Freelance

Some time ago, I came across the memoir of my dear colleague at Kuwait University, Professor Enosakhare Samuel (Sam) Akpata, originally from Lagos University in Nigeria. He joined a few days after me. It was just after 9/11 and I was quite anxious when having arrived in the oil-rich small emirate in the northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf. But there were friendly people there, highly esteemed colleagues and so many support staff which made my commencement of work in a new academic environment really a sort of soft landing.

While I served six years at the new dental faculty at Kuwait University, Sam stayed ten after which he retired and relocated to Nigeria. The Faculty experienced a golden time then with an international staff hired by the highly competent Kuwaiti Dean, Professor Jawad Behbehani. I have written about my short time in the Middle East, my encounters with locals, both indigenes and expatriates, my traveling, my hopes and fears, here on this blog and on its precursor.