July, 2012 – Apparently, TheBigGuy had been turning over in his mind the possibility of a change in job and a major move for some time. The opportunity had been hinted at almost a year before, but had been pretty much discounted, because he had a great civil service job, and truly enjoyed the training he did.  But things change, plans change, wants and needs change, and suddenly, he was in Virginia, interviewing for a new job!

The offer was solid, a dramatic increase in money, insane perks, and the opportunity to visit a part of the world we’d never been to – Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Yes, I had to go to a map to figure out exactly where it was – being all geography-challenged and all.

Hmmm….. that looks awfully close to areas that I’ve been hearing about in the news as having some serious unrest. Afghanistan? Iraq? Iran? Eqypt? Wait, now – what are we thinking? Is this safe? Should we do this? Is it gonna be dangerous?

And the biggest question, am I gonna have to wear one of these???