tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72798328821830658512011-11-28T03:40:19.962+03:00This is the story of my year as an English Teacher in Saudi Arabia which started in mid March, 2009, and will finally end in February 2010.wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-32948827905970202272010-02-20T14:20:00.000+03:002010-02-20T14:21:52.459+03:00

Saturday 20th February 2010Let's start with a quotation today - “It's weird...you know the end of something great is coming, but you want to hold on, just for one more second … just so it can hurt a little more." (author unknown). To qualify this a little, let's say that the meaning of “great” that is best here is “large and/or imposing”.I think this sums up a large part of how I feel today,

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-23064623836190250092010-02-19T15:39:00.001+03:002010-02-19T15:40:04.862+03:00

Friday 19th February 2010Now then – there are one or two things I'd like to put in this blog today. And these are things that, for some reason or other, I forgot to put in earlier editions. Call it forgetfulness, call it what you like but anyway HERE are a few things that, on this penultimate day here in Saudi Arabia, I REALLY should put down in writing.The first of these will make you laugh.

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-55318394354647326012010-02-16T16:41:00.000+03:002010-02-16T16:42:49.841+03:00

Tuesday 16th February 2010PHEW!! That was an ANGRY ending to yesterday's blog post. And quite right too since it REALLY did get to me and doesn't matter if last day or not it is still just WRONG what they are allowed to get away with. But I'll say no more now cos I think you got the picture.Ahh onto more peaceful things. Ohh, and how could I NOT mention up until now the nice “goodbye” food made

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-64938176778507818662010-02-15T19:29:00.000+03:002010-02-15T19:31:01.707+03:00

Monday 15th February 2010Well, here I am with only five days left in this country. Blog time is running out, and now THIS entry will seem MUCH too late. But hey – I've been busy with my “Clearance” which involved running around coordinating, getting signatures and more. But more on that in a later blog. Right now, I am here to tell you all about the very last day of work in the college.Well, it

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-71699554718567593542010-02-07T21:38:00.000+03:002010-02-07T21:40:01.616+03:00

Sunday 7th February 2010Well last night was only a pathetic one-round effort of exercise walking due to the Bug Man. Ah HAH but TONIGHT I made up for it by doing TWICE around as normal and THEN I saw the gym was open so I went in.Hmm I've been a bit slack on gym lately, but my argument is that as prayer times go further towards 7pm then it pushes my own timings out. I either have to do the whole

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-47032064672581999402010-02-06T21:21:00.001+03:002010-02-07T10:30:58.822+03:00

Saturday 6th February 2010Well … there I was hardly started my (intermittent) evening's exercise walk when I was rudely interrupted … by the Bugmobile!OK, yes yes this IS my own name for it, so now I should explain. This is the (cheap n' nasty n' toxic) way that the powers-that-be in this compound deal with the nasty flying and crawling insect population that does grow in these parts. What it is

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-17775441169413777712010-02-02T15:05:00.000+03:002010-02-02T15:06:01.186+03:00

Tuesday 2nd FebruaryYesss! We are into the final month of my desert life out here in Saudi Arabia. And as the weeks go it is more and more satisfying to walk over to the college knowing that such short trips are to end soon. Right now is exam season for all students. I like this time of year. It is like “handover time” where you as the teacher have done your stuff and now comes the great “

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-41372862457293265412010-01-29T16:55:00.000+03:002010-01-29T16:56:53.808+03:00

Friday 29th January 2010Well, it is either sit here and watch more of Tony Blair talking about everything and nothing in the Iraq Enquiry or do some blogging. Which is more likely to interest me? Well, such public enquiries can be interesting if what people SAY in them IS interesting. Those who like to analyse such things will be enthralled at seeing Blair squirm in his chair. I am less so.Now, I

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-82259745194242761952010-01-18T17:03:00.000+03:002010-01-18T17:04:32.705+03:00

Monday 18th January 2010I'm feeling in a VERY intolerant mood today. So this could be quite a rant. Watch out please! Stand back, strap yourself down and buckle up!!Oh, you say, but you have so few weeks left! Why do you care? What does it matter? Well it DOES matter, though yes, I agree, I no longer care about what happens here.I am just SO SICK of it! Sick of talking when nobody listens, sick

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-48142047195276200152010-01-16T22:12:00.001+03:002010-01-16T22:15:57.771+03:00

Saturday 16th January 2010Once again, as I sit down to write this blog entry, two things are happening. Firstly, I am wondering what to write since there seems to be little happening of interest (but after three pages THAT will be proved wrong), and secondly, it is far too LONG since my last blog entry.Yes, sadly I seem to be setting aside less time to do this blog thing these days. Signs of what

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-24544130389941392202010-01-03T13:17:00.002+03:002010-01-29T17:13:43.239+03:00

Sunday 3rd January 2010OK OK maybe I should've been more coordinated and done a blog on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. But I'm sure you can live with that.Got a fair bit to write about today too – mostly I have MORE about how this college and its English department is sliding faster and faster into a very wide, open and fiery-looking abyss that is not very far below.Remember I said last

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-33946310667011478162009-12-29T17:05:00.002+03:002009-12-29T17:11:47.927+03:00

Tuesday 29th December 2009Seems an odd day of the week to do a blog, doesn't it? Yeah I guess so. Why not do it tomorrow? Well, that is always my intention, but I always find that, because of the masses that go online from here on Wednesday evenings, the connection speed is always rubbish.Anyway, today I FEEL LIKE doing it. Getting very conscious of the frequency of my blogs going down rapidly

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-81763408197134380472009-12-21T19:01:00.002+03:002009-12-21T19:03:15.532+03:00

Friday 18th December 2009Well this is one of those annoying days when I am sitting here unable to get online because I have, apparently, used up all my online surfing quota of gigabytes. And THAT is TWICE this has happened this month! 1GB has, so they say, been used up in under TEN DAYS and I hardly did a thing. Yes, a few downloads here and there but I was not doing any of the heavyweight

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-77179791247875677472009-12-21T18:56:00.000+03:002009-12-21T18:59:56.568+03:00

Thursday 17th December 2009Yes indeed! There really ARE only seven shopping days to go ….. but I don't mean to Christmas because there IS no Christmas here of course.What I mean is something FAR BETTER for me. And that is that there are only about seven weekends to go until my Final Exit from this country.Well, OK OK so maybe a few more and possible even a few less. But hey – I was trying to

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-3712882371502209082009-12-14T19:36:00.000+03:002009-12-14T19:38:44.983+03:00

Monday 14th December 2009Well it has finally come to an end.No no – nothing as dramatic as you are thinking. And nothing directly affecting me.What I am talking about is something that many of you out there are being inundated with right now. And that is RAIN!Now, I'm sure you all are wishing hard that you could send you rain clouds to me and that I, in return, will give you back some blue skies

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-35552397653708818482009-12-09T21:48:00.000+03:002009-12-09T21:49:28.394+03:00

Wednesday 9th December 2009Hmm I'm falling behind with all this stuff just now. But I have a a pretty good excuse, though not one I like. What is it? Yep, I've been ill again.Hang on. Wasn't that the subject of the blog LAST time? Well, yes, much of it was that though not all. And maybe you mean the blog before the last one. But in any case, yes, once again in this country I have succumbed to the

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-12794097163163521142009-11-18T18:44:00.001+03:002009-11-18T18:47:30.879+03:00

Wednesday 18th November 2009Well it’s not an internet café setting, and I’m standing up as I type this but this is a new setting and new way of doing my blog entry for today.So where am I and what the hell am I on about? Well, in fact I’m in my classroom. In front of me sit …. Well, actually there is no-one here at all except me, my bottle of water and the “entertainment pack” that I brought with

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-78882881356234509042009-11-05T11:21:00.002+03:002009-11-05T21:33:18.863+03:00

Thursday 5th November 2009OK, yes, today IS indeed 42 years to the day since I entered this complex place we call "the world". And still I rise, I carry on. I've been down plenty in recently years but HERE'S TO THE PERFECT YEAR TO COME!Douglas Adams in his famous book, "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", described the number, 42, as the answer to, "Life, The Universe And Everything". Well, as you

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-78086012773196371712009-10-30T15:17:00.001+03:002009-10-30T15:25:59.269+03:00

Friday 30th October 2009Now, this is the third or fourth time I have sat down to write this entry about my lessons this past three weeks.Is that a good sign? Well, yes, perhaps it is. It means, I think, that I haven't had much to write about. Mind you, also it is true that my teaching schedule is very heavy and so maybe it is that I have not retained enough in my over-stretched mind and maybe I

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-41314434473350780072009-10-25T21:09:00.003+03:002009-10-25T21:13:40.792+03:00

Sunday 25th October 2009Well, the good thing today is that my lessons are actually for ONCE going pretty well. More of that later. Now for the “antics” of our newest colleague.His premeditated task, it seems, is to do whatever he can get away with and annoy as many people as he can possible manage. And THAT includes teacher colleagues, Head of Department AND the management upstairs if rumours are

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-53308167952917507922009-10-18T21:34:00.000+03:002009-10-18T21:36:32.437+03:00

Sunday 18th October 2009Well I'm writing this nearly a week after it actually happened. But it doesn't mean that it wasn't important or, in this case, rather worrying. I hope it never happens again.A couple of years ago, as I remember, I had a similar thing but NOTHING anywhere near as bad as THIS one was. And the thing is that it came apparently from nowhere as I thought at the time (although

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-15477363594238459902009-10-11T21:34:00.000+03:002009-10-11T21:35:43.425+03:00

Sunday 11th October 2009Well, I'm here again. Actually I'm not sure what I'm going to write about tonight so bear with me if I drone on a bit while I'm thinking.Ah yes! I forgot, last time, to tell you about one more good thing that happened last weekend. What was it? A very nice restaurant meal, that's what! And a SEAFOOD menu no less. Well, I'm not really one for seafood but I thought I'd give

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-25102690148013228292009-10-09T21:42:00.000+03:002009-10-09T21:44:02.975+03:00

Friday 2nd October 2009I'm sitting here right now, and it has returned. Yes, that feeling of bored frustration which comes of …. well, of sitting HERE not quite knowing what to do to fill my day. However, that said, I don't WANT this day to be gone because it only leads to Saturday and the REAL return to work and to the classroom.Yes, I was back to the college last week but there were no classes

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-30816416472035798582009-10-02T19:34:00.000+03:002009-10-02T19:36:26.372+03:00

Friday 2nd October 2009I'm sitting here right now, and it has returned. Yes, that feeling of bored frustration which comes of …. well, of sitting HERE not quite knowing what to do to fill my day. However, that said, I don't WANT this day to be gone because it only leads to Saturday and the REAL return to work and to the classroom.Yes, I was back to the college last week but there were no classes

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-14273915721915989452009-09-28T09:05:00.001+03:002009-09-28T09:08:35.088+03:00

Saturday 26th September 2009So here it is ….My holiday of five nice long weeks is over and back I am at work in my compound home in the north-eastern desert.Well I say “back at work” but of course I haven't started yet. The current word is that it all begins next week. Sounds far too organised and planned to me and something is sure to turn up. Items that might “upset the apple cart” are :--

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-64622104111323316512009-08-19T09:54:00.007+03:002009-08-19T10:02:31.996+03:00

Wednesday 19th August 2009OK this is it – DEPARTURE DAY!Didn't expect to be sitting here writing yet ANOTHER entry. However, yesterday brought news which has enraged me like an exploding volcano. I suppose it was to be expected, but it is one of those types of news which you dread but PRAY you will never actually hear has become real.The soldier boys course is all over now, tests marked, goodbyes

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-3261099339353033942009-08-19T09:28:00.003+03:002010-02-02T08:45:20.285+03:00

Saturday 15th August 2009OK, my followers far and wide, this is very likely going to be IT for this leg of my Saudi Experience. It's holiday time FINALLY and in four days from now I'll be sitting in Bahrain airport waiting for the plane to England. And no doubt I'll be enjoying …. well, some of the things that are prohibited here in this country.Yes I'm sure of that. And just for the sake of

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-88800002878781325992009-08-07T17:32:00.000+03:002009-08-07T17:35:07.529+03:00

Friday 7th August 2009Basically now things are winding down to the 'end game'. Those students who are doing well know that and also the students who have had enough are also showing this.Actually now there is one important week of revision to go plus, in the week after that (the last one) there will be the Final Exams and Speaking Exam for them. So in fact it is NOT the end of the trail just yet

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-46957557966848459842009-07-31T20:55:00.000+03:002009-07-31T20:56:48.567+03:00

Saturday 25th July 2009Was an interesting time with the holiday request form recently. Yup, as you have predicted already, it involved delays and bureaucratic, infuriating nonsense. Ohh but the kind that, if my hair was weak enough at its roots, would have involved a large amount of hair LOSS during the two weeks it dragged on.So what happened? Well, I finally got around to filling in my holiday

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-62762863538174068552009-07-31T20:51:00.001+03:002009-07-31T20:55:02.222+03:00

Saturday 25th July 2009Now, now!! Before you accuse me of ignoring you, my blogsters, let me say how BAD my internet connection has been lately. I always put aside the weekend Thursday or Friday or, if not done, at the latest I do it on Saturday evenings. But ALWAYS I have been foiled by, as I referred to last time, the “Curse Of Mobily”.I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems as though

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-88508305344782346392009-07-04T20:14:00.000+03:002009-07-04T20:19:12.638+03:00

Friday 3rd July 2009The week just gone was not such a bad one. Only one bad day, and that was the Saturday which so often IS a bad day these days anyway. But when it IS a bad day now, it seems to REALLY be bad and not just a little bit bad. Not worth going into details about Saturday because it was the usual thing of me trying to get the lesson going and them having their Big Discussion which

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-33298505906747589902009-07-04T20:09:00.002+03:002009-07-04T20:14:29.242+03:00

Friday 3rd July 2009A woman is like a banana!”. Yes, my friends, these were the wise words from the mouths of one student this week. Don't know how we came to be talking about bananas. Ah, probably because I now have bananas with my coffee every day. Yes, that must be it.He didn't say, but I suppose this is one of the wise words of the Qu'ran. No, I haven't read it so let's take his word for

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-9926157711376941832009-07-04T20:00:00.002+03:002009-07-05T16:58:08.185+03:00

Wednesday 24th June 2009I wanted to do the Passive Voice with the students last week. There is a very nice unit in Headway Pre-Intermediate involving the History Of Coca Cola which breaks it down well and I have lifted it out of Headway before to use. Thought it would work well with this often-tricky grammar point.Started the class well with a Coca-Cola brainstorm. Associations, things they knew

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-12225471708419178402009-06-23T12:54:00.002+03:002009-07-05T16:54:26.188+03:00

Sunday 21st June 2009What IS the purpose in having a blog, I wonder? Is it to rant? To complain? To record the progress of your days/weeks/months in a strange new place. Why DO I write this blog and why, just lately, am I writing less than in the past? Hehe! Yes, OK, my friends you are right. I'm in a “What To Do?” moment here since I am without my Mobily internet tonight. My choice of Things To

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-76795339221100689692009-06-23T12:53:00.002+03:002009-06-27T18:06:15.471+03:00

Saturday 20th June 2009Something is going on here to further increase my Stress And Annoyance Level. Here I was, sitting here doing this blog entry in OpenOffice and was also online with Skype and Firefox open as I normally have. Suddenly the sound that comes when my USB modem gets disconnected. Well, it sometimes happens and so I went to reconnect. Nope, no good, and the message I got was that

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-61895464347710192232009-06-23T12:52:00.002+03:002009-07-05T16:48:03.873+03:00

Saturday 20th June 2009So much to write about today – TOO much in fact, and I regret ONCE AGAIN leaving so long between diary entries. But what has happened is that I have had the absolute WORST WEEK in this country with this class so far!! Ohhh WHERE to begin? And what IS IT that has made it this way? Tiredness? Another ill period coming on? My patience finally getting the better of me? The

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-35857664296930614592009-06-12T19:16:00.004+03:002009-07-05T16:41:25.265+03:00

Friday 12th June 2009 (again)There's a new guy in town! Yes, we have been joined by a new teacher who has now been here about three weeks now. And BOY OH BOY is HE raisin' hell or WHAT!!OK, we'd heard his name being bandied around by the HoD for months as a Will-He-Won't-He arrival. He had been kept waiting for ages and ages because the block visas had run out and he had to wait for a new lot.

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-27384154709662460222009-06-12T17:22:00.007+03:002009-07-05T16:36:58.564+03:00

Friday 12th June 2009Lots to write about today. Have I left it so long between diary entries? Seems so. So I will start with what the title of today's blog refers to - namely me going down with flu this week.Well, I suppose it was flu. But not the usual symptoms. No runny nose or sore throat. No coughs or sneezes either. And it seemed to start quickly. It wasn't something I felt coming on one day

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-25569214012068646342009-05-31T20:07:00.001+03:002009-05-31T20:10:04.150+03:00

Sunday 31st May 2009Well ....We're in to Week 7 of the course. And now boredom is setting in. Or it's getting too hot. Or I've had enough. Or Monitor Man is stirring them up maybe with Leg Man in assistance. Or .... Or ....Whatever it is, my Bad Day Count per week is increasing. The end of last week together with the first two days of this one have brought more bad days than I've been used to

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-84097592470670529042009-05-25T22:30:00.001+03:002009-05-25T22:34:52.829+03:00

Monday 25th May 2009Well, this is a kind of follow-on from the last blog diary entry in some ways.Having had the key-throwing incident in class, I was advised I should report it under the Disciplinary heading. I filled out the rather short form and did just that. All I was able to write was a very brief sentence to say what had happened. Thought I'd need, at least, to give more detail of what had

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-27575218083474610442009-05-20T21:08:00.003+03:002009-05-21T12:51:15.184+03:00

Wednesday 20th May 2009 OK now. Today we're talking literal and non-literal meanings. Of WHAT exactly? Well, of what it means when I say that really there WAS something 'fishy' going on yesterday morning in my classroom. I'll spill the beans – no need to keep you hanging on too long. There's lots more to come. Now, some of you may know that I've been doing this English teacher 'thing' since

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-25173658310117887572009-05-10T22:31:00.003+03:002009-05-10T22:42:04.770+03:00

Sunday 10th May 2009Well, to quote the great Ronnie Barker in his brilliant character, Arkright, in “Open All Hours”, “It's been a funny sort of day!”.Actually there was nothing REMOTELY FUNNY (in the funny ha-ha sense of the word) at ALL! One of those days that you know you should just brush off as it really doesn't matter. But, on the other hand, it is a day that won't go away from my mind

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-4508954163882027072009-05-03T18:08:00.002+03:002009-05-03T18:14:44.755+03:00

Sunday 3rd May 2009Yes, yes, I know. It's NOT a very original title, “Feelin' Hot Hot HOTTT”, and yes I DO know it's much like the previous blog entry title. But the fact DOES remain that as from the beginning of last week it really HAS become VERY hot here in Saudi Arabia.“And what does 'very hot' mean to YOU?”, you ask. Well, I'm talking days where the mid-day temperature is up to something

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-61087923514330649982009-04-22T22:29:00.001+03:002009-04-22T22:32:11.543+03:00

Wednesday 22nd April 2009Well .... fanfare please because I have just finished .... my FIRST FULL WEEK OF TEACHING PROPER!That makes it over four months between the last lesson I had in Krakow on Friday December 12th 2008 (in the morning) and the first one I did on Saturday 18th April 2009 (first one also in the morning). It is the second longest period (summer times excluded) that I have gone “

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-55400329892365708752009-04-17T22:58:00.002+03:002009-04-17T23:02:06.867+03:00

Friday 17th April 2009I suppose this counts as my last night of freedom .... before I'm fed to the lions that is.No, no. Now, I've been told that this blog is far too pessimistic (thanks BB!). So I'm going to make this entry as positive as it is possible to do so. And in fact, I CAN make it fairly positive because the weekend trip to town was quite a good one and there are some interesting

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-82098618308685165962009-04-15T08:04:00.001+03:002009-04-19T17:48:54.526+03:00

Tuesday 14th April 2009Had to write a diary entry today. It is, of course, one month exactly since I arrived in The Kingdom (as most locals or long-standing expats refer to Saudi Arabia as). About this time I had well and truly ended Day 1 and was feeling pretty darn tired after my plane journey plus the infamous up-all-night Dammam Airport farce. What a poor way THAT was to start my time here!

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-21928561256735773532009-04-14T22:25:00.006+03:002009-04-15T08:02:51.303+03:00

... and it even rains sometimes! Yes, we had a heavy rainstorm two nights ago right here!But back to the main story. No no this is NOT an April Fool. I am here to tell YOU that two days ago at about 7am local time we, here in Khobar, North-East Saudi Arabia had short and VERY sharp snow storm.Don't believe me? Well, HERE is the video proof! And this is NO FAKE!Well, imagine it! What would YOU do

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-47471366570267503932009-04-07T08:32:00.003+03:002009-04-19T18:02:55.502+03:00

This quote is taken from FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, 19th century German philosopher.Monday 6th April 2009I seem to repeating myself a lot on these pages lately.Sorry. I know it's getting a bit boring for you out there reading this that I write (yes, that means YOU!). But I can't help it. There is nothing else to write about. And what's a diary or blog for if not to vent my spleen and look back on later

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-36168905967762859182009-04-05T08:17:00.002+03:002009-04-19T18:23:22.709+03:00

Saturday 4th April 2009I've just got out of bed, and unable to get to sleep easily I thought I'd get writing this.The ear problem is still bugging me. Having endured a full Friday of “monophonic sound”, and then having woken up this Saturday morning still blocked, I had to go once again to see the doctor. What would he do or say this time?Well, first of all, it seemed that – even though I was

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-43211175794655387342009-04-05T08:14:00.002+03:002009-04-19T18:31:25.426+03:00

Thursday 2nd April 2009“Another Saturday Night And ....”So sang Sam Cooke about 40 years ago. Well I wonder what he would be singing right here in Saudi Arabia in my position. I mean, there IS no option of having “anybody” around other than those people you work with. No, I don't dislike them – they're a very pleasant, amiable bunch of teachers. But you know, it's like all the time I am around

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-81103707141096426602009-03-30T07:57:00.002+03:002009-04-19T18:38:29.333+03:00

Sunday 29th March 2009So then .... this will probably be the last entry for Month 1 in Saudi Arabia. Well, it was only half a month but still it counts.Should be getting paid soon. But, as always, the process of getting my hands on the cheque (which is how I'll be paid for this month and the next two) is not so simple.So, not to go too much into the procedure, what I had to do is “simply” to go

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-13939990804272770692009-03-28T14:04:00.002+03:002009-04-19T18:58:01.810+03:00

Sunday 22nd March 2009It's just after the beginning of Week 2 here. THIS time I'm going to try to do this regularly as I can. Well, plenty of time in the evenings likely with little to do so may as well make the most of it! In this diary entry I'm going to write about what I did in Week 1 and add my initial thoughts about “the show so far” at the end.So, first thing is Week 1 and what it was like

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-87223519448442368152009-03-28T13:58:00.002+03:002009-03-28T15:07:03.876+03:00

Friday 13th March 2009So .... as I write this it was two weeks ago today that I'd seen the school assembly and I had just got in the car with Mum on the first leg of my journey to HERE where I am now.Let's start with that initial journey in the car .... actually let's skip forward to being at Heathrow terminal 3. Well, what the hell is there to write about the Bounds Green to Heathrow T3 journey?

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-73887531902709726512009-02-19T01:11:00.004+03:002009-02-19T02:46:41.882+03:00

.... and that masterly quotation comes from French historical novel writer Alexandre Dumas Pere of 19th century fame.How absolutely true those words of wisdom are. It's all you need to do! REALLY it is!!OK, so I think now I can stop eating my humble pie. Don't want to put on too much weight now. Need to be in good condition for ....THE GREAT DEPARTURE!!!Hold on. Did you read correctly? Yup, you

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-77084318710286845242009-02-16T01:47:00.002+03:002009-02-16T02:34:44.743+03:00

The "wise words" of American psychologist, George Weinberg start us off today."WHAT!!??", you say. "Is this going to be a more upbeat and optimistic blog entry today?". Has Pete the Pessimist finally been evicted and the locks changed??Well, err ..... not quite. But Ollie Optimist is definitely in the building and seems now to be more solid in form than in the past."Where there is life, there is

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-55787174408585706172009-02-01T00:27:00.005+03:002009-02-01T14:32:04.122+03:00

Yup, here we are .... it's Saturday 31st January. The last day of the month that I should only have spent half of here.WHY THE HELL AM I STILL HERE??The answer to that lies only, I feel, within the walls of the Saudi "Ministry of Work" (or whatever they call it). However, this is an impenetrable wall if ever there was one.OK, last Friday (23rd January) I decided to phone the people at the UK end

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-64193080513759617862009-01-31T23:54:00.003+03:002009-02-01T14:33:54.488+03:00

Yesss folks I'm still here ....As a preview to my blog entry tonight, I've put together this as a bit of fun:-TWELVE THINGS TO SHOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN IN LONDON TOO LONG ....You think that the house you're living in is quite big enough for your needs and that your tiny little garden is the best thing in the world.You think there are way too many trees around where you're living.You start thinking

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-31442495295621054882009-01-20T00:18:00.003+03:002009-01-20T01:03:16.145+03:00

That's what I feel inside.SURELY I will hear something positive this week. That email which FINALLY tells me, "Yes we HAVE received your contract and we are now sending you the visa papers to be filled in".Because once I get THAT then I KNOW it will be just over a week till I am FINALLY on that plane.How so? Well, quite simply, I have to fill in the visa forms, send them to the agent who then, so

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-4338121630842980332009-01-10T23:15:00.002+03:002009-01-11T00:01:14.997+03:00

.... provided he knows what he is waiting for.Wise words. This time from Woodrow Wilson, ex-USA president of, I think, the 1920's.Yes I DO know what I'm waiting for. Well, I know the $$$ part anyway. Other? Not sure at ALL.Got my book on "The Essential Guide to Saudi Culture and Customs" now. Rather smaller and thinner than I had hoped and so far it's a mixed read. Starts off with a potted

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-74399492307608696452009-01-03T02:05:00.003+03:002009-01-03T02:44:10.390+03:00

Yup it was that much-quoted American, Ralph Waldo Emerson who first said these words way back in the 19th century. And how right he was. But I'd like to add to that by saying that, "In the presence of the Unknown, Use what you Know".However, what DO I know exactly? Well, I'm still waiting that eternal wait as RWE so frowned upon above. Yes yes OK OK so it's New Year (HAPPY NEW YEAR if I haven't

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-88079666251142103832008-12-30T01:42:00.003+03:002008-12-30T03:05:58.838+03:00

Hi there!!Hmm yes folks I'm still here in London nearly one week after my brief but has-to-be-said successful medical checkup exam in Harley Street, London as reported before ...Now it seems I'm still waiting .... The latest I've heard is as follows (taken from an email received today):-"I cannot check whether the medical was satisfactory, however we shall assume so  until we hear to the contrary

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279832882183065851.post-58178278960376797472008-12-24T23:19:00.000+03:002008-12-24T23:45:32.928+03:00

Hi guys :)Well I thought I'd begin today since I'd been waiting for this medical exam with FEAR for ages. Not because I had anything to hide (which I don't), but just because everything depended on it. Ah, that and the visa I now have to apply for but that's a formality.Pfffffff WHY DID I WORRY??WHY did I worry? And more to the point WHY did I HAVE to have this in London on Christmas Eve morning

wildplushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647956863295197172noreply@blogger.com0