This picture of our closing ceremonies is a bit blurry ... but that's fitting. We're all quite a bit "blurry eyed" - we've been working our heads and hands off for 3 days straight! Our students have been engaged as much in a professional development workshop as a dialogue (our cross-cultural [Arab - American] discussions continue apace). And their days have been quite full -- mostly spent doing research, preparing power-point presentations, discussing fine points of social, cultural, political and religious differences and similarities. (And the 33 Arab participants, from 14 different Arab countries/societies have their own considerable differences as well as similarities, and they, too, have intense discussions within and across their various Arab societies.)This morning, we visited the still-under-construction (as it has been for 12 years already) Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Wow! Check out my "djspics" blog, linked above, on the left. It is much more than just "grande". It is an architectural work of art as well as a beautiful place of worship. We also visited Abu Dhabi University (and met the President and the Chairman of the Board). And, we had a tour of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (note picture on other blog with Ms. Howaida and pictures of the Royal Family of UAE).
Tomorrow, we've changed our plans for Dubai. Primarily, we're all just so exhausted, and it makes more sense to hang out/relax/rest up here, in Abu Dhabi in this exquisite InterContinental hotel (I am sure it's much more than a 5-Star hotel!). On our way to the Dubai airport tomorrow night, we will still get to see the city and especially that other architectural wonder of the UAE, the Burj al-Arab 7-Star hotel! Then, off to Dubai airport by midnight for our 3 a.m. flight back to Cairo.
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