APOLOGIES for not writing for so long but I’ve been busy running around getting ready to leave tonight for Nottingham University in England where I will be studying human rights on a Chevening Fellowship.

The fellowship is given to a select group of mid-career professionals every year by the British Foreign Office to foster understanding between the Muslim world and Britain.

This is only the second year that they have been giving these fellowships and I will be studying the implementation of international human rights conventions along with 11 other professionals from around the world.

My fellow writer and friend Adel Al-Toraifi was also selected and he will be studying “Democracy and the Rule of Law” at the University of Birmingham.
I had to run out and buy some cold weather clothing, since having lived in hot Jeddah for so long, I really didn’t have any sweaters or coats. So bought three nice sweaters made in Italy (one baby blue with a zipper, another red one with 10% cashmere in it, and a green-brown pullover). I also bought a long camel-colored wool coat and a few scarves.

The temperatures in Nottingham have been quite nippy, often dipping below zero degrees centigrade at night! Quite a change from the 29 degrees centigrade that we’ve been having here in Jeddah.

I promise to blog while I’m there for three months, and will post pictures of where I’m staying.

Nottingham is around two and half hours north of London, and was allegedly the home of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.