The seaside, coffee and young Omani entrepreneurs

“We offer the best espresso and hot chocolate in Oman, and you would be our fifth customers since we established this business,” two friendly, young and very PR-savvy Omani students from Sultan Qaboos University told my daughter and me. We had come across their modest coffee cart while cycling and scootering along the paved path by Al Hail Beach during the celebration of His Majesty the Sultan’s Accession Day.
One of the boys was studying Management, the other Mechanical Engineering, while they had recently set up their small enterprise after obtaining approval from Muscat Municipality. “It was an easy process,” one of them explained, “as it is just a small cart.”
Although she was not thirsty and their hot chocolate was not cheap, my daughter was keen to support their business.
As we rode on, hot chocolate with mini marshmallows in hand, we enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the Al Hail Beach and the paved strip alongside it. Four Omani girls played with a shopping trolley, a local man parked what looked like an illuminated Ferrari and unfolded a camping chair to face the sea; people jogged, and families barbecued or sipped homemade coffee by the shore.
The only real negative was the plastic litter some visitors left behind, while my daughter worried about fishing nets and sea creatures getting trapped in them.
I thought about how this seaside path could perhaps be even further enhanced, encouraging Omani entrepreneurship and outdoor activities. My mind drifted to the iconic seaside boulevards I had enjoyed in the south of France and Spain, running alongside the sea, lined with cycling paths, cafés, kiosks and small stalls. During the war in Gaza, locals said they missed flocking to the Mediterranean shoreline, the one border no wall can contain, to swim, gather with family, and unwind, while vendors sold snacks such as roasted corn and hot tea.
I found myself imagining a seaside coffeeshop and cart scene taking further shape at Al Hail Beach, noting that Muscat Municipality has already built proper public toilets for campers and day visitors.
That brief encounter with these two young Omani boys working their way through university also reminded me how valuable it can be for students to take on part-time work while studying, provided they manage their time well.
In Europe, for example, many waiters and cashiers are university or even school students, balancing studies with casual part-time jobs to earn money and gain professional skills. Some even set up businesses, like one of my Dutch friends who co-created WeTransfer, showing that entrepreneurship is often innate.
I once met a young Omani man named Khalil, who had always dreamed of becoming a pilot. He had to work incredibly hard to achieve the high marks required for a competitive scholarship, as this was before the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos expanded scholarship opportunities in 2012.
Khalil began earning at sixteen while still in grade 11, at a time when his retired father did not earn enough to support his ten children. His first part-time job at a petrol company caused his grades to drop, teaching him the vital lesson of managing time effectively.
After completing Thanawiya but not happy with his grades, especially in English, he decided he would apply for a retake. But first, seventeen-year-old Khalil enrolled in a language school at a college in Canada, having heard that Canadians were hospitable and tuition fees were lower than in the United States or the United Kingdom. He borrowed money from friends without interest, while Canadian law allowed international students to work part-time.
To pay for his language course, Khalil started to work on an apple farm, cleaning, weeding, watering, feeding the trees and transporting apples. “I was at the orchard a couple of hours every weekday and longer on weekends. It was hard work, but the cold climate was energising, and I felt proud managing both the job and my studies. A bonus was that my English improved tremendously, as everyone on the farm was a native speaker,” he recalled.
Khalil honed his time-management skills, balancing classes, work and homework. Back in Oman, his school grades climbed back, and he did not regret a single moment of working his way through college and said the experience shaped him into “the man he is today.”
Whether it is setting up a coffee cart by the beach or a young Omani man working on an apple farm in Canada, these experiences reflect the same universal lesson: hard work and perseverance during one’s formative years can shape character, build resilience and open doors to future success.

Bregje van Baaren The writer is a freelance contributing writer