And here we are again this year: as if to say that marine biologists never stop and move wherever they can dive underwater and study something new. We left off with the family dogs, who were helping me write the last post for "Diary of a Marine Biologist in Taiwan," and here we are surrounded by desert, palm trees, and camels with a fantastic view of the Red Sea.
This year, the destination of the scholarship I won is Saudi Arabia , specifically the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, a super-technological and well-equipped campus that provides everything an intern (i.e., a university scholarship holder) needs. Except for pork: it's strictly forbidden since this Muslim country lacks it equally among international students. No carbonara for the next few months.
First, as usual, I had to figure out what to pack.
The star of this trip and a must-have item is the abaya , the black robe worn by Muslim women, complete with a headscarf. It actually sounds much worse than it is: on campus, you can dress in Western style (as long as your knees and shoulders are covered during Ramadan), and the abaya is only worn for going out in the "real" Arabia. Which I'm happy to do, given all the traditional restaurants in the town near the campus.
I still think I'm the most extroverted person in the world, so, as it should be, the second day in a country 
As a foreigner, I find myself overwhelmed with things to do, always in the company of students and scholarship holders from all over the world. Needless to say, English is a must. But necessity makes one multilingual, and I quickly figured out how to organize the most important thing: where/how/when to dive. Much easier than in Taiwan, I must say: here, the university has its own diving center, and while waiting to convert my PADI certification to a Saudi certification (which I hope makes sense, since it's all in Arabic), I even found time to visit a few archaeological sites.
So the first stop of the month is Saudi Arabia's “Little Petra” (aka the archaeological site of Al-Hijir, more simply Al ula), a truly extraordinary place that completely repays the eight-hour bus ride it took to get there. It was two days of scorching sun and climbing in an abaya: obviously, since I'm not used to wearing long dresses for mountain hikes, I risked my life a couple of times by tripping at the most inopportune moments. But we all survived, even managing to enjoy the stars by the fire in the tranquility of the desert with our trusty shisha (or nargile, if you prefer).
And then, finally, the sea . Last weekend I had my first snorkeling experience: amazing despite the sunburn and the scratches from the coral. I also managed to see my first sea turtle in the wild: it was stunning, and I'm perfectly aware that the photos I took don't do it justice. There was really too much wind and too many waves, which was the main reason for my "clash" with the coral.
But next weekend I have two reef dives ahead of me. The abaya will be swapped for a bikini, the camera will be charged, and no excuses: at least a couple of hours of nitrogen breathing. I can't wait.
Photos by Lucia Gastoldi and Peter Horvath. Reproduction of the text and photos in this article, even partial, is strictly prohibited without the author's consent.
