On becoming and being an international medical educator

It is almost 15 months since I arrived on Australian soil as the Academic Lead for Problem-based Learning at Bond University, after a five and half year stint in the Middle East. How did a South African end up in Australia via the Middle East, you might well ask? The story of this journey to becoming an " international " medical educator began in April 2005, when my cosy (but not mundane) routine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) was interrupted by an email inviting me to consider applying for a medical education post at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) University. Why would I want to work in the UAE or anywhere else, for that matter? Although being what I considered " well-travelled " , the thought of disrupting my relatively peaceful and comfortable existence in the city in which I was born, schooled and now worked, held little appeal. But, the seed had been sown.... After weighing up the pros and the cons, I took a huge leap of faith and applied for the position, not knowing what lay beyond the next four years or even if I would see out the four years in a new and strange country. My decision was certainly not taken lightly. In fact, it was a gestation of several months, particularly since I knew that if I resigned, considering the South African political landscape, it was unlikely that I would find a similar position on my return. So, leaving family, friends, assets and a lifestyle to which I was accustomed, I landed in Dubai in the height of summer (in excess of 45°C) and was transported to the garden city of Al Ain, in the middle of the Arabian desert. From a professional perspective, it was one of the best decisions I have made. The UAEU faculty comprised mostly expatriate academics and support staff with a wealth of knowledge and experience who too had had to make the often difficult decision to leave " home " , sometimes without their families, in search of, amongst other reasons, a different (or for some, a similar) experience, adventure, research opportunities, a tax-free income or perhaps exiled from their home country because of political strife. At the time of my arrival (June 2006), faculty originated from more than 25 countries. While many were from South Africa). Many of us lived in the same " compounds …