Lorna Hensey Glennon and her husband Ronan left Tullamore, Co. Offaly for the warmer climes of Muscat, Oman, where they live with their daughter Roisin and dogs Rolo and Rocky.
So, why Oman?
I moved to Oman in August 2009. Both Ronan and I were working at home, he as an engineer and I as a Montessori teacher but even though we were both really happy in our jobs we just knew the day was going to come where opportunities wouldn’t be as plentiful. I had heard of teachers who had gone to work for schools in the Middle East. Even though I didn’t have a formal primary teaching degree I decided to make some inquiries anyway. It turned out that with my Arts degree and Montessori qualifications that I’d be accepted by the Ministry of Education to work in Kindergarten Schools. I started to apply for jobs and was eventually asked would I be interested in a teaching position in Oman. My first thought was, where? But I was ready for a new adventure so I accepted the offer. Ronan was finishing a contract at home and would join me later so off I went into the unknown with my travel book in hand!
Is your move permanent or temporary?
Even though Muscat has become home for us, my heart will always be in Ireland. It’s very difficult leaving family and friends behind but I have a very optimistic outlook and for now I am making the most of our life here. Our plan is to settle back in Ireland eventually. We don’t want Roisin growing up away from her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. We have very strong roots at home and we both come from very close knit families who visit when they can. We travel home at least once a year but it’s still not the same as being involved in the everyday routine. In saying that we do have a fantastic circle of friends here and we are very content for the time being. Oman has been so good to us.
What were your first impressions?
I arrived in Muscat in the middle of Ramadan, having never experienced the Islamic culture before. The local people would fast during the day and then enjoy their Iftar meal after sunset. It was difficult to adjust at first, especially in the hot weather, to not being able to drink water in public. Little did I know that five years later our little Roisin would be born during the holy month of Ramadan. Her birth certificate even states this, which will be a nice story to tell her when she is older. The first thing I noticed about the landscape was sand replaced grass, camels replaced cows and the roads were lined with palm and date tress. The summer can be tricky as it’s so hot, some days 50 degrees, but the winters are so pleasant.
What were you most surprised about?
The Omani people, like the Irish, are warm and welcoming, always ready for a chat over a cuppa or welcoming you into their homes for a meal. There are many cultural differences, the one that surprised me the most was probably seeing women fully covered and men wearing a dish dasha. The woman here are so beautiful and take huge pride in their appearance. They wear the most elegantly designed abayas, which are not necessarily always black. People at home are always curious to know if I have to cover up and the answer is no. There are obviously times where I have to be more conservative, but I always wear what I wish. The abaya and dish dasha are simply part of the traditional dress here and the locals take pride in wearing them. You will also see men and woman wear what we would consider ‘normal’ clothing, just in a more conservative way.
What are friends and family most curious about?
People at home are always intrigued about the Islamic religion and if it restricts us from being open about our own religion. Yes, the people here are very true to the Islamic faith. However this has never restricted us in our Catholic faith. We have beautiful churches here and there are no restrictions to raising Roisin as we wish.
How does the cost of living compare to Ireland?
Renting a reasonably-sized three or four-bed family home would come in around €1000-€1600 a month. Fruit and vegetables are definitely cheaper here as a lot of it is locally produced. Everything else appears to be on a par with at home. Socialising can be on either end of the scale; you can eat like a king in local restaurants for less than €5 or wine and dine in more established restaurants for €50-€100 and above. Petrol is the winner here, at 25 cent a litre you can run a car, depending on its size, from €10-€20 for a full tank. For older children activities like bowling and the cinema are slightly more reasonable compared to home.
What’s the food like?
Rice and Arabic bread are to the Omanis what potatoes are to the Irish. Every meal is accompanied with one or both. The locals eat a lot of fish and goat meat. The traditional dish here is Shuah, goat cooked in a stone oven in the ground- delicious. Turkish and Lebanese cuisines are also very popular here and similar to the Omani food. There are plenty of western style restaurants and food chains available. I don’t really miss any foods. Living here has opened my mind up to trying so many different types of food that I just embrace what we have here.
How do you manage childcare?
It’s very popular to have a live-in nanny to look after the children and cook and clean. We don’t need someone to be there all the time, plus we weren’t comfortable with the idea of having someone live in our home, so we have a child-minder from the Philippines while we are at work. Roisin loves her and I always come home to a happy baby. She’s become part of our family and helped us through a lot of those first-time parent moments! It’s difficult not having that family support that I know we would have at home. We have a great network of friends and we all help each other out when needed too. They are our Muscat family. English is widely spoken all over the Middle East and our child minder is a fluent English speaker.
What’s the local attitude towards breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding is highly promoted here. In fact when I had Roisin I wasn’t even offered formula in the hospital, it was just assumed that I was breastfeeding. I did feed her myself for the first week but for personal reasons I switched to formula. Most of the Malls have feeding rooms available to mothers. This is where most of the local mothers will feed. On occasion you will see women feeding in coffee shops and common areas but not as openly as you would see at home. There are also mother and baby groups that offer support to feeding mothers
What about the local health system?
As expatriates we can only attend private hospitals. We are covered to a certain extent but not for maternity so the whole process was quite expensive, however the care was exceptional. What I liked was once we chose the doctor we wanted, we saw her on every visit and she was with us every step of the way, including delivery. My pregnancy was marked high risk in the first trimester and our doctor kept us well informed and remained very realistic and honest throughout the pregnancy. At 37 weeks I was induced. After a long day, due to complications and the doctor’s quick response, Roisin was safely delivered by Caesarean section. The three of us spent a week in hospital under the care of an amazing team of midwives and nurses from South Africa and India.
One area that’s really lacking here is ante and post natal care. The health system doesn’t offer either outside of your clinic visits. We sourced our own antenatal classes through a holistic centre and it was very informative. As part of the package the midwife who ran the course offered one house call once we were home and settled in. Outside of that we were on our own, apart from the usual developmental visits to the doctor. Thankfully Roisin was an easy baby!
What’s the best thing about living in your adopted city?
The best thing about Muscat and all of Oman has to be its landscape and beauty, not to mention sunshine every day. The summers are extremely hot but once the cooler winter weather approaches there is so much on offer, from a simple walk to a weekend of camping on the beach or in the desert. Parks are very popular here, with big play areas for children and picnic areas for families to sit and relax. If you drive further down the coast you will find beaches where sea turtles come to lay their eggs- you might even see some baby turtles hatching!
And the worst?
The worst thing is not having our family and friends here to share all the experiences.
Does your new city offer an improved work/life balance?
For us both to have full time, stable jobs is an improvement in itself – something we are both grateful for and try not to take for granted. Oman has definitely offered both Ronan and I more opportunities in our careers. Here you are not necessarily measured by years of experience but more by how you embrace the opportunities offered to you. Work hours are similar to home, only our day starts earlier, up by 6am and in work by 7am. We have a very short commute which helps. Ronan’s hours are longer than mine but that’s just the reality of life. We have a good routine in place. During the week I take Roisin out of the house in the afternoon as much as I can.
What’s your favourite thing to do at the weekends?
Roisin is a water baby and loves to swim. She is also an early riser so we usually take her for an early morning swim at the weekends and home in time for a nap. After that there is always something to do, like catching up with friends, play dates and birthday parties. Most of which are similar to home only the weather here allows us to take the party outside. Now that she is older and on the move we will be able to take part more. When the sun goes down and Roisin is asleep we love to fire up the BBQ and invite our friends over for a catch up and a bite to eat. Then of course like most parents out there we enjoy a night out here and there when our child minder comes over. We’ll go to the cinema or catch up with our friends over a few social ones. If we have a few days off we hop in the car and maybe drive to Dubai for a few days or explore some of the beautiful scenery Oman has to offer.
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