Saturday 22 March

Today is unusually quiet in the Compound.  The school has broken for a week long vacation and most people have already left the Kingdom along with many from across Riyadh.  It was almost impossible to get a flight to Dubai or Abu Dhabi if you had left your booking until last week.  Julie and I looked for a flight for Ron's driver as we were (mistakenly) under the impression that he couldn't even get a bus ticket for the 13 hour journey to Dubai to see his wife and child.  When searching for available flights we found flights that took 20 hours - Riyadh, Qatar, Hong Kong, Dubai - when a direct flight takes just over 1 1/2 hours.  Falah did have a bus ticket, but was worried that he couldn't use it because it was due to leave the same time as he was supposed to be taking Ron and Julie to the airport.  Once this was resolved, he was very happy with the prospect of seeing his 11 month old daughter and his wife by this morning.

The drivers, nannies, maids and cleaners get a pretty rough deal here.  I suspect it is no different to other countries across the Middle East.  They often work 7 days a week sending home money to family and existing on limited income.  We are in the position of being able to pay the drivers additional money when we use them outside their usual work commitments - and most of us are generous in the additional money.  Falah gets very embarrassed when we pay for these excursion, but accepts when we say it is to put aside for Lehan (his daughter).  For us he is protective and provides us with a sense of security as well as the obvious freedom of mobility around the city.  Not that the city is unsafe at all, but  he has a strong sense of looking out for us wherever we go - and that's in addition to driving in a city where road rules seem to be just suggestion for individuals to consider when and if they wish.

Falah is from Yemen.  He has been in Riyadh for 6 years, 4 years with the school.  He is the youngest in a family of 5 children.  His older brothers and sisters completed their education, but his was interrupted with the death of his father. He had wanted to study physiotherapy at university, but instead had to work as the money was no longer available.  He has a sister living in the US whose daughter is at university there and a nephew who is a doctor working in China.  I'm not sure of the other family members, because the limited language between us also limits the accurate exchange of information.  He wants to leave the Middle East within 3-5 years to provide better opportunities for his daughter - particularly education.  His wife, also from Yemen but born in Dubai, works for the Ministry of Finance in Dubai.  Her father is a policeman.  Their marriage was arranged and they exchanged emails and phone calls (plus Skype) for a year before marrying in 2012.  He adores her and his daughter who he is seeing for only the second time since she was born last April.  Technology is a blessing for him, and others who's families are in other countries, as he Skypes each day and talks to his daughter via the phone screen or laptop.

Falah and Julie (he no longer has the 'pot' due to his daily walk with us & weekly soccer game.

A few weeks ago one of the Team - Sue Cook - and I flew to Dubai for the weekend.  Julie was in Dubai at a Job Fair, so we thought we'd head over the same weekend, but enjoy the time having a look around.  I couldn't believe the benefit of being away for just 2 days.  It was fantastic.  Dubai is incredibly modern, but also prides itself on being clean and organised (to the point of neurotic).  It aims to have everything you could possibly want - the biggest shopping malls in the world, public transport, modern and complex freeways, tourist attractions - every new extravaganza bigger and brighter than the previous.  You may well know much of this having visited yourself.  I'm glad I have been - and would probably go again to see some sights I didn't see this time, but it was a bit like the Gold Coast on steroids.

We were upgraded in our hotel to a suite each.  Very nice indeed.  The first difficulty was locating the hidden fridge and working out how to turn off the numerous lights.  Disappointed that I didn't enjoy the enormous bath for a relaxing hour or so, but never had the time.

Here are some of the pictures:

The Atlantis Dubai - located on the out edge of the man-made Palm Islands.

The Burj Al Arab.  Reputed to be 7 star (but self rated).  It's off the coast and access by private bridge or water taxi - or helicopter.  You might recall Federer & Nadal playing tennis on the helipad - visible here near the top towards camera

Sculptors of divers in front of a waterfall at the Dubai Mall.  The water fall is about 30 metres wide - this is only a small part of it.

The tallest building in the world - Burj Khalifa - 829.8m.  - 160 floors 

Part of the old 'creek' where the village originally settled.

Of course the other attraction to Dubai was no compulsory abaya wearing and enjoying an alcoholic drink or two or …

On Monday I am flying to another Emirate - Abu Dhabi.  Peter is flying in from Melbourne, arriving Tuesday morning, and we are heading to the Empty Quarter to a very upmarket resort.  Time to celebrate the near conclusion of my Contract here.  AND I get to drive the 2 hours to the resort and back.  We will enjoy a couple of nights in this location and enjoy some traditional activities, including falconing, camel riding and walking into the sand dunes at dusk and enjoying the amazing scenery.  I'm led to believe the resort appears to be similar (or actually is) to the one in the second Sex in the City film.   The Empty Quarter spans UAE, part of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is just empty.  Now there is some oil drilling and associated occupation, but it will really be 'out in the desert'.  We are staying at Anantara Qasr Al Sarab Desert if you want to Google it or check it out on Trip Advisor. We will then head back to Abu Dhabi and stay there (in a more modest hotel) for a couple of nights, flying out in different directions on Saturday night.

Then I return to school for my final four weeks.

Our first week back will be taken up with a Review Team.  The school Board originally commissioned BCG for the renewal project and they prepared 16 projects for regeneration of the school - Restoring the Glory.  The number of projects has grown to 26 and all evidence pertaining to each project was collated, sorted, filed and presented in bulging arch folders - one for each project (well two for some).  A team will be in the Kingdom for 8 days, 6 in the school.  Darrell Fraser and Di Peck will be part of the Team.  It is interesting that much of the Review doesn't reflect any similarity to a school review at home, more a pulse check on a business.  In fact, Ron has pushed more of the 'educational' projects to prominence to maintain an educational focus on the Review Team.

So I guess my next Blog may well be my last from here.  I will be very sad to leave, but more than ready to go home.  Many have already left, some because of family situations, others because of career opportunities and others because they couldn't live so far away in a very different culture.  Sue left on Thursday and I will miss her greatly, but will see her not long after going home - in part because i freighted a box to her place and will need to collect it!

Stay well - and see you at the May Races.

Friday 7 February

Back in Riyadh and time to write an update from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I arrived back in Riyadh a little over a week ago and have had the HEATER on for the first time since coming here.  Yesterday was only 16!  In fact each night this week I have pulled on a warm woollen jumper after our daily walk because the nights have been very cool.  Made a mistake though last night, forgot to turn off the heater before heading to bed and woke this morning very warm and thirsty.

I left home on 22 January and went to Toronto, Canada, for a Job Fair for the school.  This was my second Fair, so I had a much better idea of what to do, how to prepare and how to maximise candidates for interview.  I was meeting a colleague, Kif Khan, and together we hoped to have success in recruiting.

You may recall that we had some pretty hot weather mid-January (days of 40+) and then I left for what seemed another planet.  It generally peaked at -14C during the days in Toronto and we did experience days with top temperature of -17C.

Now I have only experienced snow a few times in my life (2 x in Victoria, ignoring a day in 1982 when it snowed - sleeted - near Warrnambool for about 30-40 minutes) and the only other time was on a trip to Europe in 1979/80, but don't recall it actually snowing, just that we saw lots of snow on the ground in some parts.  This time in Toronto it actually snowed (without being windy) whilst i was walking on several occasions. It was beautiful, but damn cold.  I have to say that I cursed having to take clothes for the cold weather, but they served me well.  I highly recommend possum wool for such weather conditions.  I had hat, gloves and socks and I was snug - along with a warm coat and jumper - and didn't regret not wearing more.  The photos below are of those few days.

The Harbour Toronto - the white is frozen lake

Barney belonged to Film Director (Moonstruck) and this memorial includes a tap & bowl for other dogs

Niagara Falls (Canadian side)

Looking across to the US

from my hotel room - last morning

at Toronto airport just after stepping out of taxi 

Whilst Toronto was lovely and the people were extremely friendly and the drivers always courteous, we didn't have the success with candidates as we had hoped.  Unknown to us, the Kingdom had changed some conditions for ex-pat workers, including professionals, that impacted on our options for offering jobs.  Women with family can no longer sponsor children or husbands to come to Saudi Arabia !  Kif and I were really disappointed as we had just made an offer to an excellent teacher of high school English, who is married and has a 2 year old.  She was perfect having worked in Egypt for 5 years (over two placements), married an Egyptian, spoke a bit of Arabic, Muslim and great teacher.  She questioned us initially about bring family as she had a 'trailing spouse'.  The term was new to us, but we were informed by her, and later others, that the other Saudi schools were asking this question.  We weren't enlightened until the next day.  So much for promoting the school as a great place to work and that Riyadh is safe and pleasant to live - now we have to inform them that family can only be brought into the country on 60 day visas.

This place takes steps forward and then retreats.  This is the dilemma of two conflicting parts of government one managed by the royal family which is progressive and one by the conservative religious organisation that doesn't want any progress or involvement with the wider world.

Anyway - arrived back to Riyadh and school and was made to feel extremely welcome immediately.  I appreciate that the warmness in the welcome is in part a cultural response to those who have been away, but genuinely feel that some of the women were really pleased to see me back and recommence our work together.  I will be working with the leaders in the two high schools (international and national curriculum streams) along with mentoring our new English Academic Leader.

This is my final placement and I hope I can reflect back positively on the role I have played in the school's regeneration program.  The tension has always been, and continues to be, that the reforms we are trying to instigate are massive and our time is relatively short.  What the school embeds into their ongoing practice is debatable, but certainly the Professional Learning Teams that have been set up and lead by Instructional Leaders by subject and school, have continued in our absence and teachers look to them for their collegiate support and learning.  Some from the Team will leave by mid year, others will conclude their contract at the end of the year (January 2015) and a small team will remain for a further year - largely to support the ongoing technology implementation.  Ron's contract also continues beyond this year.

Well off to another Shopping Mall this afternoon …