111 hours to go...

Yep, only 111 hours left in the sandlands; a good 18 of which I'll be asleep, so really it's only 93 hours I have to count through before wheels-up and I jet off to Europe. Sweet.

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity - selling off extra housewares, CDs, stereo equipment; transferring money, closing bank accounts, exchanging currency; cancelling visas, work permits, credit cards, health insurance; work-related paperwork, final to-dos, Client good-byes, and generally psyching myself up for my imminent departure. AND, there's a new guy starting here on Monday, and he's sitting at my desk and using my computer, so I won't have access to IT. Gonna be a slow couple of days, but it gives me ample opportunity to walk the halls and chat with the folks - friends - whom I'll be leaving behind.

Thursday morning, when I fly out, marks exactly 900 days since I first set foot in the Middle East. It's been quite a ride since, a true test of adaptability and change, eye-openning on many fronts, but overall a great experience. Would I do it again had I known then what I know now? Definitely (as long as Jill was still in agreement...). Would I have done things differently? Of course. But for what did transpire, the lessons I learned, the understanding I gained, and the experiences I had, it was well worth it.

But alas, it was never to be a permanent move. In many ways I still find myself gazing out the window and times and thinking, "How the hell did I end up in the Middle East?!" And more poignantly now as time ticks by, how did 2 1/2 years fly by seemingly so quickly? I don't really have clear answers to these (or a thousand other) questions, but it's a moot point anyway: in 4 short days, after my ritual pint in the airport and some final stares out the window at the wonder that is Dubai, I'll walk onto yet another plane, yet another flight, yet another long trip North...

But this time, I won't be coming back. I'm going home.

*shakes head in confusion*

Some things about this country have always made me cock an eyebrow in curious astonishment. Like there being no laws about wearing seat belts in the back seat - thus allowing kids to bounce around completely unrestrained and left to the potentially fatal whim of inertia were there to be a crash; or the concept that car-pooling has only recently been legalized (yes, it was illegal before) BUT making people formally register with the police before transporting anyone other than yourself and family - apparently to curb rogue taxi services; or random websites being blocked by the telecomms authority for perverting moral values (these have included Facebook, YouTube, and almost any photo galleries (Flickr, and even some Dubai-based property developers) - auspiciously for fear there could be too much exposed skin or networking among the sexes going on. The list goes on, but sometimes, one reeeaaalllyyy has to smack one's forehead in an utter loss of understanding.

I've written before about a Yemeni stone dealer who attempted to sell a 'magical onyx', complete with the ability to keep its possessor bulletproof, for some 1.8 BILLION DIRHAMS. Upon his arrest, he stuck to his story, and even offered to allow the authorities test his claims - on himself, no less - otherwise he would submit to a life sentence. Don't really think he thought this deal through... ANYWAY, he's back in the news, as his sentence has been reduced from 6 months to 3 months in jail, followed by deportation. Why was he granted such dispensation, you ask? Was it the public outcry at the idiocy of his claims and the entertainment of such before the judicial courts? Was he found to be a right nutter and the authorities decided they wanted nothing more to do with him? Either one would make sense, in my humble opinion... but, no... according to today's article in Gulf News,

The court reduced the initial verdict yesterday after several government bodies failed to confirm the Yemeni's claims because they lacked proper scientific methods or equipment to test whether the onyx stone was bulletproof or to decide its real value.

Now this gives me pause... I'd like to think I'm fairly worldly, up on the general scene of scientific achievement and even a modicum of supernatural belief; but I know of no 'scientific methods' for determining an object's (or a person's) bulletproofedness. Other than, oh, I don't know, FIRING A FREAKIN' BULLET AT IT?! Mayhap that's my simpleton mind applying Ockham's Razor all willy-nilly, but seriously... did this whole episode really need to drag on some 5 months, involve several government bodies, countless court sessions, 6- then 3-month imprisonment, and the inevitable deportation?

But then again, who am I to say this cat wasn't legit from the get-go? Maybe he did find a stone that somehow, inexplicably (and apparently unsubstantiatably) made it's exceedingly rich owner impervious to bullets. Maybe he was just being altruistically opportunistic, making a tidy profit whilst ensuring the well-being of some would-be target instead of keeping it for himself. And maybe - just maybe - there are actual scientific methods to test his claims, yet sadly, none are available in the UAE; other than the tried and true .45, of course...

(And yes, I'm aware that 'bulletproofedness' and 'unsubstantiatably' aren't real words, but as all sorts of bunkum is being proffered here, so be it. Don't shoot me...)

17 days, 15 hours, 33 minutes to go...

Not that I'm counting... ;)

Only 3 weeks left?!

I've mentioned before that 2008 is zipping by in a mad blur... I crawl into the office on Sunday mornings, expecting a really long and arduous week, and then in the blink of an eye it's Thursday afternoon and we're heading off to the weekend. The workload is definitely a factor - I find when I'm insanely busy, the days pass by far quicker; but recently, with my impending departure from Dubai for good, it seems that the days and weeks are disappearing faster than expected.

It seems like only a few days ago that I started my countdown to leaving - starting at 58 days. Today, however, marks only 3 short weeks until my last day at the agency, the last time I'll see most of these people, the last time (hopefully) I'll ever experience 45+ degree head and sandstorms. I'll finish out that Wednesday, say my final good-byes to the friends I've made here, and head off to the airport, order that last pint of Guinness in Dubai, and for the last time, walk down the ramp and onto a flight out of the Middle East. It will have been exactly 900 days since I first touched down, yet those 2 1/2 years have gone by in a flash.

It's been quite an experience - having some of the most interesting and challenging Clients, watching Dubai continue its rapid spate of growth, nearly dying on an operating table, numerous trips back and forth to see Jill, the family, and friends; and many of those 900 nights wondering how the hell I ended up in the Middle East. It's been fascinating living in this society, getting a better understanding of the culture and religion, seeing the world through non-Western media, and gaining a new appreciation for the history and future of the region. Besides some lifelong friendships I'll carry out with me, that has to have been the best part of being in Dubai. It's been eye-opening, and I hope personally expanding, and I'm thankful to have had that experience.

Still no idea what I'll do with this site once I'm in Stockholm... I may just change the logo to theviewAWAYfromDubai and carry on writing this bombast from afar. Shall see... but like I said, in 3 weeks - 21 short days - this epic will be coming to an end...