My dad works in the oil industry and when I was 9 years old we moved to the Middle East for a year and a half. I know that I was very lucky to travel the world at such a young age. My mum encouraged me to keep a diary of our adventures and I'm so pleased that she did as I've got names & dates of places we visited as well as tickets, brochures etc.
Here is my entry on 27th March 1991...
"We were in London it was 6.00 and our next flight was at 10.15 it was held up by 15 minutes. We had 4 hours to spare. We had some juice. I had orange juice.... We had to go through another body scanner and get our bags checked then we went on the plane.... The plane was 30,000 feet in the sky. Then we got a hot cloth it was boiling. We got earphones to listen to the TV. We got a menu. I chose chicken curry... Then I went to sleep. At 5.00 we got at Doha" Riveting stuff!
Qatar
We moved to Doha, Qatar in 1991 and I went to primary school there - half of Primary 5 and all of Primary 6. I loved it. We lived on a compound and I had friends from all over the globe... America, Russia, Wales to name a few... We also attended a local international school, and again I had friends from all over... Cyprus, New Zealand... Facebook is amazing because I've managed to get back in touch with some familiar faces from my time at D.E.S.S. (Doha English Speaking School).
The pool & clubhouse on our compound in Doha, Qatar
We went to school on a Saturday through to Wednesday which took a little getting used to, and most Fridays were spent at the beach. From what I remember the school day started earlier than back in Scotland but equally we finished earlier and most afternoons were spent at the clubhouse/pool.
I remember when we first arrived my mum took us on a walk and I nearly fainted from the heat. I think it was a garage that we ended up in, and the mechanics made me a tiny cup of tea that was basically full of sugar. Not sure if I drank it or not, but it was nice of them to try and help. I bet my mum was frightened by the experience, I know I would have been. We soon got used to the temperature though and I have to say I took a rather lovely tan!
Waiting for the school bus with my sister
That year was my first Christmas away from Scotland and it was weird to spend Christmas Day in the heat by the pool!
Our Christmas tree!
Christmas Day, by the pool!
My tenth birthday cake
Learning to play golf (badly!) on the sand course
As the cost of flights were much more reasonable from the Middle East than from Scotland, we did a bit of travelling before returning back to the UK.
At the National Museum in Oman
Feeding the elephants in Thailand
I hope that I'm able to provide the same opportunities for my children and allow them to see the world and experience different cultures like I did.
What an exciting childhood, i always get a bit jealous hearing about other people's exotic upbringings! My other half lived in France for a year, attending a regular French school and is fluent in French from the experience. I was lucky enough to have parents who liked to take culture-rich holidays, so I think I was lucky and benefitted from that too. I want very much to share travel with my kids, as its so important to see how others live and to try new things.
ReplyDelete