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.

Feeling Effective

I am going through a personal revelation about how to best keep myself in that "effective zone" where I know that things are being accomplished and that I am optimizing my time. I have started to notice that it is critically important for me to have a clear separation between my work life and personal life. I knew this going in to things here, and then I began to make a few sacrifices here and there, eating into my personal space until I had lost any real sense of life without work, without AIESEC. I know now how unhealthy that is, as it leads me to resent parts of my work, and at times the people I work with - which is by no means adding to my work efficiency and effectiveness.

The International Presidents Meeting gave me a lot to think about - what is AIESEC at its core, what does it mean for me, and why do I continue to give it my energy, my dedication, at times my sacrifices. I began to search for that deep meaning and purpose that I had once discovered in my AIESEC experiences. To be most honest, these experiences were ones in which I felt most alive. What I am realizing though, is that it was not the AIESEC mantra and models and dances, etc., that really elevated me to those levels. It was everything that I was putting into my life-living: the energy, the dedication to self-exploration, the insistence that I was doing something important for someone - if no one else but myself.

It is true that AIESEC is doing amazing things in this world. But it is not meaningful in and of itself. It is the people that are living in it that provide it with its meaning.

Perhaps I feel this way because I have lived what I consider to be the quintessential element of the AIESEC experience - the exchange. It was not until I completed this element that I was willing to devote my time to supporting the entire organization.

My words here are not meant to discredit anything that AIESEC or AIESECers have done. In fact, I laud the continuing efforts of AIESECers worldwide - and I can think of very few things more valuable for young people to be pursuing at this stage in life. However, I challenge all AIESECers to really evaluate the meaning and importance of what it is that we are doing. Why do we all continually, relentlessly pour our hearts and souls into this organization? I think it is more than just the concept of impact. And I think there is more to being an AIESECer than just simply being a member of this organization.

Finally, bringing this all back to the title of this post - I cannot feel effective and purposeful with only AIESEC in my life. I need my life balance and I need to realize that AIESEC is not life in and of itself - it is an enabler for some quintessential parts of life to be lived. I need the other parts in my life, and I always will.

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.

Reflecting on not Being Reflective Enough

I don't know what it is lately, and by lately I mean the last few months. For some reason, I have felt a bit uninspired, like I'm settling too far into a groove that just doesn't fit right. Progress is good in Oman, and in many respects is great, yet there have been too many times in my opinion where I just feel like I'm going through the motions. Perhaps its that time of year, students are out of school, businesses are slow, something like that. But more often now, I'm thinking that I've been out of school, and my business of personal dreaming and theorizing has been way too slow.

I have always been the kind of person that thrives on mind-churning. I had convinced myself that I could never slip into boredom because I could always rely on my mind-machine to continue to grind through the moments, musing on the wheres, whos, whats, whens and whys of the mundane to the fantastically complex. Now, I find myself in situations where I'm thinking, "When can I make the next step, what is going to be the right fit for me, who do I want to surround myself with, what part of the world do I want to live in... What do I want to do with my life and Why?" All of these things are good to think about, in fact they are great! But I am finding myself too often, thinking about them with an overly considerate worry - like there is something critical that I should be doing right now to make sure all of those other things turn out alright in the future. To be sharply honest, at times I have let myself lose my faith in my present choice of projects and pursuits in bringing me where I want to be. Happily though, I know that that particular fear is based on utter untruths.

There remains a possibility that I am not challenging myself in the right ways here. This experience in Oman has been similar in some ways to my experiences in France and Morocco - but completely different in so many others. It has been similar in the fact that it has brought me far away from the people I love and care about, and challenged my world view in a very fundamental way. Yet it has been so very different in the amount of forced cultural contrasts and confusions that enriched those experiences. And then I begin to realize that a lot of those experiences, those challenges - may be happening in different ways.

Abdulazziz and his cousin Zahar just walked in the door to our house unannounced - case in point.

A new vantage point

I am back in Oman again. I was in the United States for a brief two and a half weeks, a time I looked at as an eternity before I left, but a time that passed all to quickly once I was there. I must say that my attitude about the country, and what it means to be an American, has changed significantly over the past five months. I began to look not only at the great list of faults that America and its leadership has been racking up recently, but also at the enduring principles and qualities that help it retain its value. America has an overwhelming sense of acceptance of other peoples and cultures - at least that is, once you have been able to cross its boarders. Of course it is false to believe in any Utopian society, and I will never believe that I have found one, yet there can be perpetual attempts - and I am more akin than ever, to think that the United States is one.

Many people say that nowadays the sense of family, responsibility and duty in the United States is gone, or at least, isn't what it used to be - as if that were an entirely bad thing. First of all, how can we expect something so dynamic to remain the same forever, and secondly, whoever say that was all perfect in the first place. I am motivated to talk about these things because of my own singular experience in my family unit, pulling from the principles and values this experience has instilled in me. Perhaps after writing all of this I will begin to realize that I am trying to make a general statement about a massive unit based on quite particular examples - but I would like to believe nonetheless that some of what I am saying is representative of a greater trend.

I am not going to get into the inner workings of my family life at this moment. What I want to say is simpler than that, or at least more brief. What I have realized from the fast paced changes that my life has been going through in the recent past, and the prospect of even more changes in the near future, is that life doesn't stay the same anywhere - and each person, most of all, is going through their own unique changes. What I am beginning to realize about myself is that at some point, after all of these blazing changes have taken their course, I will be ready to anchor one part of my life in a certain place, or at least with certain people very close to me.

I am coming into a period of my life where a lot of big decisions will need to be made. And I have committed to a relationship that demands that these decisions be made with my counterpart in mind. I am so excited to start this process, and I am ready to start seeing what types of changes these decisions will be bringing.

Ups and Downs

It's been a fast and slow couple of months. The days have been flying by but the moments have sometimes been dragging on.

Relationships are important. Love relationships are even more important. All relationships change, and it is through the juxtaposition of myself next to the various relationships that I've been able to maintain that I can evaluate who I am and how I have changed.

When so much is changing all around you it is sometimes easy to let the small things fall through the cracks. For a short while that may be ok. But in the long run, the small make up the big - and if you keep letting the small things slip by then you may just end up losing it all.

I am going through a big reorientation of self right now. I am weeding through what I once knew and what I know now, evaluating what has transpired and blending it all together to decide who I want to become.

Parts of me have become comatose during this period of change and adjustment. Only now are these parts of me reawakening. I have been keeping myself in a tightly focused direction, because to let myself go would mean the dissolution of all of my ability to understand my immediate purpose in day to day life. I am getting stronger now, and loosening my blinders to open my mind and heart again to the rich surroundings of my personal and internal world.

Keeping this tight direction has made me start to stumble - and I would be up for a fall if I could not bring myself to look up. The downs are always good though, because they make the ups possible. For me, its just important that I climb higher than I fall.

To those who keep up with the developments of this blog, I apologize for the series of reflective entries, and the lack of filler in between. My absence was a low of sorts, and the upswing promises to be more productive and insightful than ever before.

The Search for the Soul continues

Life Pulls

In so many different directions. It's amazing to think about all the different people that I know across the globe and what they are doing now. What situations they have found themselves in. How different their daily realities are than my own. I have found myself recently nostalgic, finding myself in memories with all those different people reminiscing about how "good" the old times were. It's interesting how I romanticize memories and people sometimes. When I truly think about it though, I realize that at the time of that particular memory, I didn't think what was going on was really the "Bees Knees" like it seems in a daydream. I remember at those times I was usually dreaming about using my life for something more, something different... and all that dreaming brought me here.

It's funny how we AIESECers tend to romanticize the AIESEC dream across the world, like it's really cherry pie and ice cream like it looks like in pictures and sounds like in the legendary stories. The truth is, it's one the hardest thing you could ever do. There are moments of grace and others of the fall. Then there are the moments where you forget what you are really doing and just let the juices flow. And then come the moments of reflection when you remember where you are and you realize what you are doing. Moments of disbelief, and awe. There is something truly bigger than one individual at work here.

Of course, put your work in for those relationships that matter most to you.

Say What Scares You

This post is one that struggles to break out of my grasp. I can feel it wanting to escape, but I cling to it, trying not to let it escape lest it reveals something true about my life. I think we all have things we want to say about ourselves, but choose not to as a self-defense. I am no different. It's strange this blog that I have created. By the very title I make the bold declaration that I know there is Soul, and I am dedicating this indefinite personal editorial to its discovery. But what Soul am I searching for? My own, no doubt - and the Soul of every person on this Earth. The closest thing that I have discovered to what I would call a living Soul is something so simple as the Self. I reach inward, a brief recluse from the confusing surrealities that surround me. I reach in to find that Self. Because I believe by rediscovering my Self I can touch my own Soul and thus the Soul of every person I encounter. And therefore I travel and live and love. Let this brief testament be my statement of Purpose.

Reaching Out and Reaching In

Life gets a little difficult at times, even in paradise. I've said time and again that I couldn't be happier to be living in Oman - and it's true. It's also true that I miss things from home, or more accurately, I miss people from home. I miss things too, places and qualities and values from home. It's sometimes hard to connect with everyone here. It's hard to find those deep, personal connections that come from truly knowing someone - who they are, what they've done, what they want. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to land any ears with my calls. I suppose part of it is that I haven't really been reaching out. I feel very reticent to open up sometimes, because the values and lifestyles that they espouse are so starkly in contrast of what I see around me. At first it seemed very subtle how different life was going to be here in Oman from life in the United States, or even Morocco for that matter. But things are truly different - and all these realizations I'm coming to are challenging me to learn how to adapt yet again. So it seems that I must reach in before I start reaching back out.

One place I have been able to reach out are a few good friends who are there for me through the graces of technology - notably my girlfriend Amie, my family, my Brother Matthew, Danielle and Mix. Even the smallest of connections seem to go so far, and the little initiative that someone takes to send an unexpected email reaches far into me and charges my soul's battery.

This is by no means a post about thoughts of surrender. Oh no, not even close. I've been here before, in different countries and different circumstances to be sure - but my heart remembers well. These times are good times too. This is where real people are made. This is where real courage and determination come through. This is the point where I get in touch with my spiritual core. And then once I do, I reach back out that hand to the world.

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.

Changing Paradigms

I am coming in to a new realization of myself. Threw new conversations about age old topics like love and morality, ideas about right and wrong - what it really means to be alive - I am finding new ways through which I can relate to myself and hence the world. I'm not yet sure what this will mean for me, but there is something new moving within me. I leave it at that to reflect on what that thing really is.

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.

The World Is Not Flat...

It's connected. Or connecting...

I finished reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman not too long ago. Along the duration of the book, I couldn't help but see how AIESEC is fitting into this flat world that Friedman describes - collaborative across borders giving people from all different parts of the wold access to the same tools and ideas that can truly promote understanding and cooperation. It's shocking now, working in Oman and collaborating people from Dubai all the way to New York.

AIESEC will truly be one of these catalysts of the flattening process that Friedman describes. It will only grow in importance as it grows, inspiring in the world a connecting process unlike any known before.

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.

What is Dubai?

We've been in Dubai now for two days. Our primary purpose of the trip was to renew our visas, and to actually upgrade to a longer term, multiple entry status, as well as to rendez-vous with our third compadre. Those missions were rather quickly attained, and actually we've just been the waiting for the visas to be processed at the Omani Consulate here. In the meantime, we've been able to check out some of the things that are Dubai. I had a mix of expectations before I got here, ranging from a modern metropolis to a businessman's dream to The Club of the Middle East. What I found has been a bit of all and more. It is certain that the city is home to some of the most extravagant developments on this planet, from the palms to the Burj al Arab where Agasi and Sampras played their match on the heli-pad to the now proclaimed tallest building in the world. It is also true that it snows in the desert. Above all, the city is a phenomenon that I don't think anyone yet understands. The ruler himself may have a pretty good idea, but inside all the glitz and glamour there remains a human community that is trying to sort itself out. The local population is small, 10% being Emirati with the rest being expats from all over the world. The identity of what Dubai is seems transient, and may be defined by the next super development to come its way. Gathering places are few, and to truly thrive here you need your own car - this is not a pedestrian metropolis, nor a model for public transport, yet. Life is expensive for those who want to live it large, and that may very well be the norm in another decade. There are multiple skylines, clustered in these super developments that have been planned from beginning to end. And in it all, I search for some sense of identity here. I look for an element of culture that says, "We know what we are to the world, and we are special because of it." Perhaps that identity is in the future claims as the center of the world. For now, Dubai seems to be a developers playground, and the next best thing is always the most daring and innovative. I hope it is sustainable for its own sake, and for the sake of the region as well. And I look forward to many returns to see what kind of a city it is becoming - in order to better understand, "What is Dubai?"