A friend of mine who also transferred to Oman from Singapore asked me this question when I was still in Oman: “Did you ever regret leaving Singapore a moving to work in Oman? I want to answer this question before I share my new chapter in Iloilo. The answer is NO and Never!
I am so glad that I chose to move to Oman to work and here are whys:
1. I experienced the amazing work-life balance that other people have never experience. Imagine our work would either from 7AM to 2 PM only or 2 PM to 9 PM (or 3PM to 9PM) only. I get to have my nap times or my free mornings. When I transferred to work as a doctor in Internal Medicine in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Oman, even with an every 3 days 24-hours duty, it was chill and manageable.
2. I learned to love being a doctor (which I really don’t before. I felt I was forced into it). I appreciated being a Family Medicine doctor. It was in my point in my life that I said I am glad I am a doctor.
3. I learned to live a minimalist and simple life.
4. I learned a new language - Arabic!
5. Our family got to save a ton! We shopped less and went to mall less (only once a month because it is 2.5hrs drive away)
6. I met a lot of new friends and interesting people.
7. Oman gave my family and I a wonderful experience and lovely story to tell living in such a unique country
8. Family and I experience the living near the rocky mountains and near the desert.
9. Family and I spent a lot of fun staycations in hotels in the city.
10. Follow up to #2. I learned to be more confident being a doctor. I learned how to deliver babies, do prenatal ultrasounds, manage emergency cases and medical psychiatric conditions.
All in all, I am glad I left my admin work in Singapore and move with my family in Oman to work as a doctor again. Since I only worked 2 years in a non-doctor role, it is still an acceptable gap year as a doctor. If I took a long time off in a non-doctor job, I don’t know if I could have returned back as doctor. I enjoyed my relaxed life in Oman with my family. We didn’t have a helper or a nanny but my husband and I made a system that worked for us and managed to create seamless teamwork in taking care of kids, doing housework, etc. It was a comfortable life, too comfortable I must say. And we know it was time for us to go because it was getting too comfortable for us too…..
After more than 4 years in Oman, my family and I decided that my husband and our kids will go back to Philippines for my hubby to start a new business offered by my sister & for my kids to study there while I will return in Singapore to work in a new hospital in Palliative Care, taking advantage that Singapore is near to the Philippines.
Will write soon if I ever regret returning to Sinagoire in my new blog post. Till then…
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