Goodbye From David

This is my last post. Our adventure is over. Tomorrow morning Terry and I go home. Our 6-month adventure abroad began in June 2014. Terry exited a doctoral class and described a Fulbright-winning professor who had stopped by to talk about it. Terry mused whether she might qualify for a Fulbright and learned the competition (for scholars who have doctoral degrees) is based on a 5-page project statement created by the applicant. My wife, never one to shy away from a challenge, had less than 6 weeks to the deadline to create and submit a project. The competition can take a year, beginning with national experts who certify the project is unique and feasible. And now several "thank yous," first to our Jordanian friends. The people of Jordan made us feel welcome, they were warm and generous. They repeatedly invited us into their homes and shared their culture, answering questions, explaining customs, religion, politics, and asking us about the United States. It is fitting that "you are welcome" was the English phrase I heard most often in Jordan. I would also like to say "thank you" to the many Americans I met serving our country a long way from home. Your hard work in helping protect and develop Jordan as a bulwark of stability in a difficult region is very impressive. Another "thank you" to the readers of this blog, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I want to close with a "thank you" to my beloved wife, without whom this adventure wouldn't have happened. Terry, a retired attorney, didn't have to return to school and become a nurse. That she did so in retirement, solely to help others, is indicative of how unusual she is, smart and compassionate. My wife's Fulbright included teaching 2 classes at the University of Jordan yet, on her own initiative, she volunteered almost every single day, taking on a boatload of additional challenges. When asked to be a keynote speaker for the United States Embassy in Jordan she accepted without a second's hesitation and spoke at public events too numerous to describe in my blog. We traveled throughout the Middle East and Europe where my wife helped, literally, thousands of students and professors through lectures and workshops she created. She was respected, admired, and loved by her students and colleagues. We were told many times we were the first Americans some had ever met. If ever a Fulbright Scholar fulfilled Senator Fulbright's goal to strengthen ties with other countries through cultural and educational exchanges, it was my high-energy, extraordinary wife. We were told this would be the adventure of a lifetime. It was. For these reasons, and so many more, I say shukhran (thank you).