Leaving the Oasis

"Where's Waldo?"

Tonight is bitter sweet.


On one hand I move into my permanent place in the Greens tomorrow. I am very excited about finally getting settled in my new place and (yes, dad) finally unpacking my suitcases. On the other hand, tonight I will leave that which is familiar again. The Oasis Court has been my home for the past month and I will really miss it.


I will miss seeing Ahmed at the desk every morning and his cheerful lobby announcement of "Hello, boss!".


I will miss my morning cab ride with Abdul who was always very reluctant to interupt my morning read of the paper to announce the state of the morning traffic or a new restaurant that had just arrived. He was always so curious about the U.S. and would ask about life overseas.


I will miss the nightly swimming crowd. They all had Nike swimcaps and (really) tight swimming trunks, but as Lance Armstrong's book so elequently put it, "It is Not About the Bike." Keep practicing fella's!


I will miss the laundry guy, who I am convinced still does not know the meaning of "lightly starched".


I will miss the smell of curry when I walk out the front door (trust me, that one took some getting used to at 8:00 in the morning!).


This has been a great place to start my new adventure. It is a very humble place where life seems simple and everyone knows your name (maybe because I stick out like a sore thumb!). The people are all very welcoming and kind and I have come to realize that, despite all of the artificial structures being built and the glitz and glam that defines one part of Dubai, there is another part that is very much stuck in the past.


It is a past of inviting weary travelers into one's home for a meal, helping out your fellow man and promoting good will. It is in this very confusing time that Dubai (not unlike all of us) is still being defined. It is a teenager that is stuck between childhood and becoming an adult. It is still trying to find its identity and, just like a teenager some things that are akward and others that are very grown up and mature. Just like a teenager, it is trying to impress the rest of the world with its independence but at the end of the night it gets tucked in by mom and dad. Just like a teenager, it is not sure which way to go next and...


...just like a teenager, we experience many emotions from all ends of the spectrum everyday, but we look to the future with our heads high, ready for the next adventure...