I’ve been on three trips to Saudi Arabia this academic year: first it was Dammam in September, then two more trips at the  start of 2012 to Jeddah and Riyadh. Each time I was doing Ministry of Education training  for teachers and school supervisors for OUP.

It would take a long time to describe my thoughts and impressions of Saudi Arabia, and this probably isn’t the right place to do it. The things that I will remember fondly, however, are:

1. Working with university teachers in Jeddah from all over the world: not just from Saudi but also Pakistan, India, UK, US, Canada, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa and Lebanon.

2. Drinking delicious (non-alcoholic, of course) Saudi champagne

3. Walking through the streets of old Jeddah, with its narrow alleys and ubiquitous sock merchants

4. Enjoying shisha in a cafe by the Red Sea

5. Working with great colleagues