HOME SWEET HOME
We are settling in even more. Kids just starting to sleep better. The first 12 days of sleep has been dreadful for all of us, but is now improving.
POST
A box of things we sent by post so they wouldn't have to be dragged in our suitcases has finally arrived 18 days after we posted it from NZ. If I thought that took a long time, it was nothing compared to Seth's adventures opening the correct type of bank account & also collecting the box from the post office. I won't go into details except to say that the 3 or 4 bank visits involved numerouse waits, queues, & documents over a few days & unfortunately still requires more visits, queues, waiting & documentation.
As for the post office visit, along with the usual carry on, it also involved driving the post office clerk home to his house for lunch, which just happened to be in the opposite direction from anywhere Seth was going or had ever been. Other than that, things have been surprisingly quick & happening.
An extra postal surprise was some birthday books from Grandad & Jill that didn't take as long to get to Oman - taking only 7 days, rather than 18. Must be a difference between boxes & document sized mail.
NEW HOME
Now that we're settling in, we've received confirmation that we have a permanent house in about 2 weeks. Even went to pick curtains for it today. I will miss our comfortable temporary home somewhat, especially the pool area, but I won't miss the lack of bath & sink plugs & the water pressure!!! We got keys today, & had a look - its a fabulous home. Brand new. I can't fathom how we were lucky enough to get it. A combination of Seth's timing, charm & having 3 children. For once having 3 children instead of 1 or 2 has benefited us. Precious wee things that they are.
THE CATS
I'm going to feel guilty for the cats I'm leaving behind. I have a wee club of 3-4 cats that I sort of feed, although they don't get on well. Mr anorexic cat is super fussy about what he'll eat, is often last cuz he's so tiny and my little black friend with the big attitude Iooks as if she has, had or is going to have kittens. No wonder she is so ravenous. There are cats everywhere. I've given up having one for a pet & am just going to share leftovers with whoever is out there. Unfortunately the new neighbourhood is also overrun with cats, so I'm not even going to try taking any of these ones with us. Besides they're a bit wild.
DRIVING
Driving is getting easier. I hardly notice driving on the right side of the road. It is only when I just get in the car & start up in auto mode, especially in carparks that I have to focus. I'm less intimidated by all the sudden lane crossings too. I'm not so worried about getting it wrong with lanes now I realise everyone else weaves in & out of lanes randomly. I do drive the speed of a granny however - around 60km/hr as opposed to the 80km/hr many seem to enjoy.
VEGEMITE
Found Australian Vegemite at the local supermarket, it just turned up out of the blue. Yay! Kaija likes it & is now eating bread again. I've been told foreign food like that sells out quick so must go back & stock up on jars of it.
CASH SOCIETY
A lot of places are cash only. There appears to be the use of debit cards. You still sign for them like with a lot of credit cards but you must have money deposited onto them. Almost like eftpos except you can only sign & there is the slight inconvenience that many places don't accept them. For example McDonalds.
I finally gained enough confidence to veer from my school run to go to McDs. Seeing it & getting to the place in a vehicle via roads are different things. Getting the 3 little ones out, as it's too hot to eat in the car, waiting at the only counter open which had a queue of about 12, one of the orders being for a bus of school kids waiting outside, all getting happy meals.
When my crew made it to first in line, they finally opened another till. Timing. The guy I ordered off was not Omani & we had a wee bit of trouble understanding each other's version of English. The order took a bit of communicating & then when I went to pay, sorry no cards, cash only. Well that was it, my kiddos had been pretty amazing for the entire queue process but at the sign of no food, the tantrums were let out of the bag. Big time! The ATM machine in the same set of shops just happened to be out of order too.
A trip up the road to discover the bank, its ATM, & back again, calmed the storm. By then I was way over the healthy tuna salad they were offering & instead went for the heavy duty big mac combo for comfort. My wallet now carries a good sum of cash & I vow never to let it go low. McDonalds seemed a tad expensive, but probably similar to back home. It did cost about 4 times the amount it cost to put half a tank of gas into my car however.
We are settling in even more. Kids just starting to sleep better. The first 12 days of sleep has been dreadful for all of us, but is now improving.
POST
A box of things we sent by post so they wouldn't have to be dragged in our suitcases has finally arrived 18 days after we posted it from NZ. If I thought that took a long time, it was nothing compared to Seth's adventures opening the correct type of bank account & also collecting the box from the post office. I won't go into details except to say that the 3 or 4 bank visits involved numerouse waits, queues, & documents over a few days & unfortunately still requires more visits, queues, waiting & documentation.
As for the post office visit, along with the usual carry on, it also involved driving the post office clerk home to his house for lunch, which just happened to be in the opposite direction from anywhere Seth was going or had ever been. Other than that, things have been surprisingly quick & happening.
An extra postal surprise was some birthday books from Grandad & Jill that didn't take as long to get to Oman - taking only 7 days, rather than 18. Must be a difference between boxes & document sized mail.
NEW HOME
Now that we're settling in, we've received confirmation that we have a permanent house in about 2 weeks. Even went to pick curtains for it today. I will miss our comfortable temporary home somewhat, especially the pool area, but I won't miss the lack of bath & sink plugs & the water pressure!!! We got keys today, & had a look - its a fabulous home. Brand new. I can't fathom how we were lucky enough to get it. A combination of Seth's timing, charm & having 3 children. For once having 3 children instead of 1 or 2 has benefited us. Precious wee things that they are.
THE CATS
I'm going to feel guilty for the cats I'm leaving behind. I have a wee club of 3-4 cats that I sort of feed, although they don't get on well. Mr anorexic cat is super fussy about what he'll eat, is often last cuz he's so tiny and my little black friend with the big attitude Iooks as if she has, had or is going to have kittens. No wonder she is so ravenous. There are cats everywhere. I've given up having one for a pet & am just going to share leftovers with whoever is out there. Unfortunately the new neighbourhood is also overrun with cats, so I'm not even going to try taking any of these ones with us. Besides they're a bit wild.
DRIVING
Driving is getting easier. I hardly notice driving on the right side of the road. It is only when I just get in the car & start up in auto mode, especially in carparks that I have to focus. I'm less intimidated by all the sudden lane crossings too. I'm not so worried about getting it wrong with lanes now I realise everyone else weaves in & out of lanes randomly. I do drive the speed of a granny however - around 60km/hr as opposed to the 80km/hr many seem to enjoy.
VEGEMITE
Found Australian Vegemite at the local supermarket, it just turned up out of the blue. Yay! Kaija likes it & is now eating bread again. I've been told foreign food like that sells out quick so must go back & stock up on jars of it.
CASH SOCIETY
A lot of places are cash only. There appears to be the use of debit cards. You still sign for them like with a lot of credit cards but you must have money deposited onto them. Almost like eftpos except you can only sign & there is the slight inconvenience that many places don't accept them. For example McDonalds.
I finally gained enough confidence to veer from my school run to go to McDs. Seeing it & getting to the place in a vehicle via roads are different things. Getting the 3 little ones out, as it's too hot to eat in the car, waiting at the only counter open which had a queue of about 12, one of the orders being for a bus of school kids waiting outside, all getting happy meals.
When my crew made it to first in line, they finally opened another till. Timing. The guy I ordered off was not Omani & we had a wee bit of trouble understanding each other's version of English. The order took a bit of communicating & then when I went to pay, sorry no cards, cash only. Well that was it, my kiddos had been pretty amazing for the entire queue process but at the sign of no food, the tantrums were let out of the bag. Big time! The ATM machine in the same set of shops just happened to be out of order too.
A trip up the road to discover the bank, its ATM, & back again, calmed the storm. By then I was way over the healthy tuna salad they were offering & instead went for the heavy duty big mac combo for comfort. My wallet now carries a good sum of cash & I vow never to let it go low. McDonalds seemed a tad expensive, but probably similar to back home. It did cost about 4 times the amount it cost to put half a tank of gas into my car however.
No comments:
Post a Comment