a bit hectic. Here are some highlights for the last 2 months

•  I have learned that goats in Musandam commute by boat and use cars (their own way)
•    My mental in-sanity is reaching dangerous levels
•    I managed to lose my boarding pass at Dubai Airport between check-in and the departure gate.
•    Drove 450km and back to spend 3 days camping on a desolate beach backed by some idyllic white dune desert. Stopped twice at military check points I practiced my rudimental Arabic eagerly (to the bemusement of the local soldiers) only to find out that my vehicle registration had expired a week earlier.
•    I have finally stopped sustaining the local car rental company and am now the proud owner of a Jeep Cherokee Liberty.
•    Spent some lovely time in the company of Bro. & co. who just left after two weeks of holidays with us.
•    At the last dune-driving practice weekend I almost rolled the car over with all the family in it; the horrified look on their faces when they found themselves hanging sideways was priceless; my “oh-shit-how-do-I-get-out-of-this-now” expression must have been even better. Shame that in the midst of panic nobody thought of taking a photo.
•    I learned that going through an automatic car wash forgetting to secure the car roof top is NOT a good idea
•    I have also learned that the Cherokee must somehow be a little bit longer than the average Yaris after I unintentionally tested the front bumper against the wall of the house carving the plate into it
•    I have a month worth of studying to catch up with, balls and receptions to attend, camping weekends ahead, some work just to feel less guilty (who me?) and a lot of social distractions; it won't be long before it's time to go on a holiday again!

Seriously, I will try to find some time to update the blog.

Busy ahead

You know I was away (longest break away from this country since I moved here) hence the long period of silence.

Now we are back but I’m busy with a few things:

1. Preparing for the imminent expedition to Musandam: I have won a scholarship and I will be taking part in a Marine Expedition courtesy of Biosphere Expeditions and HSBC. Very, very exciting to get back in the field once again!
2. Preparing for this coming weekend of desert driving (lots of equipment to put together): I have signed up to take part in the Wahiba Challenge which will see me driving across the Wahiba desert in my 4x4 with a team of only women  so we have a number of weekends in preparation for the big challenge which is scheduled for the end of November.
3. Studying: university has started again in full swing. A bit overwhelming. With all these commitments, visitors and chores I feel already snowed under and it doesn’t appear as much fun as the rest! :-P I will have to find some time!!

I will have to organize a couple of talks about the experience when I come back from the expedition, I have been approached for some work during the Christmas period, the dive centre will want to see me at some point and we have more visitors in November.

So here we go, certainly I will not be short of stories to write about but not sure about the time.

I’ll do my best to keep you updated.

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