Thank you British Airways!

I'll end the chronicle of this adventure with a toast to British Airways for making it all possible. Going home meant two more 11-hour flights, from Male to London Gatwick, then a bus transfer and overnight hotel before catching another long flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles. Both times I had a very civilized flight in World Traveler Plus. A kind manager even let me use the club lounge and the nice folks at the Sheraton Heathrow credited me for the prepaid night that I missed. BA's Terminal 5 is a city unto itself, and filled with random touches like a full-size horse lamp!I'm living proof that being face-to-face can seal a deal that wouldn't happen otherwise. Thank you British Airways!

Public Diplomacy

The main point of my visit is trying to enlist a Maldivian partner organization for a Fulbright specialist grant from the US State Department. But it's also a chance to catch up with some of the outstanding professionals I met at TV Maldives on the last two trips. Environmental reporter Huzam Hamid and Jadullah Thaufeeq (JD), a producer for the English bulletin, are big fans of American movies and speak English with near native fluency. They translate CNN and Reuters into Dhivehi and then translate the Dhivehi bulletin into English. They are also multitalented guys, who produce, present and report in the field. TVM is lucky to have them. This was a fun evening and public diplomacy at its best... fellow journalists sharing stories and comparing the broadcasting practices of our two countries.