Where My Soul Ends and Yours Begins

Beneath the Scrubs

The last month has been a path to revelation. Revelation big and small, redefining purpose and direction, refining understanding and identity. Crisis forces clarity, strength ensures persistence, faith is eternity in being.

I have come through my own deficit in character, understood and challenged my demons, and in my critical personal estimation, I have succeeded.

What is integral to my experience over the last two months is the peace of mind that I have been able to establish.

Where my Soul ends and Yours begins...

... is the point at which I agree to enter into a personal communion with the people around me; I agree to lower my barriers and challenge myself to understand, to empathize
, to look with my heart and live with My Soul; I agree to let go of the competition, to not try to prove you wrong, insist that I am right; I agree to simply be.

... are the conversations about life, challenges, defeats, triumphs, pain, joy - the details of what it means to be human from the individuals living it, not letting ourselves get lost in diversity, celebrating it - not letting it become another status quo.

... are the investigations of culture amongst friends, Jihad opening himself to my questions, trusting me completely that basic respect is true - and that these questions will produce only more value in friendship and trust.

... is where I release myself to the deepest love, making myself vulnerable to be hurt, but also enabling myself to fully enter into sublime peace - is Amie, My Beloved Friend.


We are capable of surmounting greater challenges than we could ever imagine. Human strength is infinite when we agree to never foresake our Soul...

Emergence, or Re-...

Life teaches us lessons in interesting ways, and foreign travel and living often present the most interesting - which is ultimately why I have chosen my present lifestyle. I certainly was well aware that this experience would be challenging when I agreed to undertake it, but I absolutely had no idea how challenging it could be - both in the degree of challenge, as well as the types of challenge. Of course it was the professional challenges that first lured me here, thinking that I had gone through a lot of the personal challenges with my last abroad experiences. I think it is this naivety that has led me to my most recent crash. Crashing and depression are good experiences if you have the strength and presence of mind to realize that it is happening, choose to seek out the causes, and force yourself to do something about it. These, in fact, are some of the greatest moments of growth - and, in the heat of the moment, also the least welcomed. Clarity is something that I continually seek, and I have become increasingly good at finding it in unfamiliar places. However, in those moments that I lose focus, or a deep fog sets in, I can fall pretty hard. So, lesson learned is? Keep the faith and keep on moving - hope is sometimes the best medicine and at least some part of the ball always rests in your court.

Now, on to the good things that I have rediscovered about myself, travel, work, and Oman.

I have started cooking again, which for some reason I had an unreasonable fear of until I found a grocery store that was manageable - Hypermarkets are just that... Hyper, and a bit unnerving for a sensitive soul like myself. I pay a bit of a premium, but gladly. Peace of mind and healthy diets come at a price.

By travel I really mean more or less settled, temporary living in foreign countries. I became a bit homesick for the good ole U S of A, thinking how good it would be to live there again, how easy, how logical, how fulfilling - and that's when I begin to think, those are all the reasons why I left in the first place. One thing is for sure, my respect has grown for the Homeland, along with all of the living paradoxes it contains. But it is not time to go back yet. There are simply too many awkward cultural situations I have to stumble through and too many Bush bashes that I have yet to hear. Let's just say that the world is on the edge of their seats for the results of November 4th. We better not screw this one up.

Work has suffered a bit from my emotional state, but promises to rebound as I put it back together. Over the past few months, I have wavered between full-out commitment to another year in Oman and nervous doubt about when would be the best time to make my move. To be honest, the commitment has always been stronger than the doubt - so for those with self-interests in my commitment to be here, rest assured that I am solidly here. Of course, if I left, I don't know where I would go, and I think I would be giving up a lot of the opportunity that still remains here for me - namely solidifying a company, growing our presence in Oman, rubbing elbows with the movers and shakers of Oman and seeing this project through to the point where I can feel a more full accomplishment.

There is absolutely no way you will like Oman if you don't meet, interact with, and make friends with Omanis - and do so on a regular basis. This has been my biggest fault since my return, I got too busy with other things to reach back out to my Omani community. Without the warmth and friendship of the people here, you are likely to melt in the sun. Thank you to all the Omanis that have reached out to me recently, and turned my heart back around to this country - Yahya, Jihad, Abdulazziz. And of course, a thank you is due to my American suburban couple trying to live the yuppie life in Oman with a new baby Charlie - Scott and Marianne. Happy Easter.

How to Get My Head Straight

So here it is, I'm in the middle of another work day with more than my fair share in front of me. How do I clearly construct a document describing what our first governance body will look like? How do I get our Omani shareholders to cooperate in the moments leading up to filing for our AIESEC company? How do I leverage the media to recognize the great things that AIESEC will do for Oman? How can I gain the trust of the government ministries so that they will bestow us with their blessing to move forward?

And what do I do in a room full of white and black?


The last couple days have been an up and down like I haven't experienced in a while. I had a meeting with two of our three shareholders, who we are now referring to as Guardians, during which I could literally see and feel everything coming together. I saw the potentials turning into reality and all the planning turning into action. And now comes the follow-up... Like twisting arms, pulling legs, slapping wrists and breaking knuckles (not really, but try to see my point). In the midst of it all, I see myself succumbing to the weight of the Omani work ethic - lulling me into a place where deadlines don't matter, time moves but I stand still. And all the things worth doing feel all too ominous. All of these feelings after I felt like I could change the world only two days ago.

And then their was the white and black. I don't think I will ever get used to this. I decided to go to a play at the university at the bequest of a student friend who was acting in the play. Called "Shakespearean Night," it was a comical look at how Shakespeare would have directed his own plays, albeit if he were Omani and acting in front of a crowd of Omani students and teachers with sprinkled expats. Costuming was good, acting was laudable... the setting before unimaginable to me. I should have expected it really, I know that school - it is not ultra conservative, but still segregated to a degree (by sex that is). And so, the late-entrance experience, what to me is already usually awkward, skyrocketed in awkwardness as I took a quick glance upon entry to see black in the two sides with a big, wide white stripe down the middle. For those unfamiliar with the colors of sex, male is white and black is female. Now, the awkwardness wouldn't have been that great had we only been our usual crowd of a few dudes. But, we were with women, an Omani and a Colombian. And instead of playing by the rules, we all sat down together in the big White Stripe. And I began to sweat...

But, what begins well ends well, so I am starting to think that all of the apparent build-up by the Omani codes of conduct surrounding male and female interaction are really just meant to keep everyone on edge, and those in the younger crowd just know what is expected of them but don't really have as much esteem for the rules as I initially expected. I've been having these thoughts for a while, but just now built up the courage to express them. Hopefully this goes well, too. And please know that I only have good intentions.


So... my head is crooked, cocked just a little to the side - searching for ways to get straight again. I've got this persistent nauseousness that flares up from time to time, but never really leaves me. I can't figure it out really, although I have a few theories. I am love deprived, and not just the romantic type. Any and all physical contact with people has been removed (save for a casual handshake here and there) and the biggest reason I have to believe that I am yet human is that I still feel the primal urges for eating, sleeping and, well, you know... I am only hoping that there is some brevity to my insanity. Amie, it's time for you to be here.

Living with Yourself in Strange Places

This post is a tribute to the discovery and rediscovery of the essence of oneself in familiar ways and in strange places. To the will that you will not lose yourself despite any challenges that come your way.

Challenges come that are self-fabricated and real, from environment and from self-doubt. In any event, it is the strength and ability to push through a reflection that reveals your true values that will endure the challenges.

I believe you can adapt to any environment that you are surrounded by, given the proper time and the right attitude. This discovery is one of the most rewarding experiences that you can ever have.

Coming Home

And there's business to be done... I am wrapping up the AIESEC International Presidents' Meeting tour with a last stop in Skopje, Macedonia where it all began, after a whirlwind two weeks passing through Ohrid and a small vacation in Thessaloníki. I do fell more sound about everything that I've done, and everything that I will be doing very soon in Oman. The approval and interest in what is happening in Oman from the rest of the AIESEC network was just the support and verification that I needed, and I am now ready, and more excited than ever to get back into things. And now we are just at that tipping point where we can truly break out into the huge performance that we have been foreseeing. IPM was not an easy experience, and many elements were puzzling - and almost all tiring. But it was a truly monumental experience nonetheless. Being my first international conference, I got to see the AIESEC network in action. And even if it is comprised of a very select segment of the student population worldwide, it is inspiring to see such a collection of young people from around the world, all coming together for the purpose of understanding and peace through the exchanges of each other.

This experience has given me a lot to take back and ponder. I have grown significantly because of it, I can already tell. I appreciate the insight it has given me, and the new challenges it has presented me as well. It was an honor to represent Oman in its first official appearance with the AIESEC network, and promising that it will continue to figure into the health and growth of the entire organization.

After all of this, I am so grateful to be returning to Oman. The country has given me so much to this point, in ways that I cannot fully articulate. There is a subtle connection that I feel with it, and I know that I am not yet ready to let it go. In one way, I do feel as if I am coming home - I am coming back to the purpose for which I am working so hard right now. While other connections to home still escape Oman, for now I am content to have the opportunities and blessings that my experiences in Oman continue to present me. I am happy to be living in Oman.

Gulftastic Time

And so it was that I ended my journey back from the US of A with a three day stopover in the island kingdom country of Bahrain. The occasion was the first AIESEC Gulf Conference, bringing together members from Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. There was a special aura, an energy amongst all in attendance - anticipating what this moment would mean. For me, it was a chance to really see a piece of my work coming to fruition, a tangible verification of the work that my team and I have done to this point. I cannot claim too much responsibility for the success of this conference outside of the sessions that I helped to facilitate, so I give credit where credit is certainly due to Jorien of Bahrain, and David of my team. With these two leaders, we, as a group in the Gulf, were able to catalyze our efforts into an experience for a group of young people that they will certainly not forget for a long time to come.

It is good to be back in the Gulf. It is good to be back in Oman. After leaving and coming back so many times now, it is now comforting to feel that there is a piece of home in Oman when I return. I am looking at another period of time away from this piece of home for another incredible AIESEC experience in the Republic of Macedonia. This will surely prove to be the most singularly challenging and exciting experience in my AIESEC career, as I will be representing my colleagues and members, as well as the six months of work we've done to this point, before a group of over 100 peer leaders. I know that I have a large responsibility going in to this conference, and that a lot is expected out of my representation. I feel as if I am looking at one of those defining and enlightening moments in life that provide a degree of clarity and confusion all at the same time.

I believe in the power of what I am a part of, the potential, and the impact already, of my efforts through the organization that is AIESEC. It's funny how my relationship with it is changing all the time, as well as my perception of my effectiveness and my capacity and competency to make our large goals realities. To say that it has been easy would be a lie. To be honest, it has been an extreme roller coaster much akin to an adolescent romance turning into an adult relationship- distance, skepticism, infatuation, love, struggle, disillusionment, rejection, finally to tempered, dedicated, quietly passionate love and deep respect. While I cannot say that it will forever receive my attention and love as I intend for my adult relationship, I can say that I will persist in my work for it, as a labor of love for its ideals and principles - and the people they are intended to benefit the most.

Revelations come at the most unexpected moments.

The Romance Continues

Small moments in time can change a lot. It's those moments, those conversations, those people, that come are able to push you to see more, challenge you to realize the importance of what you are doing and why - it's those moments that can change it all.

I'm back in the game

The Beginning of the AIESEC Oman Experience

It has finally come... the quintessential moment of the AIESEC experience, when students are first exposed to its possibilities and their own potential. For the very first time, Omani students had the opportunity to sit in their classrooms and learn first hand about what is coming to their colleges and universities through our information sessions. It was elating to see the excitement in their faces, the smiles, the questions and the already apparent commitment and dedication that some students have to do something more. These are important moments not only for the students to first learn and understand a piece about AIESEC, but also for the people speaking about their own experiences in AIESEC. I myself delivered my personal AIESEC story to yet another group of students - and yet again, I reflected on how important and impactful my experiences through AIESEC have been to me.

It is so exciting, and now relieving, to be able to speak and start to work with the Omani students. After four months of work and planning, the real purpose of why we are here is able to take place. Now the real work has just begun. Now we start to recruit our most direct stakeholders with the most to gain from what we are doing - the people who will be able to take the lead when we start to move on.

Through all of these experiences, I have been having my own moments of revelation and clarity. I am finally starting to understand what I am doing here, and the significance of this experience for my own development. The transition from our initial touch-down in Oman four months ago to now has been a flurry of activity, and a series of growing pains in which I've learned how to reach inside myself for some other source of energy and inspiration in order to reach back out. I've retaught myself how to live in a foreign environment, and to understand it as a place I belong, as yet another home. I've learned how to live and work with two incredible individuals who I've depended on for life in the work environment, as well as moments of personal troubles. I've learned how to get the best work out of myself, and how to encourage the best work out of my colleagues that makes us function as well as possible as a team. And through it all, I've rediscovered who I am, my values, and my purpose-filled life that I've worked so hard to build.

We are entering a new and exciting phase here, for AIESEC and for ourselves personally. Once again, I couldn't be happier with my choice to come to Oman in order to pursue the task I've bee given, for myself and the countless others who I will be working with. I've got to say that I am loving this life here, and I am ready for more to come.

A Little Taste of India in Oman

As has been iterated to me several times, India and Oman have an intimate history. The two cultures and countries have been exchanging people and and goods for centuries, probably millenia. Therefore, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise to me when our good Indian friend in Oman Deepkamal invited us to participate in an Indian festival being hosted in his neighborhood. However, as I walked into the venue, had a little traditional food, and then started participating in the traditional stick dancing that is such a part of Kuvrati culture, I couldn't help myself from thinking - I can't believe I'm in Oman right now. From everything that I could see, Brett, David and I were the only people present who were not Indian themselves - there were certainly no Omanis there. Yet, what struck me as incredible was not my own contrast with our Indian hosts, by simple visuals and our bad dancing, but the simple fact that this festival was taking place in Oman. None of the women were veiled, men and women were free to speak and interact, and a likeness of an Indian god was present where those who chose were free to make their prayers and offerings. And this festival was not done in secret. To be completely honest, I couldn't believe that I was in a Muslim country.

Maybe it is simply due to my own ignorance about the true tolerance of Islam for other people's cultures and beliefs. Maybe it is simply another testament to the openness and warmth of the Omani people and culture. Perhaps it is a little bit of both.

After the last week's events of the Eid celebration, which itself alone was enough to move mountains within me, and then this simple show of acceptance and openness, I cannot help but to say that I love this country.

Oh yeah, and the festival was a blast too.

If the Whole World Was Omani...

Eid Mubarak.

My sense of Oman was forever changed this weekend. I was but a foreigner in a foreign land, learning to love that land - and then the people decided to love me. As I begin to reflect on the gift I was given on Saturday, I come into a new human perspective - I was witness to a kind of unconditional love of sorts, expressed through the open arms of brothers and sisters I never knew I had.

I don't know what pushes the Omani people to be as open and welcoming as they have proven themselves to be. It cannot be explained simply through Islam, otherwise the entire Islamic world would be this open. It is something deeper, something so purely human that compels Oman to open its arms to an outsider and proudly share with them their lives and their traditions. Perhaps it is a pure curiosity about the lives of others, and an honest pride in the purpose and meaning of their traditions.

As I was invited into home after home this Saturday, filling my stomach to the brim with fresh fruits and coffee, and then each neighbors home recipe of meat and spices, I began to wonder to myself if I had ever been treated with as much warmth and hospitality by complete strangers. The funny thing was, I did not really feel like a stranger at all - in a strangely familiar way, I felt like I belonged. The incredible thing was that I saw no discrepancy in attitude between generations. From the oldest man to the youngest child, their community, homes and hearts were open to me.

The communities in which I was participating in the Eid celebrations certainly had a unique character to themselves. Everyone knew everyone else, and were probably related to one another in some way or another - which may have led to the particular sense of identity in community that I sensed there. Of course, some individuals were more willing to talk with us than others, often times based on their level of English and my brief flashes of clarity in my Arabic, which led to deeper connections with some than others. But what I will hang on to from this experience, is the desire and effort of that particular few to connect and communicate through their openness and sharing trust.

My perspective on giving has forever been changed, along with my understanding of what acceptance of another truly means. In fact, my understanding about the kind of person I continually strive to be is changing as well. If I can strive daily to live the open and welcoming life that I was treated to this Eid

...Maybe the World Would Be a Better Place.

With the Higher Education

Refer back to the title of my previous post - shazaam.

We had a great day with the Ministry. Our presentation went wonderfully and our host seemed genuinely interested about what AIESEC has to offer Oman. We will be giving them more soon. After that we met with an SQU official who was very welcoming in his reception. We talked about the wonders of Oman for about 15 min before we even talked about business. And after our presentation, he offered us a chance to visit his hometown with him during the Eid Festival coming up next week. I think this is about the 3rd or 4th offer that we've gotten - we have to take at least one up!

We met up right after the meeting with our student friends at SQU. We've been able to branch out and meet more students. There are some very exciting individuals that we're talking to, and they are so excited to have AIESEC come to their university - they are already volunteering their time and energy to support us as we work to get the administration's permission! I'm so impressed already with the caliber of the young people in Oman. I couldn't be more excited to start working with them.

After the work day was over, we quick got out of our pimp suits and jumped into our street clothes to head back to SQU. A couple of student groups were holding an iftar dinner and celebration, and the three of us AIESECers were what developed into the guests of honor. I was hoping to slip without too much into the festivities, or at least not make anything that could be interpreted as a flashy show - the reason being that we have been told that SQU's administration is a little wary of foreign involvement with their students. Of course, when I bring it up with students they try to quell my anxieties, so we just all got on with it. Things moved along quite well, I got to speak with some more new students (new to me) and even practice a bit of my French with a Belgian Omani who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last 13 years. It's almost comical how distinctly Brett, David and I stick out in a group of Omanis. All the boys dressed in white dishtashas and all the girls in black abayas. Of course, it's impossible to miss us. We invite curiosity with our simple presence.

After dinner, the excitement started. There were a series of prayers and readings from the Qur'an, all of which were unintelligible to me as they were naturally done in Arabic. I was able to pick up a few words that I know like, "in," "to," "day," etc. And then almost like it was an established progression, the student hosts quickly moved into a series of gag games. The three of us watched as the students had a banana eating contest, an orange juice drinking contest, a "pick the coin out of the plate of flower with your teeth first" contest, with a finale of a "tie a balloon to your ankle and stomp everyone else's balloon - last person with a balloon left wins" contest. I was quickly picked out of the crowed to tie the first balloon around my ankle, and then recruited my compatriots into the games too. The game started, and after a bright flash, Brett "Turbo" Borkan was the only one left with a balloon. Prizes galore, everybody wins - and I came home with a pair of candle holders. It's time to go candle shopping.

We topped off the night with a round of barefoot bowling at the student center on campus with a couple of our new friends. It still amazes me how Omanis are able to bowl in their long dishtashes. Kudos my friends.

Also, here is a quick video to check out. Brett and I made it for our LC in Madison - with the critical help of David Ziser. Hope you enjoy it.

Shout out to Mad Town!

Movin and Shakin

So tomorrow constitutes one of the biggest days of meetings that we've had while in Oman. We will be meeting with the Ministry of Higher Education, which is essentially the top dog around here when it comes to the direction and programming of institutions of higher learnings. While the meeting is designed to be an informational session for us to present to the ministry, it is our first formal presentation to the government and will be telling for us in future encounters. I have to say it came about quite fast, set up by a contact we made last week that actually followed through with a promise (and even during Ramadan). We weren't exactly expecting it, but thankfully we are prepared and ready to go. Our second meeting is with an official at Sultan Qaboos University which is considered to be the Holy Grail of universities in Oman, as it is the oldest and most government-esque uni around. It carries the Sultan's name for Gosh Sake. It's about time we get them warmed up to the amazing opportunities that abound for their students in AIESEC.

We are on the upswing of one of those rhythmic cycles I alluded to in a previous post. Things are starting to materialize in a real way which is changing our sense of time through the increased activity. And our perspectives of the culture and country will change shortly too, I have no doubt. The more people we meet the more our concepts of what Oman is change. They are wonderful revelations to be certain, and I look forward to the many new and exciting developments that they will bring. I will do my best to document them here so that everyone can keep up on the excitement too.

American Omani Ramadan

I started my fast today. I've decided to go all the way through till Eid in joining with the rest of the Omani community in their celebration of this month. My reasons for not participating early on were that I was not living or working with a Muslim on a daily basis, and therefore it would be difficult for me to maintain that sense of community and unity that is the Ramadan experience. For a while it was enough to simply observe a little from the outside - the stocking up of groceries the night before the first fast, the closing of all restaurants during the day until the sun went down, the restrictions on water or food consumption in public places.

It was strange that at first I felt guilty for not observing the fast, like I was breaking the rules, even though I am not myself Muslim. Yet there is an energy here that moves without words that seemingly pervades all aspects of life, and reminds you of where you are and what is happening. And so a bit guilty I was.

My decision to begin my fast has more to do with my desire to understand the community of which I am trying to become a part. I want to integrate myself into the people and culture as much as possible, and feeling what they feel is part of that - through doing what they do. Actually, those desires thrust themselves upon me, and it was not until I actually began the fast that I understood all the things that it could actually teach me.

The act of fasting is so very personal as each person has to cope with the challenges on an individual level, yet the support of the act in common provides a foundation for unity unlike any I have been able to see before. I have been told things like this about Ramadan before, but like most other understandings, you must live it to know it.

Rhythmic Anticipation

Here's when everything gets real. Here's when things get turned up a notch. Here's when we go from the drawing board to the playing field - the time is now, we will make it happen.

Anticipating moments of change is sensory art. It is the ability to know when the energy of a situation changes, in preparation for something different. These changes happen whether one is paying attention or not. The gift of anticipation is allowing oneself to adapt enough before the change in order to ease the transition from one phase to the next.

I have reason to believe that change has a rhythm - reasons derived more from a sense of faith than a measured record of fact. Nonetheless, change does happen, and our challenges together and individually are to make sense of those changes for the actions that must take place in it.

The reason I bring all of this up is not simply for the joy of musing on change itself - but because of my own sense that our reality in Oman is approaching a large change of its own. To this point, we have been laying the foundations for something, for a project that was to be at some other time. What is exciting is the fact that this time is now upon us. We are in the beginning phases of working with the people and organizations that will create AIESEC Oman.

And I guarantee that we are not only sensing the change that this brings, we are part of that change.

Expatriating Experiences

Now is the point in my time in Oman where I begin to recognize the difficulties of living abroad. It's been trying at times up till now, but there is inevitably a point in any expatriate experience where there develops in the heart of the traveler a all too present realization that he or she misses... something. In my few experiences living abroad, those things have invariably been my closest of friends and family, and of course my loving girlfriend. Maintaining relationships that were once kept in more real time, are suddenly subject to world delays... for some reason the world keeps chasing itself, and the people on the one side just can never seem to catch up to the others. Our hearts and souls may be on the same schedule, but our bodies and minds just can't seem to adapt at times. At moments it seems so easy - a click of a button to send a quick email, an internet phone call with video no less to share the days passings - yet, nevertheless, there remains a distance that keeps us from connecting.

This distance is all the more acute for romantic relationships, which thrive, no, survive, on that quintessential closeness that defines what they are. Yet, it is possible. There is an art to pursuing relationships across borders - an added commitment to memory, and to possibility. And then there are those moments, when, during a call or a thoughtful email, a glimpse of the person in full presence shines through... and keeps me believing that it is all possible - and that it is the work that makes it beautiful.

Invariably, our personal lives are intertwined with our professional. They both define who we are and what we believe in. And ultimately, they are both borne out of necessity. It is through a keen listening and understanding of what I really need that I am able to pursue a life so purposefully driven.

Yay Blog... Soon

So I figured out the reason my blog won't post. Insha'allah, by the time you read this post you will have gotten a quick view of my first attempt while in country (Oman that is). I assure that I will blog more now that I have figured out what was the deal e o . . . So, first month down - a few to go. I can't disclose exactly how much time I've got here because I don't yet know myself.

Life is nice in Oman. Quiet is a good way to put it, but at the same time there is a certain buzz about the people I meet and the places I go. Maybe it is just my burning curiosity and energy to know everything, yet at the same time, I sense it. Something bigger. People here are moving, working - living.

I have a great respect for the Omani attitude of, "We can do it ourselves. We will do it our own way and we don't need anyone to tell us how to do it." I guess it's the familiarity I see there with some of my own attitudes. At the same moment that they declare themselves incredibly autonomous, Omanis have a feverish desire to learn - the young people I've met anyway - about me and the perspectives I bring with. Higher education is doing great things for this country, and will only do more and more in the future.

My hope here is that Oman will recognize the value that AIESEC holds. They can build it. They can connect it. They are living it. And I want to be there while it happens.

O Man I'm in Oman!

A quip little play on words to summarize my last three months... For those that I haven't updated yet, I'm in Oman, which is appropriate as of now, for I was talking about it for long enough that if it didn't happen I may have lost a part of me.

My summer was full of eventful weeks driving and flying all over the country in order to see my family and friends before I headed East, with a little work sprinkled in between. For the next year and a half it seems my life style will be somewhat reversed. I reflected often while approaching my departure, and was sad in many ways to leave the city of Madison that I had spent the majority of the last for years learning and playing in. In many ways my personal development and growth pushed me through into a personal renaissance. I will forever have a warm spot in my heart for that city and university, and the many people with who I shared those four years.

It was good to spend time in Green Bay, a city with which I have had a rather tenuous relationship for the better part of a decade. The city may still not feel like home, but the people that I find in it always will.

Finally, jutted up right to my departure was a trip to Steamboat Springs, CO with the most amazing young woman in the world and her family to revel in the good life before my big trip. I will forever cherish those memories. Thank you Amie, I love you.

Soon thereafter, I find myself in Oman - post a 24 hour transit from New York to Frankfurt with a little bunny hop in Doha and finally to Muscat. Besides being overtired and bewildered by the fact that my life was actually happening, everything went smoothly. In fact, my experience up to this point has been just that - smooth. My initial installment into Oman and the environment felt like I was reacquainting myself with a childhood friend that I hadn't talked to in 15 years - meaning a lifelong of different experiences, with a solid foundation of familiarity. There are more and more familiar things popping up by the day, some reassuring and others a bit unsettling. The Arabic and Muslim culture feels familiar now after my initial experience in Morocco, over a year ago now. And I met a Moroccan guy just yesterday... ah, c'est bon de parler francais encore! An unsettling familiarity came about this evening, as our new Indian friends took us to the local mall in the area. I felt like I was back in the United States, in a place that I rarely find myself, and the only people that happened to be shopping that day were all Omani. Interesting... It seems consumerism has no physical or national bounds, or cultural for that matter. Or maybe I am misinterpreting something.

Anyway, besides the few familiarities, my relationship with Oman is fresh and vibrant. The air is stifling and humid, and so my time outside has been limited to walks from the car to whatever establishment my present need takes me - hotel, internet cafe (hehey), real estate office. The beaches around here are stunning, and I'm anxiously waiting for my first dip. The hookahs are rolling, although the partakers are often not Omani themselves. The city is clean and kept, and much greener than I ever expected due to diligent efforts by the government of the Sultan Qaboos and I assure you his efforts do not go unappreciated - much of the rest is arid and mountainous, so most of what the eye catches is rocky and brown, which has a mystical appeal all its own.

There are historical parts of the city tucked back into rocky, cavernous ports, with centuries old Portuguese fortresses and an old Souq where you can buy things with your Visa or Mastercard... or even American Express - bring your credit card if you plan on frequenting the gold souqs.

Securing an apartment has been an interesting endeavor to say the least. It is a different experience finding my digs here rather than in a familiar locale that was Madison - although part of that sensation could be me feeling more like a big kid now. We're edging ever so close, and should have it wrapped up in about two days.

Being +4gmt has presented interesting challenges, even through email to this point as I realize that I'm doing work while everyone is fast asleep, and will be for at least another 6 hours. It will be a challenge to coordinate calls and contacts with the people I love who are all being big kids too. Work schedules could pose some problems. The different weekend is throwing me a little curve as well. Friday and Saturday are good days here, and you don't really work on the good days, especially on Friday. Just go to the beach instead.

As a final thought to a long overdue post, I feel as comfortable here now as I have felt about the idea of it from the beginning. I am excited and content about my time here, and I could not have found myself in a more pleasant setting for the next 15 - 18 months to come. I will detail my adventures that follow with a diligence that has not been characteristic for some time, and with a sub-objective hand that I have never written without.

With much anticipation for what is to come.