the adventure begins

Zayed's Dubai campus- photo from an online news story

I'm off on an adventure- not just a 2 week vacation but a big, uprooting, "move to another country with some vastly different cultural norms for about 3 years" kind of adventure. I'm excited and nervous, thrilled and a little overwhelmed by everything I want and need to do in the next few months but here goes....

I have accepted a position as the Associate Director of the Library and Learning Commons at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. I will be the day to day manager of the campus in Dubai, making frequent trips to work with colleagues at the university's other campus in Abu Dhabi. Zayed is a national women's university, dedicated to providing a "world class" education, primarily in English, for Emirati women. From what I understand, there are about 9000 students at ZU's two campuses, mostly women though the graduate programs are co-ed and they are also offering limited undergrad programming for men. It looks like I'll be manager for a staff of about 17 and when I video interviewed for the position, they mentioned that they've been called the UN of libraries! I may have a few details wrong but I'll update and correct as along the way!

I was offered the position originally about 2 months ago but thanks to an epic slew of administrata, I did not receive an official signed contract until yesterday. I had to have my graduate degree attested and for those not in the know, that means that about 236 people and John Kerry needed to sign off on it. OK, I exaggerate, but not about John Kerry. Luckily, he was able to confirm my Syracuse degree just before he turned his full attention to Syria. Crazy.

I'm selling my house, moving my cat, Butternut (first to MI for a few months and then, when I'm settled, on to Dubai), I've already given away my coffin and sorted through the Halloween costume trunk in preparation for a yard sale, my last day at Westminster will be November 15th and I start in Dubai on December 1st.