I have been working fiendishly the past few weeks at my internship preparing for New Student Orientation and orientation leader training. I was glad that I had the opportunity to sneak away for a weekend in Dubai. I've always head that Dubai was a fun exotic place to visit and I wanted to see it all for myself.
I left Doha on Thursday night (the weekend is Friday & Saturday) on a FlyDubai flight. The flight was only about 45 minutes long and I got to watch about half of the Harry Potter 7 Pt. 2 movie, which I finished on the return flight. Going through security at the airport in Doha was interesting. I was prepared for the whole ordeal that the US airports put you through: take off your shoes, liquids in separate bags, remove all metal from your body, etc. As I approached the security counter, I was preparing myself slowing... remove belt, take off watch,... and about the time I started untying my shoes, the security guard stops me and pushily tells me to continue through the metal detector. As I try to explain to him that I haven't taken off my shoes and metal items, he just repeats "go, go"... so I walk through the metal detector wearing my watch, two rings, coins in my pocket, my belt, and my shoes. Of course, I set the thing off. I turn around and look at the security guard who I assumed was going to make me walk through again or wand me, and he looks at me and says "Please continue, ma'am." As I collected my things from the x-ray conveyor belt and walked away I was somewhat in shock. Why didn't they really screen me? I could have had something dangerous on me and they'd have never known it. I told one of my coworkers about it and he got a kick out of it since he's stopped at every security checkpoint in every airport ever. He told me I probably wasn't thoroughly screened was a combination of the fact that I was white and also a woman.
Needless to say I had plenty of time left in the airport since I had collected my ticket and gone through security in a matter of 20 minutes... what to do, what to do? Thankfully I had brought my iPad along with me for the weekend and proceeded to play games until my flight was called for boarding. The flight was relatively uneventful. I watched the movie and relaxed. It was about the same distance as a flight from College Station to Houston would have been. Just about the time they hit cruising speed and altitude, they're already on their way back down.
Another interesting part of my traveling experience happened once I got to Dubai...
I got off the plane and headed for the customs and immigration line. As a US citizen you can show up in Dubai without a visa and they'll issue one on arrival. This was really nice so I didn't have to do a lot of paperwork beforehand. I just had to request an exit and reentry permit for Qatar. I got several passports on my stamp this weekend: entry and exit stamps from Qatar and Dubai as well as a 28 day visa stamp from Dubai (all shown below).
After immigration, I went through customs which is just putting your suitcase on an X-ray belt again, nothing serious. It seems like no country I've been to really takes the whole customs thing seriously. On my arrival in both Italy and Qatar I walked right through. The US has the same process with a longer line and just makes you fill out paperwork if you're declaring anything. My experiences with customs have never been intense, but that's neither here nor there. After customs I found an ATM in the airport to get money out so I could pay a taxi driver to take me to my hotel. I arrived at about 11:45PM and by the time I exited the airport it was midnight so the metro was closed already. I put the card in the machine, choose my language, type in my pin, choose how much money I want to pull out... and I get the lovely message "This card is invalid." Machine spits card out at me. Try again. "This card is invalid." At this point I'm already concocting the verbal rampage in my head for the phone call that I'm going to make to Wells Fargo if I ever get to my hotel. The only reason I could think that my card wasn't working is that they'd cancelled it... after I'd spoken to them several times about my travel plans and had them make notes in my account. I was livid... and having a mental freakout because I was now in another foreign country, by myself, with 34 Qatari Riyals (~$9.50). All I'm thinking to myself is crap, crap, crap... this isn't good.
I walked into the mini convenience store at the airport and ask if the taxi drivers will take Qatari Riyals and she tells me yes- I'm so thankful that most people here speak English, and really well- not the case in Italy. She tells me to cross the street to get a cheaper taxi because the ones that pick up right in front of the airport are more expensive. So I walk across the street and there is a taxi driver waiting outside his taxi and asks me where I want to go. I tell him I need to go to the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel and ask him about how much it is going to cost. He tells me about 95 Duhrams (UAE money), which is about equal to the Qatari Riyal. Once again... crap crap crap. So I do the only thing I can think of (and which Chris will hate me for)... I play the I'm-an-American-alone-in-another-country-and-the-ATM-isn't-accepting-my-credit-card-and-all-I-have-is-34QR card. I put on my best pathetic girl face and the driver is like fine, fine I'll take you. YES!
The taxi driver was incredibly nice and wasn't resentful at all about the fact that I wouldn't be able to pay him is full fare. The taxi ride was about 20 minutes long and we talked the whole time. Him about growing up in Bangladesh and all of the different places that I should visit while I am in Dubai and he asked me about America and Texas. He turned off his taxi meter about half-way through the ride when it hit 34QR because that was all I was able to pay. Seriously, best taxi driver ever. I was just about ready to give him a hug but that would have been really culturally inappropriate, especially during Ramadan! When we get to the hotel I give him all the cash I have on me and walk into the hotel sans moolah.
The hotel that I stayed at was absolutely amazing. It was a 5-star hotel that I booked on Priceline and only paid $100/night for. I figured I'm only going to make it to Dubai once, so I wanted to do it in style! I checked in and and asked if there was an ATM at the hotel that I could use. They pointed me to one and I approached with caution... this would be the true test... Did Wells Fargo cancel my card or was the machine at the airport just not working... deep breath... insert card, select language, type in PIN... select amount of cash and... SUCCESS! Biggest sigh of relief in my life. I was dreading what I was going to have to do if my card wasn't working. I stopped mentally cursing Wells Fargo and took the elevator up to the 4th floor and settled into my hotel room. The rooms as amazing. I had a comfy king-sized bed that I sprawled out on and passed out because it had been such a long day of work and travel.
I woke up early Friday morning and got ready for the day. I had planned out the trip earlier in the week and knew what I wanted to do. On the docket for the day: Mall of the Emirates and the Dubai Mall followed by a trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa after the sun had set.
The Mall of the Emirates was huge and awesome. I spent about an hour there because I was waiting for the metro system to open up since it has Friday morning reserved for maintenance. I walked around and took pictures of the indoor ski slope and meandered the stores, but I don't recall buying anything. When the metro station opened for the day I bought myself a day pass and hopped on the metro for the Dubai Mall- the biggest mall in the world that has 1,200 stores!! It was massive and ridiculous in every way. I'm pretty sure they well everything ever invented, even human organs (okay, I'm exaggerating, but you get the point), EVERYTHING! I bought the ring that I've posted pictures of on Facebook, two pairs of stud earrings, some postcards and other small items. I was careful not to buy anything big or heavy for fear of making my carry-on bag too heavy for the flight back to Dubai (the limit was 7kg, which is about 15lbs). I spent hours walking around the Dubai Mall, there was a ridiculous amount of things to see. I went to the aquarium and saw lots of fish, animals and even penguins (in the middle of the mall)! There was a huge 3-story waterfall and various hotels connected to the mall. I went to one of the hotels for lunch since all of the food court options were shut during the daylight hours (Ramadan). Lunch at the hotel was fabulous and it was a nice break for my feet. Afterwards I sent to the spice souk and then headed the Burj Khalifa for my 7:30PM appointment to take the elevator to the top!
I arrived at the Burj Khalifa right after sunset. Thankfully I had purchased my ticket ahead of time, which made it a quarter of the price and I didn't have to wait in a ridiculous line. I piled into an elevator with a dozen other people and we were rocketed to the 124th floor, ears popping all the way. The view was amazing. I could see Dubai at night and it seemed to go on forever, except the side of the building that faced the ocean, where there was a distinct line of where buildings met the coast. Absolutely gorgeous and a "must-do" for people traveling to Dubai!
Afterwards, I took the metro back to my hotel and relaxed in the hotel bar with a glass of wine. I went back to my hotel room, took a bubble bath and fell asleep after my long day of exploring Dubai. It doesn't seem like I did a lot but the heat combined with the miles of walking really did me in!
I woke up the next morning and headed to the private beach that the hotel visitors have access to. I spent the morning until 2PM alternating between the beach, the infinity pool, and the lazy river. What a life! I finally got some sun, which is funny to think that I haven't really had much of my arms or legs exposed since I've gotten here. My goal was to relax... mission accomplished. After swimming and sunning I returned to my hotel, showered, checked out and ate a late lunch in the hotel restaurant.
Afterwards, I took a taxi to the old gold souk that is close to the airport, toting my duffle bag with me- not the best arrangement, but it worked out. As in Doha you are asked to come into the shops by the owners who want to show you all of the things they are selling. I had a 15-minute conversation with a guy about my age from India. He started off trying to sell me a gold/diamond necklace and I think he finally got the hint after me telling him several times that I couldn't afford it. Afterwards he just talked to me about life and America and what I was doing in the gulf area. He gave my his name and told me to find him on Facebook, and of course... the inevitable question... "Are you married?" I was asked three times that weekend. Note to self... just start answering yes= less hassle.
I didn't end up buying anything at the gold souk, because while there were amazing and beautiful pieces of jewelry there just wasn't anything that shouted "BUY ME" that I could afford! I headed out to the road and asked a taxi driver to take me to the airport. Somewhere I must have done wrong because about the time I threw my bag into the backseat and started to climb in, another taxi driver came and told me to get into his cab because he had been waiting longer. Then came the screaming match between the two cab drivers... it was intense. I was momentarily worried that the guy I'd gotten into the cab with was going to run the other guy over. Such an awkward ride after that confrontation. The people in the gold souk around me gave me sympathetic looks and I think were trying to tell me, "don't worry, it's not your fault." In the end I made it to the airport, one angry taxi driver later.
The Dubai airport was just as lax security-wise as the Doha airport. Somewhat troubling, but I made it back safely so I guess everything turned out okay.
Overall, I had an amazing time. The places that I visited were beautiful. Like Doha, there is construction everywhere and the driving is insane- do these people not have a fear of dying in car crashes?! The culture here is something that I am soaking in every moment. I am enjoying Ramadan and have even fasted a few days to see what it's like for the Muslims. I have a whole new level of respect for the Muslims in America that walk around during Ramadan and have to watch people eat and drink all day while they cannot. And the heat in Texas while walking on campus in College Station, I can't imagine. This whole experience has been eye opening and I learn new things every day. I wish everyone had an opportunity like this so learn and share and see others' world views.
Now that I've returned from my weekend getaway I've gotten back to work and have to buckle down because orientation leader training starts the week after next. Next week the CDA (equivalent of RA) training starts and I am assisting with it.
On Sunday I had more Arabic food at Wafi Gourmet (kind of like an Arabic version of Hubble and Hudson Kitchen). I am really starting to love the food over here. I am going to miss it when I am back in the states, which was unexpected. I've noticed that you just get much more variety over here. A meal consist of several different items and not just a main course and a side. It makes it easier to try several new things at once. On Monday night, Basit was craving a burger so we went to iftar at... Fudruckers... yes, they have one over here! Haha it was kind of funny to see it in a totally different setting. Then last night I had more Arabic food at Arooj's house while we worked on some things for work and watched Fun With Dick and Jane, which I had forgotten how funny it was. I died laughing.
Tonight I went to iftar with Arooj, Will, Fatima, and Maria then went for ice cream afterwards. Ice cream as an interesting experience. We were sitting at the table alone in the restaurant and a family came in. A mom, a nanny, 7 little girls and a little boy. The only thing I was thinking was, "good lord I would pull my hair out if I had that many kids!" The kids were all really sweet, giving us high-fives and saying hi. Then after they ordered ice cream they were standing awkwardly close behind me, it was like a had eight little shadows. After a couple of minutes one of the older ones (about 6 years old) came up to me and slowly (with her mother reminding her of words) said to me: "We would like to invite you to learn about Islam." I thought it was really interesting because you're suddenly stuck in this awkward moment of what do I do? I want to be nice and respectful, but I don't know what to say in return. I ended up saying thank you and awkwardly looking to the people at my table for help, who were giggling at the interaction. It's funny because it puts it all into perspective for me little bit better. This is what Muslim people experience sometimes when they come to America, people trying to teach them about their religion. I know the little girl and her family were just trying to be kind, but it was an awkward and eye-opening position that I found myself in. A big lesson in putting myself in another person's shoes.
Still... this is an amazing experience. I couldn't have asked anything more out of a summer internship. The people I work with are great and I love the work that I am doing. The culture is exciting and I'm learning all the time, which is awesome. Everything seems to be a learning moment. I really can't wait to bring back all of my new knowledge back to Texas although I'm not looking forward to leaving Doha, half of my time here is gone and it's been so quick!
I will leave you with a few Arabic words of the day...
"shukran"= "thank you"
"Al salaam a'alaykum"= "hello"
"ma'a salama"= "goodbye"
Funny word stuff: "Shisha" has several meanings- the stuff you smoke, an IV, or an incubator that you put newborn babies in. During staff training we asked Mohammed to put this into a sentence for us- "Put my baby in the shisha." I died laughing.
Until next time, leave comments if you'd like...
I left Doha on Thursday night (the weekend is Friday & Saturday) on a FlyDubai flight. The flight was only about 45 minutes long and I got to watch about half of the Harry Potter 7 Pt. 2 movie, which I finished on the return flight. Going through security at the airport in Doha was interesting. I was prepared for the whole ordeal that the US airports put you through: take off your shoes, liquids in separate bags, remove all metal from your body, etc. As I approached the security counter, I was preparing myself slowing... remove belt, take off watch,... and about the time I started untying my shoes, the security guard stops me and pushily tells me to continue through the metal detector. As I try to explain to him that I haven't taken off my shoes and metal items, he just repeats "go, go"... so I walk through the metal detector wearing my watch, two rings, coins in my pocket, my belt, and my shoes. Of course, I set the thing off. I turn around and look at the security guard who I assumed was going to make me walk through again or wand me, and he looks at me and says "Please continue, ma'am." As I collected my things from the x-ray conveyor belt and walked away I was somewhat in shock. Why didn't they really screen me? I could have had something dangerous on me and they'd have never known it. I told one of my coworkers about it and he got a kick out of it since he's stopped at every security checkpoint in every airport ever. He told me I probably wasn't thoroughly screened was a combination of the fact that I was white and also a woman.
Needless to say I had plenty of time left in the airport since I had collected my ticket and gone through security in a matter of 20 minutes... what to do, what to do? Thankfully I had brought my iPad along with me for the weekend and proceeded to play games until my flight was called for boarding. The flight was relatively uneventful. I watched the movie and relaxed. It was about the same distance as a flight from College Station to Houston would have been. Just about the time they hit cruising speed and altitude, they're already on their way back down.
Another interesting part of my traveling experience happened once I got to Dubai...
I got off the plane and headed for the customs and immigration line. As a US citizen you can show up in Dubai without a visa and they'll issue one on arrival. This was really nice so I didn't have to do a lot of paperwork beforehand. I just had to request an exit and reentry permit for Qatar. I got several passports on my stamp this weekend: entry and exit stamps from Qatar and Dubai as well as a 28 day visa stamp from Dubai (all shown below).
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| Dubai passport stamps, airplane ticket, and Qatar exit permit. |
I walked into the mini convenience store at the airport and ask if the taxi drivers will take Qatari Riyals and she tells me yes- I'm so thankful that most people here speak English, and really well- not the case in Italy. She tells me to cross the street to get a cheaper taxi because the ones that pick up right in front of the airport are more expensive. So I walk across the street and there is a taxi driver waiting outside his taxi and asks me where I want to go. I tell him I need to go to the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel and ask him about how much it is going to cost. He tells me about 95 Duhrams (UAE money), which is about equal to the Qatari Riyal. Once again... crap crap crap. So I do the only thing I can think of (and which Chris will hate me for)... I play the I'm-an-American-alone-in-another-country-and-the-ATM-isn't-accepting-my-credit-card-and-all-I-have-is-34QR card. I put on my best pathetic girl face and the driver is like fine, fine I'll take you. YES!
The taxi driver was incredibly nice and wasn't resentful at all about the fact that I wouldn't be able to pay him is full fare. The taxi ride was about 20 minutes long and we talked the whole time. Him about growing up in Bangladesh and all of the different places that I should visit while I am in Dubai and he asked me about America and Texas. He turned off his taxi meter about half-way through the ride when it hit 34QR because that was all I was able to pay. Seriously, best taxi driver ever. I was just about ready to give him a hug but that would have been really culturally inappropriate, especially during Ramadan! When we get to the hotel I give him all the cash I have on me and walk into the hotel sans moolah.
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| Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel in Dubai |
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| Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel in Dubai. Room was on the 4th floor to the right of the white drive through. |
I woke up early Friday morning and got ready for the day. I had planned out the trip earlier in the week and knew what I wanted to do. On the docket for the day: Mall of the Emirates and the Dubai Mall followed by a trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa after the sun had set.
The Mall of the Emirates was huge and awesome. I spent about an hour there because I was waiting for the metro system to open up since it has Friday morning reserved for maintenance. I walked around and took pictures of the indoor ski slope and meandered the stores, but I don't recall buying anything. When the metro station opened for the day I bought myself a day pass and hopped on the metro for the Dubai Mall- the biggest mall in the world that has 1,200 stores!! It was massive and ridiculous in every way. I'm pretty sure they well everything ever invented, even human organs (okay, I'm exaggerating, but you get the point), EVERYTHING! I bought the ring that I've posted pictures of on Facebook, two pairs of stud earrings, some postcards and other small items. I was careful not to buy anything big or heavy for fear of making my carry-on bag too heavy for the flight back to Dubai (the limit was 7kg, which is about 15lbs). I spent hours walking around the Dubai Mall, there was a ridiculous amount of things to see. I went to the aquarium and saw lots of fish, animals and even penguins (in the middle of the mall)! There was a huge 3-story waterfall and various hotels connected to the mall. I went to one of the hotels for lunch since all of the food court options were shut during the daylight hours (Ramadan). Lunch at the hotel was fabulous and it was a nice break for my feet. Afterwards I sent to the spice souk and then headed the Burj Khalifa for my 7:30PM appointment to take the elevator to the top!
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| Burj Khalifa |
Afterwards, I took the metro back to my hotel and relaxed in the hotel bar with a glass of wine. I went back to my hotel room, took a bubble bath and fell asleep after my long day of exploring Dubai. It doesn't seem like I did a lot but the heat combined with the miles of walking really did me in!
I woke up the next morning and headed to the private beach that the hotel visitors have access to. I spent the morning until 2PM alternating between the beach, the infinity pool, and the lazy river. What a life! I finally got some sun, which is funny to think that I haven't really had much of my arms or legs exposed since I've gotten here. My goal was to relax... mission accomplished. After swimming and sunning I returned to my hotel, showered, checked out and ate a late lunch in the hotel restaurant.
 |
| Private hotel beach in Dubai. |
I didn't end up buying anything at the gold souk, because while there were amazing and beautiful pieces of jewelry there just wasn't anything that shouted "BUY ME" that I could afford! I headed out to the road and asked a taxi driver to take me to the airport. Somewhere I must have done wrong because about the time I threw my bag into the backseat and started to climb in, another taxi driver came and told me to get into his cab because he had been waiting longer. Then came the screaming match between the two cab drivers... it was intense. I was momentarily worried that the guy I'd gotten into the cab with was going to run the other guy over. Such an awkward ride after that confrontation. The people in the gold souk around me gave me sympathetic looks and I think were trying to tell me, "don't worry, it's not your fault." In the end I made it to the airport, one angry taxi driver later.
The Dubai airport was just as lax security-wise as the Doha airport. Somewhat troubling, but I made it back safely so I guess everything turned out okay.
Overall, I had an amazing time. The places that I visited were beautiful. Like Doha, there is construction everywhere and the driving is insane- do these people not have a fear of dying in car crashes?! The culture here is something that I am soaking in every moment. I am enjoying Ramadan and have even fasted a few days to see what it's like for the Muslims. I have a whole new level of respect for the Muslims in America that walk around during Ramadan and have to watch people eat and drink all day while they cannot. And the heat in Texas while walking on campus in College Station, I can't imagine. This whole experience has been eye opening and I learn new things every day. I wish everyone had an opportunity like this so learn and share and see others' world views.
Now that I've returned from my weekend getaway I've gotten back to work and have to buckle down because orientation leader training starts the week after next. Next week the CDA (equivalent of RA) training starts and I am assisting with it.
On Sunday I had more Arabic food at Wafi Gourmet (kind of like an Arabic version of Hubble and Hudson Kitchen). I am really starting to love the food over here. I am going to miss it when I am back in the states, which was unexpected. I've noticed that you just get much more variety over here. A meal consist of several different items and not just a main course and a side. It makes it easier to try several new things at once. On Monday night, Basit was craving a burger so we went to iftar at... Fudruckers... yes, they have one over here! Haha it was kind of funny to see it in a totally different setting. Then last night I had more Arabic food at Arooj's house while we worked on some things for work and watched Fun With Dick and Jane, which I had forgotten how funny it was. I died laughing.
Tonight I went to iftar with Arooj, Will, Fatima, and Maria then went for ice cream afterwards. Ice cream as an interesting experience. We were sitting at the table alone in the restaurant and a family came in. A mom, a nanny, 7 little girls and a little boy. The only thing I was thinking was, "good lord I would pull my hair out if I had that many kids!" The kids were all really sweet, giving us high-fives and saying hi. Then after they ordered ice cream they were standing awkwardly close behind me, it was like a had eight little shadows. After a couple of minutes one of the older ones (about 6 years old) came up to me and slowly (with her mother reminding her of words) said to me: "We would like to invite you to learn about Islam." I thought it was really interesting because you're suddenly stuck in this awkward moment of what do I do? I want to be nice and respectful, but I don't know what to say in return. I ended up saying thank you and awkwardly looking to the people at my table for help, who were giggling at the interaction. It's funny because it puts it all into perspective for me little bit better. This is what Muslim people experience sometimes when they come to America, people trying to teach them about their religion. I know the little girl and her family were just trying to be kind, but it was an awkward and eye-opening position that I found myself in. A big lesson in putting myself in another person's shoes.
Still... this is an amazing experience. I couldn't have asked anything more out of a summer internship. The people I work with are great and I love the work that I am doing. The culture is exciting and I'm learning all the time, which is awesome. Everything seems to be a learning moment. I really can't wait to bring back all of my new knowledge back to Texas although I'm not looking forward to leaving Doha, half of my time here is gone and it's been so quick!
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| Dubai- outside the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel. |
"shukran"= "thank you"
"Al salaam a'alaykum"= "hello"
"ma'a salama"= "goodbye"
Funny word stuff: "Shisha" has several meanings- the stuff you smoke, an IV, or an incubator that you put newborn babies in. During staff training we asked Mohammed to put this into a sentence for us- "Put my baby in the shisha." I died laughing.
Until next time, leave comments if you'd like...
I loved reading this.. you are such a good writer for one. And secondly.. how amazing. I am so excited for you. Your experiences are so incredible and you will remember them forever! And your pictures are awesome! I still can't get over at how good of a traveler you are..lol - Kristin
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