Oman, a safe haven.....

It was just another day for me to make a living. It was snowing heavily. The chilling cold had slowed my pace of everything to get ready to work. As I enter the company campus, there are a series of parallel things-to-do running in my mind. Well, things are not of saving-the-world in nature. It is mostly checking the Application, Database etc. I sigh and let go of my body to freefall on a cushioned chair. To my surprise, I am denied access to the Computer Network. Come on, now!! I control everything in the computer systems. I might have typed the password wrong. As I carefully retype my user credentials, I could sense somebody approaching from behind. In a haste, as I turned, the first thing that I saw was a huge belly and a holster with a gun. A deep voice said, “Sir, can I escort you to the Director’s office”. Guess what? I was being laid off. I said to myself, ”Welcome to America”. (Well, there is good side of America as well.) This was my Boston days in 2002. It was post-911 and finding a job was difficult than conquering Mount Everest. Anyways, I shrugged off the problems and got through somehow. But, this incident made a strong impact in my simple, humble history.

Now, having moved to Oman, in an effort to escape the rat race, explore other cultures and not lose control of my life, I can appreciate the Omani Beauty. Orderly life, no social unrest, no mass layoffs, stable economy, almost perfectly balanced family life, assured annual vacations, not much of traffic jams, a country that truly admires her leader etc. The list is very, very long. Oman has developed to be a very peaceful and progressive country because of a well planned and architected vision by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

Most of all, I am truly impressed with the Omani people. The kind of respect that the Omani people show to the expatriates is incredible. I am very grateful to Omani people for such show respect and hospitality. I am sure most of the expatriates feel that way.

Having worked in other extreme conditions, I am perhaps one of the very few that appreciate Oman life than most people living in Oman, including Omanis. I guess, Oman life is the other extreme of a chaotic, machine life. I call it my safe haven.

During 2008, when the after effects of the bubble-burst in the American economy was still shaking the World economy, most of the countries were panicking to clean up their backyard filled with the garbage of financial mismanagement. Even during these turbulent times, while many other countries were trying to hold themselves together to survive, Oman was rated as one of the top ten countries in the world that was immune to the disastrous financial shockwaves that rocked the World economy (It still is). Now, that is something to be proud of. Kudos to Oman, especially to its leader, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said!!

The Chief of United Nations, Ban ki-Moon, said “The progress the Omani people have achieved in 40 years is commendable and it is a shining light among the rest of the Arab countries. It is an enviable example to follow.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton, The United States Secretary of State, on her recent visit to Oman said “If I could take the magic formula of Oman’s growth in a bottle, I will take it to other countries in the region.”

Well, Oman’s success could not have been certified better!!

I came to Oman to explore and also take control of my life even if it meant compromising my professional growth and money potential. I am really glad that I found exactly what I wanted in this beautiful Safe Haven. Like many other expatriates who have ended up living in Oman for over 2 to 3 decades, I wish to live in this Safe Haven for a long time, if not for decades.