My days are numbered

The days in the UAE are numbered

After a few days in Berlin, the return to Abu Dhabi is a allegory for both countries: Due to some bureaucratic technicalities in my booking, both Lufthansa as well as the travel agent have to reflect and mull over and discuss my ticket, resulting in debates without action. I almost expect to be grounded for the day when I finally do hold my boarding pass in my hands. It’s all about process, not about results. Operation gelungen, Patient tot.
Then, on the plane to Abu Dhabi, I find an Muslim in jeans and T-shirt in my seat, arguing that he would hope to find me another place since his wife in black hijab may not sit next to an unrelated (and obvioulsy non-muslim) man. Could I muster the wit as well as the language skills, I would have liked to share some more un-muslim information about me with him – in Hebrew. (Especially about him sitting in first while his wife had to do in the back of the bus.)

I only allow myself to feel like this since I know that my days in the UAE are numbered: my employer will not continue his local endeavour, mostly due to domestic reasons back at headquarters, but also because the business plan has proven too ambitious (as many including myself had pointed out before). So, after closing shop and handing over clients to other agencies, I will return to Germany. The company has asked me to stay on board, but frankly the positions offered are not worth staying for. But I appreciate the gesture.
Independently of those latest developments, two job opportunities have presented themselves. Both are in Germany. And both of them I would have probably pursued regardless of the current developments. So until I have to leave Arabia and before I close shop and return to a new job in Germany, I’ll try to make use of the weekends and travel in the region: Beirut is supposed to be hot these days…