August 19

Woke up dreading the day, but knowing it was the right thing, I pushed myself to get up on-time. I was so used to not having enough time that I left the house a whole hour early. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because it meant that when I got to the pool, it was less crowded, so I could share a lane with someone I could actually keep pace with. Phew! Feeling better after having gotten my exercise out of the way, I went to the computer lab for a very productive 1.5 hours of researching for my paper. I think I found too many journal articles - a first! I am now in love with both Google Scholar and EndNote, a referencing and citation program. Got a quick lunch, checked out a book from the library, and then off to class. I actually enjoyed the topics in class this week (maybe because they were all guest lectures)! Met with my group for a minute and decided on our presentation topic - Volunteer Tourism. Caught the bus downtown and jumped right on the next bus (everything seemed to be going well today!). Then I studied hard for the rest of the evening, engulfing myself in the world of Dubai Tourism for two of my papers. I made a delicious pasta for Lina and I and then back to studying for another hour or so before bed. Whew! What a day.