Friday 29 / August / 2025
When I had a heartburn eating its way in my chest, I decided to get up from my coffee shop table hoping the walk will get rid of it.
About a hundred meters away, I saw a man standing over a screen typing “playground” and I stopped curiously to find out what was in his mind. He was actually typing on a car finder and expecting to find an indoor play area.
I was still there when he turned around. I asked him if he had any luck. With a smile that betrayed his embarrassment, he told me “I just wanted to try it out.”
Seconds later, a young couple joined us. It turned out that it was his son and the woman was his daughter in law. They are Canadians and the young couple bought a property in Muscat to settle in Oman.
Then the “playground” riddle unfolded itself. The man was looking for a play area for his two grandsons. Obviously, the young couple were too busy earning a living and he, as a grandfather, had the unenviable task of entertaining the two little boys.
I wished them luck and continued with my battle of taming my heartburn. But two things were in my mind as I was walking around. First, the role of parents that we all have in different periods of our lives. There are many transitions but not without challenges. Like the rolling hills of life, there are ups and downs. The climb can be too steep and the descent very slippery.
Like my mother used to say to me jokingly, “there will be payback time somewhere in the future” when it is our turn. As I write these lines, I realize now there are actually two “paybacks”, not just one. From the role of a parent and that of grandparent. I am not sure which role is more testing. I would say, being a parent is much more challenging.
While the role of a grandparent is satisfying, because you can always return the little ones to their parents when they start driving you crazy. While on the subject, next week, my wife and I will be spending time with an “army” of our grandchildren in Salalah.
My second thought was my encounter with non-Omanis settling in our blessed country. A good number of them are opting to work here and even buy properties that would lead to their retirement. The intercultural experience is good for the future of Oman. But having said that, Oman is well experience with co-existence with different cultures. Our well documented history can verify it when our ancestors travelled half of the world.
So that chance encounter with the Canadian family in a busy mall said it all. For me, it triggered personal feelings and national loyalty at the same time. It reminded me once again that family ties are very important. There are the milestones of life. Where are we without them? If we ignore these ties then we are lost in a desert of despair.
While in the same context, our national identities are very important especially when we travel and meet people from different countries. Another thing comes to mind. Human interactions cannot be underestimated, too. When we see people from different background, it opens up new horizons to embrace a diversity of heritage and cultures.
