Well it has been just over a year since the lovely Mrs L and I packed up from the windy city, bid farewell to our amazing friends, shoe horned Ralph into a big crate and made our way East, not too far, just to the middle bit.
We would be lying to say that it wasn't a bit of a culture shock when we got here but all in all, the past year has been pretty good fun. We have met a ton of new people, been on some pretty cool adventures and have had the pleasure of experiencing a whole different way of life. We have also enjoyed one or two champagne brunches too.
Oman is a wonderful country to live in and the people are very open and welcoming. The summer weather is a challenge with temperatures hitting mid 50s a couple of weeks back, and yes that is celsius! Ramadan will soon be on us again which brings its own issues when trying to get through a working day. Obviously we still miss our family and friends back home and don't get anywhere near enough time with my fantastic nieces and nephew. And on top of all that we have to put up with a 0% personal income tax rate and petrol at 19p a litre!
Jenny and I also hit 10 years married this May which proved a lot of people wrong. We had an amazing romantic wedding anniversary sharing a Burger King in the services of the M1 outside Bristol en route to the Heineken Cup Final at Cardiff. I know folks, you don't have to remind her how lucky she is. Believe me, I know who the lucky one is.
From a professional point of view I think if you were to take a learning curve, angle it upwards, keep bending it until it is nearly vertical, that might begin to represent the journey that both of us have been on. For Jenny, she made a huge transition but as always nothing fazed her and in her own (nerdy) way, she once again acted like a big dollop of elmlea and has quickly risen to the top!
Most people know my work background and again I think it is fair to say I've made one or two minor tweaks and adjustments. In the last year I have taken over the running of 2 companies, set up another 2 new ones and have a few big projects on the horizon. Whilst it has been hard work, the Omani lady who owns these companies is possibly the best boss a person could ask for and on top of that has made it her personal mission to ensure I never lose weight again.
When you live as an expat somewhere like this or indeed the States, there is always a lot of conversation taken up by the discussions of moving home and the likelihood of that happening. For Jenny and I, never say never. But for now we are happy to turn the AC up another notch, order another plate of hummus and see what tomorrow brings. Looking at the weather forecast there is a good chance it will be dry with a smidgen of sunshine. Again.
Here's to another year.
