Plans

Hello from Dubai!
(Left: On the bus to the Le Meridien Hotel)

The RZIM conference has now come to an end. It was such an impressive time, and lived up to and surpassed my expectations. The hospitality was generous, the lectures provoking, the company priceless. I was glad to be able to meet and converse with people from all around the Middle East--countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, and (exotic!) Texas. Plans are already shifting a bit as I work in a weekend trip to Qatar, and check flights, etc to Syria.

I know that a few of you have been concerned that I would end up homeless on the beach between the conference and my check in at the AUD dorms. No worries. As of now, I am sharing a room with Tim F. at the Le Meridien Fairview. He's here until Monday and we're going to check out the city together for the next few days. On sunday I plan to take the bus out to the East coast of the UAE and stay at the YHA in Khor Fakkan. This is a quiet coastal town and sounds like a perfect place to unwind on the beautifully sparse beaches. I could use a break from the pace of this town! I'll keep you posted.