It's that time of year, and the heat and humidity has arrived. It came quickly and packed a punch.
We've had a lovely year, really. The cooler fall/winter made this year much more enjoyable weather-wise, and we even found ourselves getting cold in our house or during certain times of the day outside. Fabulous! Clothes that normally sit dormant for most of the year got much more wear this year. We've also had a lot more rain, which made Muscat greener and covered in additional wildflowers and plants.
So, we can't complain much. The heat was inevitable, we knew it, we just hoped it would stay away a bit longer.
Heat and humidity in Oman means:
- Going through way more water bottles in your water cooler each month.
- Watering your plants every day.
- Your windows (the moisture is on the outside) looking like your shower door does at the end of a hot shower during the early mornings.
- The water out of your tap never is cold, just tepid. You turn your water to hot and it's like, burn your hands, don't touch it, hot.
- The A/C being a on all the time. You turn it off for 10 minutes and you'll need it back on, especially once your house has warmed up after all day in the sun.
- You can feel the heat coming through your exterior walls.
- Staying inside during the midday/afternoon because it's just too hot. Summer here has the same effect as winter in the states . It's just not enjoyable to be outside very long.
- Sweat and more sweat.
- Feeling like you've stepped into a sauna when you leave for work in the morning.
- Increased time at the school pool.
- No shoes outside = burns on your feet
- Trying to figure out how little clothing you can wear out in public to stay "cooler" without offending the local culture.
It also means bored and restless children. Imagine how your kids get in the states during the winter when it's cold and/or rainy. It gets stir-crazy! Parents get grumpy, kids in turn get grumpy. This is not enjoyable for anyone. You feel like a bad parent when you are letting your kids watch more TV because your mind says "They should be outside, it's sunny!". But obviously, it's miserable and hot, and that can't be an option. You are searching for ideas for fun, which is hard.
So, we are doing our best. Mornings and late afternoon/evening are outside times. Luckily we get quite a bit of shade on our side of the unit during the mornings, so being outside is more tolerable. We get out the pool and fill it with tepid water which the girls enjoy. We also find that our pots filled with dirt (vegetables are done now) have been a source of great fun.
Here is some of the action from last weekend. I hope you all back home are enjoying your cool spring although I suspect you are itching for sun :-)
We've had a lovely year, really. The cooler fall/winter made this year much more enjoyable weather-wise, and we even found ourselves getting cold in our house or during certain times of the day outside. Fabulous! Clothes that normally sit dormant for most of the year got much more wear this year. We've also had a lot more rain, which made Muscat greener and covered in additional wildflowers and plants.
So, we can't complain much. The heat was inevitable, we knew it, we just hoped it would stay away a bit longer.
Heat and humidity in Oman means:
- Going through way more water bottles in your water cooler each month.
- Watering your plants every day.
- Your windows (the moisture is on the outside) looking like your shower door does at the end of a hot shower during the early mornings.
- The water out of your tap never is cold, just tepid. You turn your water to hot and it's like, burn your hands, don't touch it, hot.
- The A/C being a on all the time. You turn it off for 10 minutes and you'll need it back on, especially once your house has warmed up after all day in the sun.
- You can feel the heat coming through your exterior walls.
- Staying inside during the midday/afternoon because it's just too hot. Summer here has the same effect as winter in the states . It's just not enjoyable to be outside very long.
- Sweat and more sweat.
- Feeling like you've stepped into a sauna when you leave for work in the morning.
- Increased time at the school pool.
- No shoes outside = burns on your feet
- Trying to figure out how little clothing you can wear out in public to stay "cooler" without offending the local culture.
It also means bored and restless children. Imagine how your kids get in the states during the winter when it's cold and/or rainy. It gets stir-crazy! Parents get grumpy, kids in turn get grumpy. This is not enjoyable for anyone. You feel like a bad parent when you are letting your kids watch more TV because your mind says "They should be outside, it's sunny!". But obviously, it's miserable and hot, and that can't be an option. You are searching for ideas for fun, which is hard.
So, we are doing our best. Mornings and late afternoon/evening are outside times. Luckily we get quite a bit of shade on our side of the unit during the mornings, so being outside is more tolerable. We get out the pool and fill it with tepid water which the girls enjoy. We also find that our pots filled with dirt (vegetables are done now) have been a source of great fun.
Here is some of the action from last weekend. I hope you all back home are enjoying your cool spring although I suspect you are itching for sun :-)
Happy play partners (mommy and daddy sat in our chairs watching,
desiring as little movement as possible to avoid breaking out in a sweat)
"I wonder...."
(she never got on the way in, but we kept hoping she would!)
"Cake anyone?"
Filthy happy!
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