New Experiences

Over the past couple weeks I have had some amazing first-time experiences that I won't ever forget! The top three:

1. The Polo Match
A few days ago a friend and I were invited to watch a practice polo match. I didn't even know what polo involved before going. I asked if it was similar to water polo, which I have seen once before on a visit to San Diego, and I was laughed at. Basically, polo involves horses, sticks, a small ball, and a goal. That's about all you need to know, since actually paying attention to what's happening in the game isn't really that exciting.



2. The Beach Party
Last weekend some friends and I decided to check out a big party at Nasimi Beach, which is near the Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah, the manmade island near campus. It was a total blast. There were thousands of people everywhere, great music, lots of food & drink, and fireworks!



3. The Desert Safari
I recently went on my first-ever trip to the real desert and I still have the bruises to prove it. For this trip we drove out to Sharjah, a neighboring Emirate of Dubai about 45 minutes from AUD. The highlights of the desert trip including "dune bashing," or driving crazily around in jeep over hills in the sand. Fairly scary/dangerous, like a ride at Disneyworld but without the security of knowing that your vehicle won't spin out of control or flip (this is where the bruises came from). We also rented motorbikes/4-wheelers to ride over the dunes. I didn't do much of this due to the lack of helmets and reckless men driving, but fun to watch. We also built a fire and sat around talking and eating/drinking. We had a big group going, and most of the people I hadn't met before. One guy's dad owns a pastry shop and bought a big box of mini pizzas. One of my new favorite things is zaatar, which is a mixture of strong herbs like Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Savory, and Sesame seeds. It's often put on pizzas or in other pastries and is absolutely delicious.

Excess

One of my favorite books is Eat, Pray, Love. Perhaps coincidentally, but probably not, it is about a woman who loves to travel. I recently saw the movie made with Julia Roberts as the lead (not as great as the book) and it reminded me that in the book, the narrator has a word for every place she visits. It made me think a little bit about what Dubai's word is. I didn't have to think very hard, because it's obvious: Dubai's word is, undoubtedly: excess.

Dubai is a place of superlatives. The tallest tower, the most man-made islands, the most luxurious hotels, even just recently the longest line of sandwiches. People don't come to Dubai just to live, they come to thrive. They don't come just for a vacation, they come for a taste of pure luxury. When you look around, everything you see literally sparkles with excess.

Dubai's man-made islands are one case in point. Dubai is home to many islands that were entirely constructed by humans. The World Islands comprise a cluster of several islands designed to look like a map of the world. There are two islands (Palm Jumeirah & Palm Jebel Ali) that are shaped like date palms, with the leaves extending out into the ocean and crammed high-end condos. The crown jewel of Palm Jumeirah, which is just a few minutes' drive from campus, is the Atlantis Hotel at the very end of the island. It is a spectacular underwater-themed hotel complete with its own aquarium with the props to make it look like a fallen city. Inside are several restaurants, bars, a huge nightclub and, of course, some very expensive hotel rooms.

Lobby sculpture at Atlantis Hotel

This past weekend I had the opportunity to experience this excess first-hand. One of my friends here invited me to meet with another friend of a friend. We were to spend an evening at a five-star hotel.. with the owner of the hotel. The night began with drinks in a ritzy bar/lounge. After a drink or two, we moved upstairs to an upscale Japanese restaurant. This was some of the best food I've ever tasted, and it just kept coming and coming, course after course. Salad, tempura, tons of sushi, and the hands-down best cod I've ever had in my entire life. Afterward, more drinks in another bar of the hotel. Of course, no checks were brought, no credit cards yielded.. we were, in fact, guests of the owner.

This is all very different (and fairly shocking) to me. Where I'm from, people work hard for their money and don't earn enough to live like this for more than a night or two's vacation from reality, if at all. In Dubai, someone might spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for just a night of fun. I talked about this with one of the friends I've made here, telling him that it seems like people throw money around in Dubai like it's just paper. His response was, "In Dubai, many people don't really earn their money, it just falls on them."

>>> And by the way, Mom & Dad, I'm doing my best not to be excessive myself......... :)

Abu Dhabi

Now that classes have been going on for about two weeks, I think I've settled into my work/play balance. I am absolutely loving my classes and the chance I'm getting here to focus on one field of study. AUD offers a Certificate in Middle East Studies, an 18-credit (6 class) program focused on Middle East history, culture, language and religion, and I'll receive the certificate at the end of this semester. All of my classes focus on various aspects of the Middle East. The five classes I'm taking are:

• Islamic Contributions to World Civilizations
• Introduction to Middle East History
• Special Topics in Middle East Studies: Iraq
• Conflict in the Middle East
• Islamic Art & Architecture

The classes overlap and inform each other, and it's great to know that when I'm studying for one class, I'm also studying for the others as well. With the exception of my intensive Arabic class at Georgetown the summer before last, I haven't had the chance to study one special topic in depth without having to worry about anything else. I'm loving it, and I feel like this is how school should be!

This past weekend a few friends and I decided to take a short road trip to Abu Dhabi, Dubai's neighboring emirate and the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The original intention of the trip was for to attend a concert by the DJ Tiesto, but unfortunately on the way there Blackberrys were blowing up with the news that the concert had been canceled due to "technical difficulties." But of course it's Abu Dhabi, and if you've seen 'Sex and the City 2' you know that there is plenty to do in Abu Dhabi. My friends and I decided to go to a nightclub instead, which was packed with others who were missing out on the Tiesto concert.

I haven't really been to any nightclubs in the US, but I know that clubbing in Dubai (and Abu Dhabi) is a bit different because you have the added element that everyone is from a different place. Nightclubs and bars here are generally attached to hotels so that they are allowed to serve alcohol, and because of that the crowds there are mixtures of tourists, locals, residents, visitors, etc. If there's a certain nationality you're especially attracted to, you'll probably find it in a Dubai club. In addition to the standard "what's your name?" you also get "where are you from?" when you're in a nightclub. I met one guy in the club who asked me this second question, and upon my saying that I was American, he pulled open his shirt to reveal a tattoo on his chest that said "Saddam" with a picture of a lion. I was stunned. After verifying that the man was Iraqi and the tattoo was indeed a tribute to Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator, I asked him when he got the tattoo. His only response was "before he died." I was surprised that he let me take a picture:

Saddam Hussein tattoo

As a sidenote to this story, you might worry about me and wonder if I ever feel unsafe or threatened in Dubai. The answer is a very strong no--I haven't felt threatened by another person at any point during my trip here. Dubai is a remarkably safe city, and there is a strong police presence that makes me feel very secure here. It helps that there are special sections of the public buses and metro reserved especially for women. The only times I've felt like I was at risk is when I'm riding in cars on the Dubai highways--the Middle East in general is known for its crazy drivers and Dubai, while certainly far safer than other places like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is no exception.

After spending the night in Abu Dhabi, my friends and I then had a huge lunch at a comfy Arabian cafe, complete with hummous, pita, and (my new love) Moroccan tea. Afterward we visited Emirates Palace, a luxury "7-star" hotel in Abu Dhabi. Its most expensive suite will set you back $11,500 for one night. The palace was beautiful inside and out. This is the only place in the world with an ATM that gives you gold pieces instead of cash--a symbol of the luxury and wealth of this oil-rich emirate.

Courtyard at Emirates Palace (tiny me in the center!)