The Al-Khaleej beckons!

41 students. 20 company and on-site visits. 10 days of travel (6 - 16 Dec). 4 countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE). A once-in-a-lifetime experience!

And it has finally come to the day when I'm packing and feeling the excitement, a few hours after meeting the class for a get-together potluck and briefing for the trip. As I work down my to-do list for the preparations, and look ahead at the intense work and learning we will be doing during the trip, I can't help but reflect on all that we've been through as a class.

Yes, it's a graded module which is notoriously known for the intense amount of academic rigor and non-academic contribution such as planning the trip and organising site visits. Among all of the presentations that I've done in my 3.5 years in SMU, those in the BSM module are easily among the most memorable. The stress level was astronomical and the amount of time we put into the course should be measured in days, not hours.

Academics aside, it's the hands-on learning that matters. I've never interviewed three personalities from the business sector before, not even when I was in ST. I've never handled a S$110 000 budget before. Neither have I worked my guts out for media engagement (incl. the local and Middle East press) in any single project undertaking. This module has crossed the line and in ways I have never imagined.

And in a day's time, I will be stepping into a world that I've read about so far in the Internet, papers, and magazines - a region so politically. economically and culturally diverse; a region that has a recent history of impressive developmental growth and an even longer history of war and Islamic terrorism; and a region that is moving beyond the entrapment of oil wealth into a future still brimming with opportunities that is fueled by investment in various industries, human capital development, and domestic consumption - and see it for what it is.

And courtesy of the previous BSM photography teams, here are some shots to wet the appetite.

The Arabs are renowned for building entire cities from scratch. Their master plans speak of behemoth highways with high-rise office complexes, elaborate industrial parks, and ostentatious residential and tourist spots that cater to the well-heeled. Today's Abu Dhabi and Dubai were spawned from the first generation of master plan development, and the next generation of cities will be found in places like Saudi Arabia where the government is building five economic cities over the next 10 to 20 years.

See the sophistication of their plans. While many developments were fueled by oil wealth, some (like Dubai) were financed heavily by debt which unraveled with the financial crisis. Still, the Arabs have more than enough natural resources to rely on, enlightened political leadership that is determined to reform and diversify their economies, and thousands of foreign companies that are competing for plushy contracts - to keep the region relevant like China and India for the foreseeable future.

Atlantis and the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, Lusail City in Doha, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, and the Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia are among the many developments that the Middle East offers. All of this was previously unimaginable in a region that was associated only with static dictatorships, plutocracy, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism and an irreconcilable culture. Today's Gulf is a break from the past.

See this huge conference hall with state-of-the-art communications technology. I'm always impressed by how the Arabs go for scale and size. The ability to dream and envision boldly - something many of us fail to do so - is also as critical as translating that vision into reality.

Ahlan wa-sahlan. Welcome to the Gulf! And Ma'a salama. The Gulf beckons!