Majnoun is Arabic for crazy…

I consider Muscat, Oman as my second home. Aside from working here for more than three years now, marami ako alala sa lugar na ito noong bata pa. Lagi ako nagpupunta dito kasama si ermat at ang aking mga kapatid mula 1984 para bisitahin si erpat at ubusin ang pera nya, sa tuwing bakasyon na sa eskuwela, sem-break, at pasko.

Muscat was different then. Huli kase ang Oman na nag-develop kung ikukumpara sa mga kalapit nyang bansa at kapwa myembro ng AGCC na Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain at Qatar. It was only in 1970 that this country opened it’s doors to the outside world.

Naalala ko pa na unang punta ko dito, maysado ako na-culture shock dahil madami ang bawal, at sobra makaluma ang pamumuhay. Sabagay lahat naman ng bansa dito sa Middle East eh talagang marami ang ipinagbabawal. Konti lang ang kalyeng espaltado noon, bihira ang mga hi-rise buildings, pinakamataas na makikita mo na ay 6 storeys yata. Transportation and communication were so bad, you had to ride open pickups as taxi cabs, and the only way to get in touch with loved ones from the Philippines was thru snailmail na inaabot ng halos 2 months bago makarating sa Pilipinas. Oman then was populated by less than 1 million Omanis, most weren’t educated properly and totally oblivious to the outside world, that’s why they relied on expatriates to do most of the work for them.

That was then, now it’s a different story. Oman is fast developing into world class destination for tourists, and slowly emerging as a force to reckon with in the area. Bakit kamo? Eh di syempre dahil sa langis. In 37 years time, ang laki na ng pinagbago ng bansa na ito. Huli pa rin sila compared to other countries in the gulf, especially UAE (ang tindi ng Dubai di ba?), but they’re slowly getting there.Marami na ang mga buildings at infrastructures na na naitayo dito na maari mo nang ikumpara at ihambing sa ibang bansa. Nagsusulputan parang kabute ang mga hotels, shopping malls, recreation centers, hi-rise condominiums, hospitals, schools at iba pa.

Pati ang mga Omanis ang laki na rin ng pinagbago. They used to be shy and withdrawn, but now they’re sociable and friendly. They are even considered as the most hospitable among the gulf countries. Marami na din ang mga nagsipag-aral at nagtapos sa ibang bansa and because of their love for their motherland and patriotism, chose to be a part in the progress, and help Oman to develop further more.

But in spite of the positive change, negative transformation also took place. Gone were the days when you can just hitch a ride for free, leave your car unlocked without fear of being victimized by a car burglar, and walk dark alleys without getting mugged. Oman tried to become so modern that even drinking alcohol here is not a problem anymore. As long as you have a liquor permit, you can buy anything you want. Prostitution, although not allowed and cannot be made legal, became rampant and prevalent with the arrival of the Russians and the Chinese. Local teeners became easy target for drug pushers selling marijuana and cocaine, that a wasted young man slumped on the pavement in the early hours of the morning became a common sight. Because of the good roads and highways that were built, drivers became aggressive and dangerous, thus causing heaps of accidents and loss of lives and limbs. That’s what this entry is all about.

Driving a car in a fast developing country could be very dangerous! Ang problema kasi dito, mahirap kumuha ng license ang mga expats na tulad ko. Katakot takot na road tests and pagdadaanan mo pero wag ka, sa mga lokal madali lang. They don’t have to take the same tests we expats undergo. As long as instructors see that they can drive that’s it! Kung sino pa ang mga maingat magmanaho at magaling humawak ng manibela, yun pa ang kalimitang bumabagsak sa tests.

Delikado magmaneho ang mga Omanis, isang direksyon lang ang alam.. Straight ahead! Hindi marunong umiwas sa kaliwa at kanan, hindi marunong mag-brake at hindi marunong bumusina. Kahit na defensive driver ka at nagpapatakbo ng below 80kmh, pag minamalas malas ka bigla ka na lang bubungguin ng nasa likuran mo dahil parang laging nagmamadali ang mga ito sa pagmamaneho. Imagine driving at 160kmh with one hand on the steering wheel, while the other is on the mobile phone.. That’s disater waiting to happen.

Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit ang bibilis magpatakbo eh. May hinahabol ba na schedule? Eh karamihan naman sa mga ito eh tamad at walang trabaho kaya anong schedule? Nagugutom na kaya at gusto na makarating ng bahay? Maya’t maya na lang kumakain tapos gutom pa rin? Naghihintay na kaya ang asawa, bagong ligo at ready na sa romansa? Maaari dahil sobra libog ng mga ito kahit ata kambing yayariin pag tinigasan. Yan ang mga modernong Omani. Magaling, or should I say notorious sa tatlong bagay.. EATING, F*CKING, DRIVING..

Kaya ko intindihin yung hilig nila kumain. Matakaw din ako eh so I can relate. Na-expose sila sa iba’t ibang pagkain kaya understandable kung ang laging laman ng McDonalds at KFC eh puro Omanis. Tayong mga pinoy, isang bucket na KFC kasya na sa buong pamilya. Sa mga ito, kulang pa yun sa mag-asawa. Kailangan may kasama pa dalawang Zinger at tig-isang family size na softdrinks. Snack lang yan ha. Lunchtime, I swear they can eat a whole cow!

Yung sex part, naiintindihan ko rin. Isipin mo nga naman, sobra laki ng bansa nila pero ang population nila ngayon eh nasa 3.2 million lang yata. That’s far less than the population of Metro Manila alone which is about 12 million, to think that the land area of Oman is bigger than the Philippines. Maybe the government is encouraging them to populate? Tsaka, manyak talaga tong mga to, in a funny kind of way. Hindi naman yung manyak na mga rapists. Yung manyak na gusto maya’t maya nakasawsaw sa kanilang mga misis or girlfriends. Kaya nga dumami ang mga Chinese at Russians dito eh. Mismong mga high ranking officials pa ang mga parokyano. Mga malilibog!

Yung driving part ang hindi ko maintindihan. Arabs are the worst drivers in the world believe me. Lenient sila sa kapwa nila, pero pag dating sa ibang nationalidad, mahigpit sila. Bukod dito, mayayaman ang mga mokong at common na dito na makakakita ka ng High school student na naka Hummer, Cayenne, Escalade, o kaya BMW. Pag nabangga sila, palit sasakyan agad! Natatakot tuloy ako magmaneho pag peak hours dahil ayoko makasabay sa kalye ang mga ito. Since my job is in the field, ang ginagawa ko na lang umaalis ako ng maaga around 4am, at bumabalik ng bahay around 11am para lang makaiwas sa mga stuntmen na ito na parang sila lang ang may karapatang gumamit ng kalsada. Once na ako nabunggo dito, hindi ko kasalanan at twice na ako muntik na dahil sa pag-oovertake ng mga mokong sa maling paraan. Haay buhay. Minsan tuloy parang ayoko na lumabas at mag-field. Parang nagkaroon na ako ng trauma.

Here’s a video I found at youtube to demonstrate how dangerous these drivers can be. It’s not from Oman, but from Dubai. Wala naman halos pinagkaiba. Pareho lang ang style ng mga Emirati at mga Omanis pagdating sa driving. Parehong delikado sa kalye. At parehong maaring maging dahilan ng pagkamatay ng kahit na sino. Parehong Arabo eh.

Mga Arab drivers tlaga oo. Mga siraulo. Mga MAJNOUN!

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Just got back from the field. Same old usual stuff, nothing new. The only difference between today’s field work from the rest is, I got so many calls dammit! People don’t realize how annoying it is to be working in the field, dirty and all, then having to reach in your pocket to get the phone, and smear it all over with filth. Not that I’m dirty, it’s the sweat from my hands mixed with sand blah blah blah, you get the point.

There was this call that I got royally pissed at. I was out there in the open field, my skin burning from the mid day sun, and what do I get?? A call from a client demanding that I finish his project first coz he has been waiting for 2 months already. Jeez! I don’t even know such a project exist in the first place! Gotta blame my boss for not telling me about it. I had to explain this to the moron, but I don’t know.. He wouldn’t accept my explanation. Either he’s to stupid to understand the nature of my job, or he’s the bossy type that wants the job done at all cost, even if it means imposing his will on someone he doesn’t even know. I would’ve accommodated his request, and probably scheduled his site tomorrow, but he made one big mistake. He shouted at me, and hurled insults. No one shouts at me. If you shout at me, and treat me as someone inferior to you, I will shout back at you and I’ll make sure you feel like shit when I’m done. And shout at him, I did. I don’t know if he felt like shit when I was done, but I don’t care. I felt good anyway.

What’s wrong with these people???!!! Just coz I’m working in their country doesn’t mean I should be grateful to them! I am working here, not coz I need them. I can always look for a job and earn my money elsewhere.. I am here because they need me! Ask around.. The only surveyors here that are trusted by the government, and are well loved by big private companies, are the ones from the Phils. Whites demand huge salaries, the others are a bit cheaper than Pinoys, but they don’t know jack-shit. This cunt had the nerve to tell me that If I don’t finish the job by tomorrow, he will give it to someone else.. Very funny! Give it to the others, I don’t care. These other companies will come to me to do it for them anyway.. Ever heard of “sidelines” hehe?

What this moron doesn’t know is, only some are capable of doing this type of job. As a matter of fact, Geospatial Analysis here in Oman can only be prepared by three companies. The first being ours, and the other two, well.. They have the tools, but they don’t have the experts to do it for them. There are only two Filipinos here that I know of, that can do such analysis. Me, and the other one is on vacation hahahaha! So to you idiot, guess what? The same project will probably come back to me after all.. I’ll tell you one thing.. If it does, I will charge you triple that is, if I’m in the mood to actually do it and have forgotten about your insults and arrogance you asshole.

At the end of the day, and as soon as the sun sets in the horizon. You will go home to your posh villa by the sea, spend some time alone, think of the things that happened during the day, and say to yourself… “FUCK.. I’VE BEEN OWNED”.

And you better believe it you motherfuckin’ bastard.

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Working in the field can be both a learning experience, and a step closer to death, as I have found out yesterday. I am faced with different experiences everyday, mostly good.. But when a bad thing happens, w/c is rarely.. IT IS REALLY BAD.. and scary!I was traversing the fields at Jihailah, Barka yesterday, and finding a good spot to set my station, when I felt the heat and decided to rest for a while and sit down just for a few minutes and hydrate myself. As I was about to sit on a cool spot, I heard this low hissing sound and walaaah! There was this snake right in front of me, probably ready to strike cos I think i stepped on it’s tail or something.

So what do you do when you’re in a pit, with a suspected venomous snake?? (I’m assuming it’s venomous cos here in Oman, most species of snakes are of the kind that you don’t wanna mess with). You don’t stay put. You don’t sit still. YOU RUN LIKE HELL and SCREAM at the TOP OF YOUR LUNGS!! Of course I’m exagerating, but then again, I might have done both cos I suddenly found myself inside the vehicle, parked about 500 meters from the spot I was sitting in, in less than 5 seconds.

Ok ok.. I’m not the type of person who runs away from a fight. I always say these words: “If you don’t like me, Bite me. I’d bite you back though bla bla bla”. Ahhhh, that snake don’t like me for sure. And if it bites? I’m supposed to bite it right back??? Dont think so.

Prudence is the better part of valor. So instead of a face off. I opted to take his picture instead. He might have scared the shit out of me there in the field, but now I have his pic. It’s humiliation time nye nye nye!

WTF am I talking about?. I’m the one who got humiliated and humbled drats!

I’m telling you right now. It’s not safe out there. Always be prepared. Always have your camera with you so in case something bad happens to you, you have a picture of the one responsible to show to the police. Hahahahaha!

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