Alumnus in Abu Dhabi

May 23, 2014 | Alumni-Stories

Al Ain is the location of a four thousand year old oasis on the trade route from Oman to Abu Dhabi. It is quite beautiful here especially the sunsets. There is history everywhere you turn. Of course it is hot, but the body acclimates quickly. The heat is drier here compared to the coastal cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai an hour and a half drive away. It is much more humid along the water.

I am now an air traffic controller at Al Ain International Airport. My daughter just graduated high school in Ohio, and has joined me. She is attending Penn State’s Worldwide Campus in the Fall. Everyone was shocked, and warned me to be careful. The UAE is the most tolerant Arab country that I am aware of at this time. We even have a Catholic church here in Al Ain, and Christmas decorations can be found in the malls.

KCHS is in my distant past. I arrived there to finish my 11th & 12th year. My foundation was strengthened during my two years there not only through theology, but through the study habits acquired, which have been quite beneficial. My shell was cracked by the extra-curricular activities offered. Specifically, I was in dinner theatres, two musicals, and participated in the jazz band. These are activities you do not normally associate with a “jock” back in the mid 80s’.

If I was given two words to describe my time at KCHS it would be acceptance and opportunity. My only regret is that I only had two years there.

– David Blandford, Class of 1985