After I resigned from Al Jazeera I was preparing to return to the United States, where I had previously worked at Al Hurra, when I received an offer from Dubai Media Incorporated. I told myself it was a chance to spend two more years in the Arab world before returning to Washington to continue my career.
How glad I am that I was wrong in my assessment. Dubai rewrites the plans of those who come to it. Many arrive intending to stay for a year or two, then the years become a whole life, and even those forced by circumstances to leave carry with them a permanent desire to return.