Back to school at last!

I have not had much time to write over the last week but at last...finally after 4 weeks off the kids are back at school today. The Christmas holidays were extended by a week because of the new teacher (wife of the current & up to this point the only one) had her visa delayed again, but she is here now so full time school should start next week (the kids have only been going to school in the mornings up to now & concentrating on core curriculum stuff) Obviously one of the problems here is that there is no system where you can call in a supply teacher - if the staff are ill or have to go to see some Saudi official during school hours, which has happened, there is no alternative to shutting the school. Still it is not as if I, or any other mum for that matter, is at work. Once full time school starts properly I will be able to use the "shopping bus" which goes into town everyday (but at the moment doesn't come back until after the school has finished for the day) That should make life here a bit easier, as it means I will be able to get most of the shopping done during the week - so no more moaning from him indoors or the kids about having to spend every Thursday morning rattling around supermarkets. The shopping bus goes to a different part of town/souk/mall/supermarket everyday so I will probably find a whole host of new things and places that I didn't know existed here. I have been on it a few times before, when him indoors has been on nights so could be there when the kids finish school, and over the holidays the kids and I have been out a couple of times. The bus has a Saudi driver (who so far is the best Saudi driver I have seen by a long way, very reassuring!) he spends most of his time complaining at the standard of driving here and calling the other drivers "donkeys" or "Bedouin" as, in his opinion, the only/last thing they should/could drive is a camel. We also get a security guard who comes on the bus with us. He is in contact with the other security people back at the compound, just incase anything happens, but so far all I have seen him do is help all of us unload our shopping and carry it to our door when we get back.