The Multinational School - Riyadh

Considering how much time I usually spend at school, many will regard this as my new home. It has amazing facilities and Peter is going to have a ball (pardon the pun) teaching PE.

I looked at a number of International Schools before committing to MNS-R. This school really stood out as being a wonderful place of learning. It has Kiwi roots and the Directors are passionate about education - so it seems like a really good fit for me.

Reacting to the Reaction

It is fair to say that not many people were expecting us to head off overseas for another adventure... it is also fair to say that if asked, even fewer would have guessed Riyadh as our next home town. Reacting to the reactions has been quite a challenge, and I confess I held off on a few conversations just so that I could savour the initial excitement before I addressed the judge and jurors on the whats, whys and hows. Why? Truth be told, I don't have the answers. Is Riyadh safe? How will you cope with the climate? How will you cope with the strict laws? What is the food like? What do you have to wear? How expensive is it to live there? Well... I am not sure, I don't know, I haven't a clue, I'll Google that!

I have absolutely fallen into the "Google it" trap. The reality is if I Google it enough, I can find the answer I want, which in one respect is fantastic, but actually leaves me no clearer about what the next 3 years will look like. Thank goodness for that! I could never have imagined what delights Korea would bring. I had to live it. I could never have imagined what challenges Korea would bring. I had to survive them. What I learnt from Korea, is what I love to call the Dancing Dragonfly theory. Those who know me, know the story well. In a nutshell it is about savouring every moment of a new experience and making the smallest of moments memorable by delighting in them: watching dragonflies dance from my kitchen window 18 stories above the streets of Shin-Ri as I listen to a Korean speaking Spongeeeebob emanating from the lounge while the waft of freshly made pancakes hit my nostrils. The combined effect made me pose the following question: could anyone have ever predicted any of my experiences singularly let alone considered the infinite combinations that make life.... well... life? Of course not, and that is why Peter and I are going to embrace this opportunity and treasure the moments. All of them. The good, the bad and the ugly.  Feel free to join in our learning journey. 

So 8 weeks to go until life in Riyadh begins.