Dubai
THE DAY CAME, FOR THE MOST AWAITED TRIP OF THIS WHOLE STUDY ABROAD…. You can’t imagine how anxious everyone is, people “miraculously” got over sicknesses and everyone is pumped to leave the dirty clutter of Cairo and get to the illustrious Dubai. It seems like a fairy tale, middle earth or Hogwarts… I can’t even imagine what it will look like. There is still a remorseful feeling in the air from the news of the death of our professor’s brother. The tragedy is heavy on everyone’s hearts and we are all looking for Dubai to make everything better.
Were up at 6 am. The night before I skyped my loved ones till about 4am, packed and barley closed my eyes before my alarm went off to get up. I pack all that I can think of to bring grab my iPod make a quick playlist and hope of the big Benz bus to the airport…
Three hours later we arrive
Snap shot as we arrived in teh Airport
e in Dubai… the temperature outside is 106 degrees as we hit the runway… We do the airport shuffle ( I get another stamp on my passport yay me!) and immediately notice a huge difference. All the men wear (bear with my description)these garments, they look like white dress shirt dresses and these head pieces. They are the emirates, the native people of the UAE but only 10% of the population in Dubai). Four Emirate women and five men greet us at the airport they are our guides for the next six days. The women wear a berja, an all black dress that covers ankles to wrist and hair. Their “modest” attire and next to the men they make good pairs. It looks great together actually.
Dubai is amazing, everyone just looks in awe as we ride to our hotel because it looks more like America than Cairo; there are paved streets, luxury vehicles and sky scrapers, construction and its soooo clean. It so refreshing to see what everyone called “civilization”. In a way it kind of looks like a place off the Jetsons. Everything is so new and modern looking. The bus feels like a party right now… the energy is soo high!
Entering the CityCity Of Dubai
We arrive at the hotel and by hotel I mean the Address in Dubai. Pause… now I’ve been all over to five star places but there is no Five Star like in Dubai, it is extravagance at its best! Immediately it spoils you and makes it hard for you to want to ever be in any other place..
thsi is what was on when i turned the tv on cute
From the Burj Khalifa100 + stories up
The model of the building at the foot on the entrance
100 + stories up
Its literally like something from a movie the illuminated tunnel we walk through are screens of hi tech animation of the building of the tower, pictures and interesting facts you feel as if your walking through time. We step onto the elevator and make our ascent to the observatory 194 floors about the ground. The rest are office buildings on top and we have restricted access. The ride up is so amazing smoothed, not to mention the entire elevator inside is a screen and your mesmerized by the images about the Burj Khalifa that you forget your on a elevator, it feels like you’re going to space, I expected to arrive on space ship once the doors opened. ….
the day day we go to aquarium and under water zoo! i looove the zoo and it was a nice break from seeing all the monkeys from home … just kidding… some people we were with even went scuba diving in the aquarium… i didnt wanna mess up my hair…
lil blow fishy!
cute lil penguins!
the next night we decided to go skiing… in Dubai
needless to say you wont see any pictures after!
In Abu Dhabi, we visited mosque, met with parliament and many government branches to get a better understand of the newly formed nation. We visited the Dubai sch0ool of government who had a prestigious program recruiting college students from all over to come and be a part of the newly forming nation. They needed students to do public policy , finance, government structure and industy management. Their incentive was offering high paid positions that would normally take Americans 15years of experience to achieve. Many of my classmates loved the idea, so did I , at first it is very alluring ot think you could have such a position of power in a new nation. But then I thought about my family and what I need to contribute to my birth place and brushed off the thought… besides, everything aint what it seems.,.
Visit to MBC
Visit MBC Middle East Broad Casting
Dinner boat ride from the Prince
- Karis and i went for din one night and got a lil appetizer
Overall the trip to the lavish and beautiful Dubai/Abu Dhabi put my mind on a more global perspective and helped me to understand where I want to be in life. It was a priceless trip and everything was funded by the crown prince so no way could we have had a better experience. Dubai is a very extravagant place and for a second it has the ability to put you into a false sense of reality and you begin to blur the lines between what is real and attainable and what is just shiny and deceiving. It all depends on what you understand. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime!
i will keep adding pic
Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments
awwwooooo i loved the jetsons analogy, i see how you could say that!
i think this entry has the best pics… made me feel like i was there my darn self.
<3 it. 4 days bish, 4 days!
+++I was mesmerized from this blog. I was with you on every leg of the visist. I was feeling you!!!! You are so correct, everything you see is not really what it appears to be…Yes, you are having a trip of a lifetime….Keep taking pictures!!!!! ..love you soo much..miss u and can’t wait to see you back home!!! Love Auntie
Not sure if u got my last entry..But I have been sending notes throughout your blog. I lov3e this entry the most. I have been with you throught your trip and been responding to you. Not sure if you got them. But this entry meserized me and I want u to continue to take pics..I feel that I am there with you..Miss u and canit wait to see u..Love Auntie
thank you soo much auntie for the support! it means a lot to me that you read and respond everytime ! i cant wait to get home and share more pictures with you! i love you!