On Wednesday we moved into a new hotel. It’s in the middle of nowhere, which means riding in taxi cabs is now an almost daily necessity.

I may have mentioned that Omanis take real pride in the fact that “If you want to talk to an Omani just get in a taxi. All taxi drivers in Oman are Omani.” They’re always sure to note that in any other GCC country an Indian will be your cab driver. While this is true (it’s government mandated that all taxi drivers be Omanis), it’s also amusing for the very reason that this is the only service sector in the country where non-Omanis are working (at least, make up more than 10% of the sector).

Anyway, the point of this is that now I’m coming into contact with a whole new class of Omanis on a regular basis. I’m not suggesting this post represents all Omanis (or even all cabbies, many of whom have been very nice), it’s just a couple interactions… I’ll add other stories if they equal the entertainment value of these.

The other night I caught a ride to the Khareef Festival. It was a very short ride (and we were horribly overcharged), but as we were pulling into the fair grounds the driver asked us if we liked Osama bin Laden. “Of course not!” we replied. Then he went into how he loved bin Laden and how great 9/11 was because al Qaida stuck it to the White House, etc. “I love bin Laden, and Che Guevara and Saddam Hussein.” Random. But ok. You’re allowed your opinions and all that. The crazy part about this was that, when he dropped us off he asked if we wanted his number so he could pick us up later! I mean know your customers! If we’ve told you we’re American you’re more than welcome to insult us, but don’t expect us to hire you again!

On the way back from the Festival (at 2:30am) we caught another cab. The cabby was happy to know Americans were visiting Salalah (and he had driven others from our group before). But, like many other conversations I’ve had, eventually he said, “Bush, huh?” in a disapproving tone. Ahh, we told him: soon there will be a new president. “Do you like Obama or McCain?” a friend asked the driver. “Not Obama,” replied the driver quickly. “He’s the same as Bush.”

The contrast in Oman is interesting compared to what the American media say about the international interest in the US election (and the international obsession with Obama). People don’t seem to be paying too much attention to our election, and I’ve mentioned that Omanis still hope Hillary is gonna pull it out.

I couldn’t say how much this cabby really knew about Obama (or if he’d ever heard of McCain) before this week. However, it’s possible his reaction to Obama was a response to this week’s newspapers: al-Watan had a front page article on Obama’s visit to Israel with the headline, “Obama calls establishment of Israel a ‘miracle’”; Oman’s front page story included a photo of Obama holding up an “I [HEART] Sderot” T-shirt. Generally, Omanis stand clear of this feud, and while they inherently support Palestinian nationalism I haven’t seen anything blatantly anti-Israel (unlike in countries neighboring – and with peace treaties with — Israel), this is just the hypothesis I’m working on regarding this man’s strong reaction.

Anyway, I have since learned that the Festival is only 1.4km away from the hotel… Maybe I’ll walk it from now on.

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Even though it was difficult to leave The Big Island, at least it’s a decent time of the year to be back in Boston. …More than decent–the summer months are gorgeous here. It’s too bad, really, that most of us Fletcherites take off for internships, research, and jobs in the summer, because I do believe that this is the best time of the year here. So, I’m thrilled to be spending the rest of my summer near Fletcher. I hadn’t planned it that way, but as it turns out, I’ll be able to help a couple of professors with their respective research projects, and I’m going to be working with Sarah in the Student Affairs Office to plan this fall’s Orientation for Incoming Students.

It’s a little hard to believe, though, that I won’t be a student this fall. I mean, there are little indications that I am, indeed, in a transition phase–for starters, I walked across the stage at Commencement (even if my diploma wasn’t quite ready); my ‘08 friends have slowly been trickling away from Medford; the “Yellow House” is full of new faces; and I’ve begun referring to Fletcher in the past tense.

But, then, there are also those elements that make my imminent departure pretty surreal. Last night, for example, I joined a big gathering of ‘06ers in Medford. Laughing with them as they caught up on Fletcher gossip, I realized that it’s going to be pretty impossible to truly “leave” Fletcher, even when I’m no longer physically here.

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I’m done.  And if I needed anything to take my mind off of two years of school and research, the past week on Hawaii’s Big Island has done the trick.  As if the location wasn’t surreal enough, 5 days of a truly incredible conference definitely made my head spin.   I represented Fletcher at the 47^th annual International Achievement Summit. 

Sponsored by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, the summit brings together students from all over the world with really phenomenal world leaders—leaders in the arts, politics, and sciences.  And the organizers don’t cut any corners.  We stayed at the Kona Village and Four Seasons Hotels on the Kona Coast and were pampered accordingly. 

Really, though, it was the substance of the conference that continues to give me goosebumps when I think about it.  I attended a panel discussion on “Africa’s Challenges” between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; I participated in a roundtable discussion on Afghanistan with Nicholas Kristof, General Wesley Clark, Greg Mortenson, and Khaled Hosseini; some of my new friends and I danced with Sally Field as Chuck Barry (at 81 years old!) played “Go, Johnny, Go” with July 4^th fireworks rocketing in the background; at dinner one evening, I sat across the table from Janusz Kaminski and Naomi Judd and discussed the Iraq war; Joshua Bell and Deborah Voigt were our entertainers that same evening. 

Soon, I’ll be heading back to Medford where I’ll spend the rest of the summer, but for now, I’m hanging out on the Big Island, still wallowing in the memory of those 5 extraordinary days.

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