Monday, May 2, 2011

Continued Current Events

Well, this continues to be an interesting time to live in the Middle East. Yesterday it was announced that US military had killed Osama Bin Laden, 9 1/2 years after the tragic September 11th attacks and the hunt for him began.

Most of the news we have followed is broadcast by CNN or another US news affiliate. We did check the locals papers for their take on the story and it seems pretty similar. Local newspaper articles tend to be short and sweet, containing just the basic facts. (There are local news stations but they are all broadcast in Arabic.) I did see an interview on CNN International where the reporter interviewed several Arab men and women. Most of their sentiments seemed to be similar to what was being said in the US with hope that another tragic event is not being planned in retaliation. I have heard President Obama say several times that this is not a war on Islam, which I think is important living on this side of the world.

As I watched the coverage yesterday I was almost "teary eyed" hearing people sing the National Anthem and wave their American flags in front of the White House. In some ways it reminded me how far away we are and in another way it made me feel closer to home.

Chris works with mostly coworkers from Lebanon and India. They all said "mabrook" or congratulations in Arabic when he arrived at work on Sunday.

The American Women's Association holds monthly meetings at local hotels. There was a meeting schedule for Tuesday, which I guess they considered canceling due to the current events and wondering whether it a good idea to gather a large group of Americans in one location but from the last emails I saw they were going to continue to hold the meeting.

Day to day life in Dubai continues to feel safe. Although, it does make you think twice when the State Department issues a "Worldwide Travel Alert" for all Americans traveling or living abroad, especially as we are gearing up for our trip to Paris and the US.

We certainly picked a historic time to live in the Middle East.

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