After a mission back from Egypt to Jordan (a boat that was supposed to take one hour actually took seven, thanks to some classic Arabic organisation), I’m finally back in the land of beards, kabsa, and 10 year old boys driving (three things I saw within an hour of being back in the Kingdom). It feels quite nice to be back, especially as my villa is still looking fresh, and most of the teachers are back from their summer holidays.
The latest gossip goes as follows:
- We have six new male teachers arriving imminently. I’m hoping for ones that drink/play sport/watch sport/play risk.
- We have no new female teachers arriving. The bachelors of Sakaka aren’t happy.
- A group email went round claiming one of the female teachers has a fake degree, and has been dating various Saudi guys, extremely haram!
- The compound manager only arrived back today, therefore no one has internet in their villas yet. He was busy marrying his cousin.
- The notorious ex-crack head project manager, who ruffled a few feathers in the past, may be coming back.
I’m currently at university. A few of the teachers I thought had left for good have actually returned, which is good to see. There was a worry that we may have had eleven male teachers leaving, and only three new additions coming, but it hasn’t turned out to be so bad so we shouldn’t be teaching too much.
Today we have the placement tests. The new generation of brilliant young Saudi minds has descended upon the campus, and we have to assess their current level so we can group them accordingly. They’re still cheating, obviously, so some of the top classes will end up with the odd student who can’t even spell his name in English. But such is life.
More importantly (with respect to maintaining sanity), the social side of life in Al Jouf looks like it will take a turn for the better. The new teachers are young, so volleyball season could recommence soon if enough people are up for it. I also think it’s high time to brew some joy, the Canadian way (a blog on that to come soon, watch this space). I'm back for the third and final round in Saudi Arabia, this one will be the longest, but as it's the home straight I can definitely see the (Brazilian) light at the end of the tunnel.
Instead of writing a blog about my summer holidays I’ll leave you with a link to my facebook album. If you haven’t got facebook, bad luck. If you do but you can’t see them, you’re not friends with me in that capacity. If this is the case, add me. If I don’t accept, take the hint.
Speak soon, Insha’Allah x
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