Making my office a little more 'chic'

Sitting in my office, since work is such a large part of my life, I am wondering if there is any way to make THIS part of my day, well, more...

Am I being a drama queen... Or are some of my anger outbursts in Oman well-deserved?

People tend to classify me as one of two things: a. sweetest nicest most compassionate person you've ever met, and b. the crazy angry la...

"I don't want to get the smell of paint on my abaya" ha ha ha hilarious

Now understanding that she can't do with away with the old guard at the Ministry of Education (questionable individuals some of them) th...

Wednesday.... not the weekend.

This morning I woke up and I thought, yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! Today is Wednesday!!! But slowly, on the drive to work, as the coffee kicked in it w...

Omani Minimum Wage Increase: here is my 325 OMR on the matter

If you are Omani (and even if you're not) you've probably heard about the minimum wage increase [Omanis only of course] from 200 to ...

Getting paid on time in Oman... the tale of the Al Athaiba Lemon Thief

Now I know I haven't posted anything in a long time but this post by one of the OPNO girls has been eating up my inbox and I thought it ...

Before you complain about your maid or give other people advice about what to look for when hiring one, do you even know what a housemaid is?

                I want to write about maids/servants, because many people in the Middle East have no idea whatsoever how to run a household...

The "InshaAllah..." Mindset Strikes Again

After having asked my husband to clean the yard "this week" 9 weeks running now, so that HIS guests can have a safe (and clean) pl...

Changing the "InshaAllah" Mindset

It is often thought that because of the inefficiency with which the services in Oman are delivered, that Omanis are lazy. Knowing Omanis wel...

How and If to "Maid" when one has to.....

In the New Year I may have to get a maid (which I am really, really against doing). I will be the first OPNO to have a baby, and I am a work...

WHY I WANNA LIVE LIKE AN OMANI PRINCESS: a thing she forgot

It seems we forgot something universal from our list of why we love living it up in Oman. We love that we can wear flip flops to the most f...

Omani teachers sign petition requesting wage increase: why one teacher said no to signing

From what I have heard on the grapevine, a group of Omani teachers are passing around a petition requesting a salary increase. One Omani tea...

OPNO wants to... slap somebody at the office

Everyone in Oman that I know seems to have a maid except for me. I could have one. I can afford it. But I don't really need it, so I ju...

RANTS: I am not a "maid" person

I don't hate people who have maids. I really don't. My SIL's do. My mother does. I grew up with what people in Oman call a house...

Is OPNO the best example of expat integration into Omani society?

My new work has decided that OPNO is absolutely perfect to show how expats can perfectly integrate themselves into Omani society and cultur...

NEW JOB for OPNO

People who know me know that I, OPNO, loved my job. I loved the people I worked with, that was, until they hired someone new who didn't...

Quote of the Day

"Ya, it is vary Omani to ditch work to go down to Salalah for the Karif." - Artist in Oman

Getting Things Done in Oman pt. II

OPNO [to M via text message]: "Soooooooooo.... the car STILL isn't fixed yet, huh Babe?" M [to OPNO via text]: "no is not...

Getting things done in Oman...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh hhhhhhhhhhh M! [OPNO with her head in her hands for dramatic effect of feigned disbelief/despair] You passport is Omani,...

Workplace Etiquette

There's a new girl at my work. She's an Arab, not Omani. She also thinks she can order people around, and how polite she pretends to...