One Month to Go

I am leaving for Saudi Arabia in four weeks! It is hard to believe! When I tell people that I am going, I commonly get two responses - WOW! and WHY? The answer to the question is that I love to travel and have never been to the Middle East. AND I believe that we must talk and listen to each other if we ever hope to understand each other.

EDUCATORS TO SAUDI ARABIA: This is the fifth Aramco trip. The first two were not open for a national competition so this is the third national competition. Usually about 150-200 applications are received for 24 slots. In order to apply, you must be either a Social Studies teacher or a librarian. Another librarian from Wisconsin went last year. I am the only
Wisconsin teacher to be selected for this trip.

ITINERARY: Our itinerary will not be known until we get to Houston. Previous groups have traveled to Dharhan, Riyadh, and Jeddah. We will be flying via Amsterdam - an 18 hour trip from Houston to Riyadh. I am loading up my ipod, sharpening my pencil (to do Sudokus), and looking for a VERY compelling novel to fill the hours. Hopefully, I will also get a good nap.


CLOTHING We know it will be very hot and we know that women must be entirely covered. A tailor will be making abayas (like the one shown) for the women on the first day. We do have to cover our arms to the wrist and our shirts must cover the collar bone. The abayas will not cover all of this. So today I went out to buy some clothes. Stores in Wisconsin do not sell "modest" summer clothes in February!