Dubai: The Airport to the Academy to the Beach to…
I’ve never been so conflicted by imagery as I am here in Dubai. Stepping off of the plane and into the airport was surreal. The entire airport, at 6am, was staffed entirely by non-Emirati: Filipinos and Indians. I bought a SIM card at a drink shop from a woman originally from Negros, and the nice woman at the information desk from India printed out some info me. When I took a taxi, I was shuffled to the side where only the women taxi drivers are, dressed in pink abayas. For about 70 dirham, I made it south to the Emirates Academy.
The buildings in Dubai are immense and massive, but stand next to empty sand lots. The sky is never blue, because of the haze of sand and smog. The buildings themselves are glittering towers of glass and steel; the lights in the evening glimmer in the sky and their neon signs can be seen from what feels like miles away.
This photo is the Burj Al-Arab, an icon of Dubai: the sail-shaped tower that is actually built off of the shore. The idea is that, “God cannot see what isn’t on Arab soil”. At least, that was what was explained to us. It’s the reason that there are so many entertainment facilities or destinations built off of the shoreline, it’s a concept that you can do things you’re normally not allowed to do, and still retain your conscience as a Muslim.
We were told we would be staying in dormitories, and to be honest, I didn’t have very high hopes for it. I should have had more faith in ASU. The “dorms” are actually a faux hotel, run by the Emirates Academy. I have my own stove; a fridge, fully stocked with fruit and cereals; a bathroom that is more spacious than my own in Tempe; and walls and walls of sliding shelves, a desk, a water boiler. The grounds are beautiful, with semi-tame rabbits romping through the grass and a blue-tiled pool. I took the poster I brought with me from Istanbul, a concert poster from off the street, and taped it up. Instant home!
(We’re also a ten minute walk from Jumeirah Beach.)
When everyone had arrived, we walked across the street to Medina Jumeirah, which looked like a Las Vegas resort. There was a shopping arcade, cafes, and a lake with boats.
The area surrounding the Academy is mostly residential (although directly across Jumeirah Road, the major street, is the Burj Al-Arab). When I say residential, what I really mean to say is massive mansions on $12 million properties.
So far we have eaten in big groups at restaurants, told a lot of jokes and basically been “wowed” by what we are seeing. There is the opulence and grandeur of the metro system, but it’s not used by any Emiratis- only the Indian or Filipino workers. We’ve been to the beach, too!
On our way to the beach…
The rest of the beach photos. (Sorry, it’s 2am, I gotta get finished.)
That’s me, pretty much covered up.
The beach wasn’t crowded at all, although it was primarily populated by European expats. The water? Perfectly clear. The sand was soft. The shoreline water was warm, but the further you went in, the more refreshing it got. Never cold though.
The obligatory cover photo. We don’t know who the woman is in the background.
A classmate, enjoying the photo op.
We also had class today, our first cultural orientation in the country. The dean of the Emirates Academy came and shared some of his personal stories about being in Dubai and some of the hilarious misunderstandings that can ensure between foreigners and Emirati. Some of them actually had pretty horrendous results, financially anyway. Emirati can cut in line in front of expats at any government service or hospital, for instance.
(Dr. David Manual-Navarette, the Dean and Dr. Christine Buzinde up front.)
And this is a random avocado milkshake. It’s amazing. Avocado, milk, and honey. It’s amazing.
And I really need to go to sleep now. Our first real assignment is at 9am.