Work in Oman

Work. nice and challenging. I have been working todays with the HSE team. We basically laid down the structure of all our work. We looked at our current working activities and plans and projects for the future. There is way to much work and development that needs to be done. I have no idea how we are going to manage this all. But it is good to sit together with the team and discuss all these issues. We have a clearer sense of what we are doing and how we are doing it. Now it is my task to plan make a comprehensive plan and present it all to the management this thursday. So basically I have a full day to work on that. That is not a whole lot of time. I just hope to be able to get it done properly. The good thing is that it does give a lot of satisfaction.

Anyway, it is good so see how things are going now. Setting up working systems and procedures. Getting working activities planned out. And then run the show. Maybe I will be a successful manager at some point :-)

Oh and by the by... I passed the Level 4 HACCP training that I had an exam on in the beginning of January. So that is nice.

And of course there is also the work regarding my studies. Well the good thing is that the project is not just going to be me. It will be a team effort. Now I just need to make a proper research design. Once I have done that it will all be a piece of cake :-)

Waahoo! and hooray! I am actually going to graduate this year :-D

church

Today I went to church. Just came back.

On one hand it is a really good on the other hand it also give a lot to think about, which in consequence makes it hard again. Communion is always good. Remembering that Jesus Christ died and then rose from the dead for me too. But I just don't seem to be able to fully understand the meaning of that and the consequences for my life. I mean I can fully explain it I guess, but then what. It does not always gives the joy that I wish it would give. I know I make things too complicated for myself often. So let me make things easy by the means of the liturgy that we use in church. Before communion the churh proclaims: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. I guess that keeps it pretty simple and easy to understand.

today work is okay

so work is okay today. After having been here for 5 months now, I finally have clear idea of what I am going to do for my graduation. Halleluja. God be praised. I am going to develop a HACCP manual. This is basically a food safety system for which I had acquired my training certification previously. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction and peace that I now know what I will be doing in the next couple of months. And having had my parents over and also Wicher and Anna makes it better. I feel recharged and able to reconnect with Holland more. Thinking of home is good, and puts me down to earth a bit more.

Wicher said something along the lines of 'Harmen you can handle Holland if you can travel around the world and handle these countries here'. I think that was what he said. And it makes sense. Basically, if I can handle Holland I can handle myself. I don't know if that makes sense actually. But I think that if I am able to accept life in Holland, which is not even that bad, but I just have issues there, then I can manage anywhere. I think

Well what ever.

Talk to you later

crap... still have not posted many pictures

just writing about my life

So Wicher and Anna are visiting right now. They have been here for about a week now. It is funny to see the contrast between their holiday and that of my parents here. My parents wanted to spend as little time inside my apartment as possible. Getting up early and visiting places here and there. Good for them, they had a very active holiday :-).

And Wicher and Anna are taking things easy. Getting up at 10 in the morning, spending many hours at the beach. Going for a swim. Go here. Go there.

This weekend we went to a desert trip. Camel riding, camping out in the desert and barbecue-ing in the sand dunes. The only thing that made me cranky was the sand in the chicken, since there was a strong. The new batch of chicken we cooked in a pan, that was tasty too.

Parents are here

So my parents have arrived in Oman. They are here now and will be staying for two weeks. I drove them around yesterday to see some sites around Muscat. And today I went in the afternoon with Ahmed my colleague and friend driving them around outside of Muscat. It rained heavily today so there were many wadi's (flooded areas). It was fun driving around in the 4x4 through the water. And my parents seemed to really enjoy themselves. They are watching the hundreds of pictures that they took and right now. Haha, is it weird how the pictures sometimes seem to get more attention that the actual object at that particular time that you see it.

Like we live our lives recollecting the past while not really living in the present because we are so busy creating memories for the future... I don't know to which extend that really applies to anyone all the time...

Whatever. Love you all!

Gelske en Jacob Jan

Today my sister Gelske and her husband Jacob Jan are emigrating to Tanzania. Through this post I want to wish them all the best there. May God be a shining light on their path and a guide through the African wilderness. I pray that God will protect them on their journey there.

Good luck guys. I love you!

Growling and roaring

The big V8 engine was roaring under the hood of the black Ford Mustang 2009. A growling beast, dark as the night. Pumping gas and ready to take off like a jet. In the passengers seat of this monster I was enjoying sitting in one of the American trademarks of the road. And man, that was cool.

I mean, I don't necessarily, care about cars when I am just looking at them. And of course I am also making fun of show offs at the beach boulevard, but when actually having the experience of being in one, it is a whole different story. Then you just feel the comfort, the speed the excitement. And that makes all the difference. But only on the short run. And that is why I am happy that it wasn't my car. I mean, I got the benefits but not the cost :-). I like the experience of sitting in one and not having the ownership and responsibility over it.

But that was yesterday evening part one. Part two consisted of taking Younis his Jeep and cruising over the Bowsher Sanddunes. These are like 70 meters high and it is a thrill trying to make your way through the sand not seeing what is behind the next dune.

And the view is really nice. Looking out over the city. One one hand the mountain range and on the other the sea. A glowing city with lights from streets, houses and cars. A cool breeze and eating dinner at eleven at night. Too bad I did not bring my camera.