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 …