This is our sixth day in Mecca -- and each one has been busier than the last. The team's third package, this one focusing on young American Muslim students, started airing on CNN this morning and has been running all day. I have no idea why, but I've found myself with a few minutes to think, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to write how one of the things that's surprised me most about this project is the fact that, as busy as we've been, Schams, Zain, Adil, Khadija and I make, or perhaps I should say find, the time to watch the pieces we've worked on at least once as it airs on CNN. We gather around the television in our workspace, and with great anticipation, we then view a story we've all worked on an inordinate amount of hours these past few days. It's important to see it with fresh eyes, on a television screen instead of a laptop screen. It makes it all the more real, as if we could feel the impact of the story in a way we hadn't before. It gives us a needed morale boost and keeps the adrenaline pumping -- something we all desperately need at a time when finding even a few hours to sleep seems an impossible dream. I can't even begin to explain how nice it is to work with a team of seasoned professionals so enthused about what they produce. Despite all the setbacks - slow elevators, slower internet connection, etc., etc. -- this is one of the coolest collaborations I've ever been a part of. As for sleep? Plenty of time for that later.