And so it ends….

I’m sitting in a cafe off the lobby of our hotel in Doha, Qatar, checked out, with my bags, ready to go. We’re having a dinner together here at 7 p.m. – in a half hour – and then the bus comes to pick up 18 of us for the airport. (The rest are staying for an extended trip, and will be heading back to Cairo with Denis tomorrow through June 18.) I don’t think some of us are quite done yet with this place. I had students coming to my hotel room all day to ask if they could continue to post for a little while. (Plus, I still have five articles to upload that weren’t quite ready yet, but will be next week.) I don’t think they got onto the screen all they wanted to say. Of course they can still post, I told them. I suppose I will too. Or, maybe not. It’s hard to know how we’re all going to feel when we get home. But tonight, I am acutely aware of how I feel. I am thrilled that they had so many successes. I am touched that they became so close. I am grateful that everything went relatively smoothly. And above all, I am proud of the remarkable work they did. We arrived in these countries without sources, without language skills, and without bearings. And in each place, these journalists managed to put together a long list of compelling pieces that inform, illuminate, and educate. They wrote features, hard news, reviews, and photo essays. Three of them broke news and were referenced in The New York Times. All of them were lauded in The Boston Globe – twice – for the work they’ve done here. Because of Denis’ enormous network of friends and contacts – and because of the sheer talent of the students – we were able to see and hear and accomplish an astonishing number of things. I know that each of them has benefitted in ways that can’t be gauged yet. I’m just so grateful that I was able to witness it. As for me, I leave this region with a renewed sense of purpose as a journalism professor, and as a reporter. I don’t know how I’ll incorporate all that I’ve learned, and all I’ve seen, into my career and life. But let’s just say, I’m looking forward to whatever might come next…

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