Rawan Al Nadabi: Definitely one ‘out of the box!’

“Innovation,” said Apple supremo Steve Jobs, “is the ability to see change as an opportunity, and not as a threat.” One Omani student has certainly demonstrated innovation, and a ‘can do,’ attitude that Jobs would appreciate, in developing a unique approach to improving her English language speaking skills. Rawan Khalfan Masoud Al Nadabi has an impeccably ‘English’ accent, and a clarity of pronunciation that would have the impeccable Henry Higgins, of Pygmalion fame nodding with approval. She speaks English like a native. A posh, articulate native at that, and her voice is a genuine head-turner, even in an immersive English language learning environment. Now resident in Samail, Rawan was only three years of age when her Grandma suggested to her parents that their daughter would possibly learn to speak better English with an international school education. Mulling over the idea, Rawan’s parents decided she should attend the local Indian School in Muscat, with its English language based curriculum as a means of developing her English language skills as effectively as possible. The young Omani was seriously confused in her earliest days, as none of the other students spoke Arabic, and she knew no English, saying “I didn’t like the school in the beginning, because I was so young, and I didn’t know how to communicate at all.” She continued saying, “I had no alternative though, and had to cope with my new environment, as the school was not going to change for me, so I had to just work harder and change, adapt, to the school.” Eventually she was able to construct and understand sentences, and she was to enjoy her schooling and made a number of good friends as she spoke better and better English. In Grade Two she changed environments again, to an Omani Government School, where again, she was a little isolated due to the learning experience being mainly Arabic, though she admits that she enjoyed being so good at English language. The downside of the local school was that in not using her English all the time, she felt she was getting weaker, and by Grade Five her English teacher expressed that Rawan wasn’t doing very well in her classes. Needing a boost, help arrived in the form of her Aircraft Engineer father, and he worked with her every day after school, pushing her to her limits, as he devoted his time and energy to her improvement. “I can never forget my father’s efforts,” said Rawan, “and I was determined not to let him down, and I worked harder than ever with him.” The family shifted to Samail, from the capital that year, and at her new school Rawan found she had a teacher who spoke only English. It was here too, that she first thought about her accent, and the crystal glass English accent appealed to her. “I think if you are going to do something, you must do it well, and learn from the best,” she explained, “so I chose ‘the Queen’s English,’ and have loved every minute of it.” “I went on the internet, and between a number of bloggers who had the same goal, and you tube videos of accents and English speaking, I found I was able to speak as clearly and as well as they did.” So, using her enthusiasm, and her courage, because just speaking is definitely a courageous act when you are a foreign or second language learner, she has persisted, and now is the proud possessor of one of the most beautiful, linguistically correct voices, you will ever hear. Rawan Al Nadabi is an enthusiastic student, reader, debater and advocate, with ambitions to Influence Oman, and Omanis, maybe in the media sector. She owes it all to hard work, and innovation, maybe not only thinking outside the box, but getting rid of the box, completely!