Dubai

Still here in Dubai with exactly 14 days to go before heading home to L.A. Sometimes a long trip can go by really fast and I would say this is one of those, unless these last 14 days begin to drag out.

I've been running an open mic, 3 nights a week on Mondays-Wednesdays and its turned more into a workshop sort of thing then a real open mic. The participants are really anxious to perform and begin writing a lot, but its hard to know what will happen if they go in front of an audience. One thing is true about comedians and the crowd that gathers at an open mic, we are all a bunch of lost souls limping around the world looking for an outlet. Here in Dubai there are around 7 regular people that attend every night trying to piece together an act on stage that will reflect their personalities, or at least the best part of it. They have a long ways to go from showing their best. I would say it's a lot of work to do what I'm doing. I've become their teacher, coach and comedy mentor. They look at me after every joke to see if I'm laughing, I just keep taking notes so I can at least remember what to say. It's fun to help them but I hope they will have other opportunities after I split town or this will just be a singular experience for them and that makes me feel bad and adds more pressure to get them to work faster.

A few phrases they say in Arabic fit this one...
"Allah Maak," and "Allah Waalam"(God be with you, and Only God knows)
Or as we say in America, God speed and peace out.

--ak