Once we're out of traffic and onto the open road, I finish reading the local English-language paper that includes articles translated from the Arabic dailies, where I keep track of the latest press coverage of the minister. I take out my computer and, thankful for the fact that I do not get car sick, make some last-minute edits to a presentation on our progress that I want to share with my client team leader prior to our next meeting with the ministry. I glance out my window from time to time and watch the landscape change from urban sprawl to green fields. In the last 15 minutes, I take the time to think through my day and define what I want to accomplish.

I arrive at our client and set up shop at the end of the large conference table in my client team leader's office and make the rounds with the broader client team—getting updates on an ongoing project to set up a hotline for consumer complaints and checking in on the latest revenue and utilisation data. I also order an "ahwa mas buht" (Turkish coffee, a little sweet) from the tea boy, who compliments my fledgling Arabic every morning. I transfer the presentation to my memory stick and give it to my client team leader for his feedback.

The improvement coaches, my core client team, are gathered around the conference table, and we do a quick update (mostly in English peppered with the occasional Arabic phrase). I have been working with this team of six for the past two months.

Time to visit frontline services. We then grab a quick lunch of falafel for the road, accompanied by my favourite drink, Diet Bebsi (there is no P in Arabic). Back at the client site, we come back together for a quick discussion on the day's progress. The coaches take turns practicing training presentations for next week. They give each other constructive feedback just like we taught them several weeks ago. It is rewarding to see how well their coaching skills are coming along and how much they trust each other!

The coaches leave for the day, and I get a few minutes alone with my client team leader. We go over the presentation I gave him in the morning and also discuss the things on his mind. We work together to also prioritise the next week's work.

Time to jump back in the van for the 90-minute trip back to the hotel. I use this time to type up notes or update e-mail for my engagement manager, to reflect on the day and think through the challenges ahead, to practice my Arabic, or to sleep.

Back at the hotel, I squeeze in a quick swim before our team meeting. It relaxes me and gives me energy. We meet as a team for an early working dinner with our Associate Principal to talk through the presentation we are preparing for next week's meeting and to plan the agenda for next month's national conference. We each agree to prepare a case on a benchmark country to help inform the discussion. For the national conference, we agree to a set of talking points and divide up client team members to support preparations for the presentations. Team problem solving is one of my favourite parts of McKinsey and this team in particular is very close. This past weekend we all went camping together in the desert. As is often the case in the region, we're a very international team with home offices in five different countries.

Once that's over, I head back to my room to work on the case study, call a recruit who has questions about what it is like to be a woman in the region, and catch up on e-mail—work and personal. Send a quick SMS to friends in Dubai about weekend plans and also give my brother a call in the United States, timed perfectly with his lunch break. Being so far away from family can be a challenge, so I try to carve out some time every day for a quick chat or e-mail. I also send lots of pictures-don't know what I would do without my digital camera.

Once that's over, I head to bed, with a copy of the NYTimes Sunday crossword puzzle—can't keep my eyes open for more than a handful of clues, but I always finish before the week is through.