Yesterday was Thanksgiving (in Canada) which means yummy food! Being that there are only two of us and we are moving shortly we didn't go all out but we did get some esstiantials such as stuffing, mashed potatoes and turkey (well acutally it was a chicken- remember there are just two of us!). Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favourite meals. **happy sigh**Other than that we have not been up to very much though we are starting to get stuff ready for our big move next month, That's right, NEXT MONTH!! I can't believe how soon it is approaching. Yikes.
Anyhoo, that's all from here. I just figured I'd better post something soon or you might think we had fallen off the planet.
'Till next time,
Katie
5 comments:
1 month away! Thats crazy. How much of your stuff do you move there??
Good question - not quite sure. We are waiting to see how big our housing is going to be and how furnished it is. If we want we can bring everything or leave some stuff in storage (which the govt provides). I imagine we'll be bringing most of it though.
Just a short note for info on Oman
The British School is running at 98% capacity but there is currently room in Kindergerten so if you want a place I would recommend getting your name down as early as possible. There is also the American British Academy which has very nice facilities. Places at the schools will always be at a premium.
Prices for Nurseries vary RO 200 - RO 300 per term
Domestic help is very hit and miss, a lot of Indian and Phillapino people available, best to go on recommendation. If you have full time staff then it is likely that you will be responsible for their visa and holiday pay and flights. We have a part time maid who gets RO 100 per month for 50% of her time, with none of the responsibility.
Cars are great value for money (Compared to the UK), but 2nd hand is VERY hit and miss. Landcruisers are expensive and retain their aftersales value, Pajero/Prado/Durango around RO 11-12,000 new RO 7-9,000 nearly new. Fuel is RO 0.120 per ltr so filling up is around RO 10 per tank. A 4x4 is essential if you want to have fun exploring Oman.
Insurance is based on the current value of the car normally between 3 to 5%
Road tax or Registration (Mockia) is around RO 30 to 50 depending on the engine size.
Food depends on where you shop, Al Fair is small and caters to the expat but is pricey, LuLus and Carrefore and two large supermarkets that are better value for money, but not all branded products are available. Budget between RO 300 to 400 and that will be enough
Other Expenses:
Liquor licence is up to 10% of your salary, a RO 50 allowance per month will cost RO37 for two years. A road permit to drive to the UAE (Dubai/Abu Dabi) will cost RO66 for a family of four for one year.
Electricity RO 30 per month for a 4 bed house, water RO 3
Meeting people will centre around the school and work. There is a very family orienatated social scene here. Meeting people will come quite quickly via the school mums.
Play afternoons are very popular, as is swimming. there are also a few small indoor funfairs in the shopping centres. Going to the beach at the weekend is an expat lifestyle choice. Oman is what you make it, unlike Dubai where everything is packaged and handed to you on a plate. If you like the great outdoors, you'll love Oman, more so in the winter when the temperasture is low.
The best place to live, hmmmmm. Muscat is small, so you are never that far away from where you need to be. Congestion can be bad at certain times of day but nowhere near as bad as London or Dubai. There are currently some major road building projects aimed at resolving this but this is creating problems during construction. School will dictate certain areas beginning with MQ where they are located
MQ - expensive but close to school some new developements being built
Shati - expensive older properties, close to MQ but congestion is a major issue
Qurum - older properties, traffic is all in the other direction but major road works causing some difficulties
Ghubra - New and old properties same commute to school as the closer Shati
Al Khuwair - older properties similar commute to ghubra
A Zaiber - New properties slightly further out but slightly cheeper as a result.
Not many three bed houses around, normally 4 or 5. expect rent to be anywhere between RO 600 to 1500 depending on the area and size. Houses are thin on the ground and you will have to wait for your residents card before you can rent one, as such the estate agents aren't interested in talking to you until you are resident, and when you are shown one you like don't hesitate, agree terms there and then since it will be gone the following day!
Hope this has been of help
Regards
James
Wow guys!
First off, Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friend! I forgot that that's so early in OCtober!
Secondly, HOLY CRUD! One month! I swear, I thought you still had 4. I'm glad you are almost off on your adventure. I'm looking forward to your blog entries from there.
James-
Thank you so much for the info on Oman. Unfortunatley, it sounds like it is going to be more expected than we had anticipated. I should note though that our preivous experience was Egypt where we would get 6 pounds to the dollar. A falafel sandwhich there would cost half a pound (that's about 8 cents for lunch!!) Oman certainly boasts luxeries Egypt doesn't have though.
Heather-
Thank you for the well wishing. I loooove Thanksgiving and I am now so lucky as to be able to celebrate twice - both the Canadian and American holidays. I'll need to be careful though, with CDN Thanksgiving in October, US Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December I may need to buy bigger clothes! :-/
We are very excited though. It is weird to think that we are actually going to live there after so many months of planning. It feels like when Dan and I were engaged. You spend all this time thinking and planning for the marriage but it never feels like you are actually going to do it. But, like you told me when I was engaged, sitting in my dorm room thinking very similiar thoughts "That day comes, and sooner than you realize!"
~Katie
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