ARIZONA DREAMIN'

By the time I got to Phoenix, many of you already knew I was on my way! But some of you out there in blogger land might still be in the dark.

I resigned from my Sultan Qaboos University job the end of June and had applied for a very few posts the end of May. One of them was a late-posted Lecturer job with the American English and Culture Program (AECP) at Arizona State University. I was invited for an interview and drove down to Phoenix July 18 in the middle of my cross-USA train trip this summer not really expecting too much, but July 28 on a train to Stockholm I got an email offering me the job! I accepted and had to return to Oman 10 days earlier than expected (trashing my Sweden trip) in order to get all the departure bureaucracy out of the way in time for AECP's July 18 start date (flight July 17). I managed to get out two days later, July 19, after safely disposing of my car - but not my washing machine. (Still sitting in my apartment in Muscat waiting for someone to buy it. My neighbor is hopefully handling this.)

I arrived in Phoenix safely the evening of August 19 after a 6 hour flight Muscat-London, a 7-hour lay-over in London airport, and a 9-hour flight to Phoenix. I then began work at Arizona State U. immediately the next day - orientation mainly. Classes begin August 25. When I get a moment, I'll be flying back to LA to get my car and a few belongings - Labor Day weekend.

My new contact information:

Snail mail:

Paul Sundberg
American English and Culture Program
Arizona State University
PO Box 873504
Tempe AZ 85287-3504
USA

Mobile: +1 424-477-7598

Personal email: pasundberg@yahoo.com

Business email: paul.sundberg@asu.edu

Am currently apartment hunting, but my work address should be the most stable contact address for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, old Aramco family friend Bill Graham is putting me up and letting me borrow his car until I'm settled here in town. So, I'm surviving quite well and very happy to be back in the USA - at least for a while!