English Teacher in Oman
My workplace & home
Ibri 2008-2009
Background
In September of 2008, after nearly 6 months working in Sudan, I decided on a change of scenery. I got an English teaching post at the Ibri College of Applied Sciences in Oman through the Council for British teachers.
Shortly after my arrival, 6 of us who were transferred to Ibri, a town about 3 hours’ drive from Muscat. It was a hardship posting. There are no malls or pools in Ibri, and not much to do except drive around and explore. It takes about a day, then there is not much else or different in the town itself. A rental car was thus essential in order to be mobile and independent.
Weekends we either went to Muscat, Sohar or Nizwa where there were swimming pools and where one could get Western groceries.
CfBT rented an apartment block and villas for the newcomers. Four of us had apartments in a block of flats. It was neat, clean and quite large, and of course fully air-conditioned, essential for survival in the Middle East.
Ansu, my wife to be, came a month later from South Africa to join me. We got engaged on a hill outside a village called Dhank. In December we went back to SA for a couple of weeks to get married. Upon our return, we stayed another 8 months to complete my contract.
We got along well with the other teachers and made regular trips with others, both within Oman and to Dubai.
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| At the Ibri fort ruins overlooking a wadi |
About Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the country shares land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom.
Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970. Sultan Qaboos is the longest-serving current ruler in the Middle East, and sixth-longest current reigning monarch in the world.
Oman has modest oil reserves, ranking 25th globally. Nevertheless, in 2010 the UNDP ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. A significant portion of its economy is tourism and trade of fish, dates, and certain agricultural produce. This sets it apart from its neighbors’ solely oil-dependent economies. Oman is categorized as a high-income economy (Wikipedia).
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| Carpets being aired - The older section of Ibri |
About Ibri
Ibri is both a city and Province in the region Az Zahirah, in northwest Oman. The Wilayat of Ibri is distinguished by its archaeological landmarks including forts, castles, and towers. Ibri is the capital of the northern Al Dhahirah region.
A sprawling town with a major highway, Hwy 21, linking it to the border town of Buraimi in the northwest and Nizwa in the southeast, it has a few sights to keep a visitor busy – including some impressive forts.
The town mostly features on itineraries as a friendly stopover en route to or from the United Arab Emirates. There are also a number of largely unvisited wadis in the area that are home to traditional plantation villages.
Ibri is 2 hours distance from Al Ain. It is located at a distance of 135 miles (217 km) from the capital Muscat. Weather in Ibri is usually hot and dry, with temperature in summers ranging from 32 to 52 °C. From December to February the weather is relatively cooler, with temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 °C.
Historically, Ibri was known for its market and for fruit.
There are 2 colleges in Ibri: the Ibri College of Technology and the College of Applied Sciences (Wikipedia).
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| Resting spot |
My workplace: Ibri College of Applied Sciences
The students
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| One of my male Omani classes whom I taught ESL |
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| With Marwan and Waleed, two of my students |
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| Happy campers |
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| With Heston Spence, a colleague from the UK |
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| Some of my students |
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| Big Waleed - Just a gentle guy |
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| Maria, a colleague from India |
The campus grounds
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| Campus grounds - One of the only green lawns you will find in the whole of Ibri |
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| Campus grounds - Male Omani students |
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| Taking a break outside |
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| Teaching block |
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| Resource Centre |
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| Arabic class for the teachers |
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| My office |
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| Office block hallway |
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| Teaching block entrance - teachers returning after lunch |
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| The covered path between buildings to protect students from the sun |
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| Blair (Aussie), my office mate |
Living in Ibri
Our home
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| Our Apartment block - We stayed in the top left quarter |
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| Front gate of our apartment complex from the inside |
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| Relaxing at home |
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| Ansu, my wife, in the kitchen preparing a meal |
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| Dinner |
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| The fridge |
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| Eating Dinner |
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| Our living room |
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| Ansu on the PC staying in touch with family |
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| Our living room |
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| The spare room |
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View from our apartment block roof. Sometimes I tanned on the roof, we had picnics,
Ansu had her birthday party here, ...... or just watching the sunset. |
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View of the Road between Nizwa and Ibri - taken towards the exit of Ibri towards Nizwa
It was taken during the development of a sandstorm. Later there was zero visibility. |
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| On the roof of the apartment block enjoying the view at sunset |
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| View of Ibri to Nizwa road below taken from our roof |
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| Climbing Ibri hill for exercise |
After 11 months in Oman, I said goodbye.
Little did I know that we would return for another 10 months during 2011/2012 to teach at the Rustaq Collge of Applied Sciences in Rustaq.
