This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cody Greene, a 36-year-old from Tampa who has been in Dubai since Friday. It has been edited for length and clarity. I arrived in Dubai Friday night local time, planning to stay for a week. I'm a business development manager at a digital ad company, and was supposed to attend a conference on Wednesday and Thursday this week. I was planning to fly home just in time for my son's first birthday party this coming weekend. Saturday morning, I