Lubna Al Balushi (37), author and poet

‘’There is no difference between a laugh and a tear
Both are life
There is no difference between silence and speech
Both are hearing
There is no difference between jasmine and morning
Both are healing
There is no difference between you and me
Both are love’’
Language of Heart, Lubna Al Balushi

What do you see when you look out of your window?
Birds, jasmine flowers, lemon trees, a part of the sky and silent houses

What does it smell of when you look out of the window?
Jasmine and Omani lemon

What did you have for breakfast?
My mother prepared a traditional Omani Balochi breakfast including Iola, a local bread made of flour and dates, Dango, chickpea, and Shorba, wheat chicken soup, with red tea balanced with ginger and mint.

What do you miss the most?
Our previous natural life and the beach!

What has become your most important object?
My laptop

A traditional Balochi breakfast with chickpeas, Iola, Shorba and red tea

The Pandemic

In the early stages of the pandemic the situation in Oman was much better than in many other of the affected countries around world.
We didn't know anybody who had been infected with the virus, the infection rates seemed to be nothing more than abstract figures in the media. And when there was a lockdown here too, everyone stuck to it and stayed at home. But as the months passed and the number of infections increased, the virus began to get closer. Suddenly we knew people who had been infected and were dying of Covid-19. Also my uncle caught the virus and fell very ill, although he had always been very careful and had never gone out without a protective mask. He is well now, Alhamdulillah. My grandmother suffered greatly from the fact that we could not visit her for a long time. She knew why we didn't come, but nevertheless she struggled to understand. It was only after several weeks that we dared to go to see her again. But then our reunion was all the happier and more intense than ever before.

If people who refuse to wear a mask are caught by the authorities, they are photographed and have to endure their picture and name being published on all media channels.

During the past few weeks we have had a partial lockdown lasting from seven in the evening to early in the morning. And meanwhile it has become mandatory all over Oman to wear a mask. If people who refuse to wear a mask are caught by the authorities, they are photographed and have to endure their picture and name being published on all media channels. This measure was issued by the Supreme Court. It's tough, but this is the way to get everyone comply with the rules.

I have stopped observing the daily number of new cases and stopped keeping an eye on how many people are being taken to hospitals. This news depresses me. I check the numbers once a week, that’s it. On November 22nd more than 122,000 infections and 1,380 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic in Oman – these are high rates for a population of barely five million people. Fortunately, the number of cases have started to decrease. Recently they were down to around 230 per day.

Evening stroll on the Corniche of Muttrah

Unfortunately, the beaches are still closed. Because we Omanis love to go for a large family picnics on the beach in the late afternoon, then, when it's not that hot anymore, the authorities were forced to shut the beaches down. At least the mosques have been reopened lately. Lots of people had been annoyed that they couldn't go to the mosque but had to pray at home while the gates to the shopping malls had always been wide open. "Why are the malls open but the mosques closed?", they asked. The reason for this was probably that you get quite close to each other while praying and therefore are exposed to a higher risk to be infected than when you stroll around in shopping malls. In this respect, this measure was understandable.

The prayer rooms for women as well as refrigerators and toilets remain closed.

However, the protective measures in the mosques are very strict. According to the “Times of Oman” worshippers are only allowed to enter the mosques during prayer times and can’t stay longer than 15 minutes. There must be a distance of 1.5 meters between the worshippers, the prayer rugs must be marked with social distancing-signs, people are obliged to wear protective masks and - the prayer rooms for women as well as refrigerators and toilets remain closed.

Before the pandemic the public beaches in Muscat were crowded with Omanis and expats who go jogging in the late afternoon, play soccer or gather for large picnics.

Adventure in the Netherlands

In the beginning of this year I decided to go to the Netherlands to visit my brother and his family. They live in The Hague, where my brother is running a project on behalf of an Omani petroleum company. He invited me to live with them, which was perfect for me. I urgently needed a quiet time to sit and write the remaining part of my new poetry book. I hoped that the feeling of being away would definitely give me the momentum I needed, and at the same time I would have the chance to take care of my little niece Amna.

As my travel date approached, we kept hearing about Corona. However, at that time it was not clear anywhere in the world what was going on. I decided to travel anyway. Fortunately, my ticket was booked and the accommodation in my brother's apartment was organized. I was ready. That night in March, Oman had around 12 positive cases, while the Netherlands had only one. In the weeks after that, the numbers went crazy everywhere. I had planned to stay in Holland for three weeks – I ended up staying for three months.

During this time, we hardly left the apartment. Now and then we went into a small garden, but apart from that only the balcony and the windows offered us a hopeful glances into the outside world. However, I could always go for a walk to greet the beautifully coloured flowers of spring. And yes, in between I actually found the time and peace to write, write and write. I also enjoyed being together with my niece - and it was a good time to finally learn how to cook.

The lockdown was a good time to finally learn how to cook.

After two months I felt that I couldn't stay in the Netherlands much longer. The apartment was getting too tight. I said to myself: "Khalas", finsihed! But I figured it would be better to wait a little bit more before I returned to Oman. It was a really sensitive time and too risky to travel. Apart from that there were no flights yet to Oman. I tried to distract myself with online shopping. I should have gone shopping anyway, because it would have been a no go for me to come home without any gifts. My five nieces Salma, Salwa, Maryam, Husna, Haneen and my nephew Hamza were waiting for me. Had I returned empty-handed, I would have disappointed them terribly.

Returning home

At the end of June, Oman Air announced that they would operate a flight from Amsterdam via London to Muscat. I packed my bags. I was nervous. My journey would take over twelve hours , I would have to change plans twice, I feared long procedures at the airports. It was the time slot in which many airlines organized special flights to bring back their citizens who were stranded abroad. There was a strange atmosphere at the airports, different from what I had ever experienced. But I managed to stay composed. And when we finally landed in Muscat, I was surprised to see how calm and neat everything was. Health and airport officials meticulously made sure that we kept safe distances and disinfected our hands.

In Quarantine

According to the regulations I had to be quarantined for 14 days after my return. My family had prepared my room and organized everything for me. We are a total of seven sisters and brothers, six girls and one boy. Like me, three of my sisters still live at home, one sister even with her husband and children. I have often joked about that and said that we are a real women's house. Men are a minority here.

My room is on the second floor and has a window view to the garden, for which I am infinitely grateful, and especially was during the quarantine. I couldn't have imagined surviving inside blind walls, I would have felt like in a prison. My sisters placed the food in front of my door, and my dearest nieces wrote me heart-warming messages that they slipped under the door, sometimes they even added some money. That made me feel happy and helped me through the days. In the evening, before sunset, I opened the window and waved like a queen to my parents, sisters and nieces who gathered in the garden below. Then we chatted and laughed together.

I couldn't have imagined surviving inside blind walls, I would have felt like in a prison.

At the beginning of my quarantine, I had pondered how to fill the days. I had to make myself busy somehow, otherwise my thoughts would taken on a life of their own and that wouldn’t have been good for me. I didn't want to watch tv, that would have been a complete waste of time. Actually, I knew I really only wanted one thing: I wanted to write; that would relax me as well. But just writing out into the blue for 14 days would hardly work, I knew myself very well. I would have let myself be caught up in the heavily dissolving time. No, I needed a challenge that would intrigue me and keep my mind engaged.

And then I felt the ambition deep inside of me to understand these 14 days, in which I was completely thrown back on myself, as a gift, as a chance to create something new: I wanted to continue writing my poetry collection. During my stay in the Netherlands I had completed 110 poems. Now I wanted to double that number.

That was the challenge I needed.

View from Lubna’s window during sunset. And the bird on its frail tree is with her.

Every morning at ten I sat down and worked until around nine in the evening, getting inspired by the news and Instagram posts that kept coming in on my mobile. But after about seven days, I had a writer’s block and fell into a crisis. But give up? No way! That's not my style at all. So - I pulled myself together and just went on. During that time, I received unexpected support from a friend who works as a florist. He sent me pictures of roses to encourage me to keep up my spirits. I really appreciate such small gestures. In the end it’s those small gestures that make the difference.

After exactly 14 days I had finished 200 poems. I call my book “Language of Heart” as half of the poems are about love, hope, dreams and motivation. The other half is a little different, a little more realistic, it is filled with the smell of darkness and a lot of thoughtfulness. It mirrors life and its language of the heart.

When I stepped out of the room after the quarantine, I was welcomed by my nieces and my nephew. They stood in a row in front of the door, they had dressed up in their festive clothes and held white gift bags in their hands. They escorted me to the garden where my sisters had prepared a party for me. We ate cake and halwa. I was very happy. I was free again at last!

The nieces and nephew cheered up their aunt Lubna during the quarantine with letters and drawings that they slipped under her door. After the quarantine, they celebrated together.

«Many times
I have battled for a window
Actually windows!

Many times overtime
I have the desired windows
At first, as soon as shifting to a new house,
Everyone chased the room with windows!
Finally, I have mine!
But then, mine has no meaning without a view.

Then, years later,
Clouds stopped suffering;
Trees have grown
Birds found the way to my triple window!

A lot of times overtime
I have the desired windows
Here is me in a pleasant office with large windows
Then, years later,
Here I am again
In a less pleasant office with narrow windows!

Unfortunately;
They have an eye on such window!
O God
All the times overtime
They have an eye on my windows!
O God
Room with a heart view, please!”
Language of Heart, Lubna Al Balushi

Cruising on the dunes - a favourite pasttime activity

How the Pandemic is changing Society

The pandemic has given us tough times, but we are all trying to find out how life works in those unexpected circumstances and we are doing our best to deal with the situation. And when I see how much even children have learned about the importance of hygiene, I almost dare say that the pandemic might even have a few positive sides.

Surprisingly, weddings are very trendy nowadays - even though the large wedding halls are closed and the number of wedding guests is limited to 15 persons. But that frees many couples and families from an excessive financial burden. Because before the pandemic, only the wedding halls for the female guests were filled with at least 200 people. That used to be the standard. Today, couples rent villa-like farmhouses on the countryside for their weddings. These farmhouses have ballrooms as well, but they are so small that there really isn't room for more than exact 15 people.

Before the pandemic, only the wedding halls for the female guests were filled with at least 200 people.

Those who can work from home or only go to the office for a day or two. Most of the schools have switched to remote learning. As a result, online shopping is booming: Almost everything is available via app: groceries, shampoo, cosmetics, even beds, tables and cupboards. I order all I can online and hardly go out shopping anymore. I don't want to risk being quarantined again. And yet: If I wished for anything, then it would be for the beaches to be reopened soon. Everybody here longs for that. People are fed up with sitting at home. We want to go out, we want to live! We are so full of life. Nothing is going to keep us from living!

Lubna and her nieces on a trip to one of the countless wadis of the Sultanate.

Journey of Goodwill

I lost my last job as an assistant of a regional company manager due to budget cuts. What now? What to do? Give up? No! I believe in investing in myself, and that also means trying to do something completely different.

Currently, I volunteer in the Corporate Social Responsibility department of a leading Omani telecommunication company. I am part of a dedicated team that promotes businesses established by women. This is a completely new experience for me. I am overwhelmed by the creative and enthusiastic atmosphere in the team and I adore the products made by the women we work with. Some design clothes, others have handicraft-businesses, again others offer cooking- or sewing classes.

We support these female entrepreneurs in the production and marketing of their products and create digital platforms. And for the second time, we launched a national digital forum that was a great success: We had over 100 participants from 17 Omani women's associations.

This encourages us to invest even more in the power of digital marketing and digital media. This is the future.

‘’ I’m making a house out of the sands
Perhaps our warm homes become palaces

I’m making a heart out of the clouds
Perhaps the hearts rain and rain happiness

I’m making a rainbow from white feather
May our mornings bloom with the smell of jasmine

That’s what I can do with love”
Language of Heart, Lubna Al Balushi