Finding my local.
Since arriving in Oman over four months ago, I’ve been struggling to find my place in the local community. I mentioned this in my post the week before last: Musings from Salalah. Usually when I travel and live places for short bursts of time, the most enjoyable experiences I have are when I can connect with local people and engage in the traditional/cultural way of life of any given place. Here in Salalah, finding the local experience has been very difficult, but somewhere between meeting up with my expat lady friends for coffee on Wednesday morning and driving home from the dive site on Thursday afternoon, I had a mini-epiphany about what my version of local can be, and is: I am an expat.
Yes, I know, shocking, isn’t it?? Why, you may ask, did it take you SO LONG to figure that teeny tiny fact out? Well, I guess it’s this: I didn’t come here as a typical expat. I didn’t come for the money (Lord knows I didn’t come for the money), or even to further my career in any great way. For me, as a travelling divemaster, moving to new places is just part of the job. I usually find my way pretty quickly, meeting and interacting with locals, making connections and friends. Looking back, I guess I did all of that here as well, but the locals I’ve become so close with aren’t locals in the traditional sense; they too are expats, but as they’ve been here much longer, they have become the version of a local that I can connect with.
My local here, my version of the traditional/cultural way of life is to exist as an expat, in expat circles, with (mostly) expat friends. And you know what? That suits me just fine. I have met some very wonderful people here in the last few months, have been lucky enough to make some great friendships, and do some very cool things as an expat.
While I’m still getting comfortable with my new label, I have to say there is a certain feeling of belonging that comes along with it, and I like that. So maybe, after four and a half months here, I’m finally fitting in.
Since arriving in Oman over four months ago, I’ve been struggling to find my place in the local community. I mentioned this in my post the week before last: Musings from Salalah. Usually when I travel and live places for short bursts of time, the most enjoyable experiences I have are when I can connect with local people and engage in the traditional/cultural way of life of any given place. Here in Salalah, finding the local experience has been very difficult, but somewhere between meeting up with my expat lady friends for coffee on Wednesday morning and driving home from the dive site on Thursday afternoon, I had a mini-epiphany about what my version of local can be, and is: I am an expat.
Yes, I know, shocking, isn’t it?? Why, you may ask, did it take you SO LONG to figure that teeny tiny fact out? Well, I guess it’s this: I didn’t come here as a typical expat. I didn’t come for the money (Lord knows I didn’t come for the money), or even to further my career in any great way. For me, as a travelling divemaster, moving to new places is just part of the job. I usually find my way pretty quickly, meeting and interacting with locals, making connections and friends. Looking back, I guess I did all of that here as well, but the locals I’ve become so close with aren’t locals in the traditional sense; they too are expats, but as they’ve been here much longer, they have become the version of a local that I can connect with.
My local here, my version of the traditional/cultural way of life is to exist as an expat, in expat circles, with (mostly) expat friends. And you know what? That suits me just fine. I have met some very wonderful people here in the last few months, have been lucky enough to make some great friendships, and do some very cool things as an expat.
While I’m still getting comfortable with my new label, I have to say there is a certain feeling of belonging that comes along with it, and I like that. So maybe, after four and a half months here, I’m finally fitting in.
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