Day 40 - Kuwait/Dubai

Sixteen days ago I met a new group of students. They came in from all different places. Some knew each other, others didn't. It was very much like the first day of school. I came into the room, we introduced ourselves to each other and began learning about Microsoft Vista.

Today, we all went our separate ways. And as I addressed them for the last time as a group I felt a twinge of sadness. This group grew on me. Their energy and the dynamic was so much like a high school youth group that I really enjoyed it. I hope and pray that they keep in touch.

As I left for the airport I realized that I left a bunch of shirts hanging in my hotel closet. So I rushed back to the hotel, and housekeeping was gracious enough to have kept them to the side for me. Grabbing the shirts I darted off to the airport and made it with time to spare.

The flight itself was uneventful and after landing, I made my way to my brother's house (yes, walking!). It was good to see family again, especially my niece. She's 16 months old, and she's grown a bit since the last time I was here. After playing with her a bit, my brother and I made a dinner run for the best Lebanese sandwiches anywhere. To complement my lamb kabob sandwich and my shawarma I ordered a fresh guava juice. When it arrived it looked kind of milky. And much to my surprise, it was. Apparently the sentiment is that straight guava juice is too overpowering, so they add a watery yogurt to it in order to take the edge off it. To me it tasted like someone dropped guava juice into the mansaf pot (Mansaf is a traditional Jordanian dish of yogurt and rice). After dinner we went on a bit of a mall crawl, then circled back to the house.

As I sit here on my bed I'm so thankful for this break in my schedule. God knew exactly how much I could handle even before I got here. And just when I was at my tipping point, I find myself being refreshed at my brother's house.

Tomorrow is a busy day. I'll try to have an adventure for you! ;-)