Well, we have said our goodbyes and I am sitting at the airport. I have mixed emotions right now. I know that we have made meaningful and lasting friendships. I know that our short 10 month stint will give us a lifetime of stories. I will miss certain trivial things like going to the gas station to get freshly squeezed OJ, or eating dinner at Wafi Gourmet, or exploring the desert or teaching kids from all over the world.
But equally I will not miss the early mornings, brutal work expectations, idiotic service, the way that people treat each other and the plight of the migrant workers.
This year has taught me a great deal about tolerance, respect, inequality and patience.
The world is a big place full of triumph and tribulation. As the global population continues to grow and we work to develop the infrastructure to support life, it comes at a tremendous cost.
Life in the desert here is being made possible by immense wealth generated through a finite non-renewable resource. The amount of waste on both land and water is insurmountable and unsustainable.
In the face of this truth, the models predict a sea level rise by 2100 that will flood most of Qatar and many other coastal cities. All of the investing, all of the development, all for not.
So what does it all mean?
I know is this, people of all walks of life are interesting. I have met so many different people this year and I had had the privilege of hearing their stories. Each person rich or poor has their own wants and needs. Everyone has their own perspective that needs to be valued.
In the end, our fate is already predetermined. The way that we approach our fate is entirely up to us.
Thank you Qatar for giving me this experience. It has been a humbling one that will undoubtedly pay me back in spades as the years tick by.
Inshallah.
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