I have less than 24 hours left in Dubai, so I should probably post again. I've made several attempts to post throughout the week, but the Blogger menu kept coming up in Arabic.
It's been a busy week. Almost every day has been packed full of stuff to do. I don't feel homesick yet because it feels like home here (though I do miss my dad, my cat, and the Bombers.) From Starbucks to Banana Republic, there isn't a single shop or restaurant that Dubai doesn't have. (I haven't seen a Wal-Mart yet, but I'm okay with that.) I stopped in my tracks when I saw a couple with Tim Hortons cups at Mall of the Emirates. There's even an Ikea, but I'm not sure how people would get those boxes into their flats because the lifts seem very small. (Most people live in flats, not houses.)
I've also gotten my fill of "western" movies and music. I watched a highly edited (but still hilarious) version of "The Hangover" the day I arrived, I watched "Twilight" the other day, and "Behind Enemy Lines" this evening. The mall stores play Justin Bieber, Nickelback, and Taylor Swift - so it's no different than being at Polo Park or St Vital Centre.
I've done touristy stuff as well. The fountain display at Dubai Mall was incredible and I also got an amazing view of the Burg Khalifa. We saw the indoor ski park (Ski Dubai) at Mall of the Emirates, but I didn't go in because I didn't come all the way here to do something I can do at home for half the year. The crowds were unreal since snow is a novelty in a place that hardly even gets rain. I bet they'd feel differently if they had to live in three feet of it from November till April and shovel it all the time.
Speaking of November, I got a sunburn while swimming in the Arabian Sea at Jumeirah beach today. It didn't feel like November to me at all (more like July or August!) I will be in for a nasty shock when I come home in six weeks, so I'm enjoying this while I can. It has been sunny and cloudless each day I've been here, which I don't mind, but it's hard to imagine living in a place that doesn't have distinct seasons. Hot, hotter, and less hot are not seasons to me.
Yesterday was "desert safari". We went out to a desert by the UAE/Oman border in a Land Cruiser and our driver bashed the sand dunes. It was fun for about the first three minutes, after which point it felt like annoying airplane turbulence. We also rode on camels, dressed in traditional Arabic outfits, watched belly dancing, and ate kebabs. It was an authentic Arab experience. (No, I did not partake in shisha.)
There's been a bit of culture shock (which I'll write about separately), but I'm sure it'll be nothing compared to what I'll experience in India. Before I left, I found part of the journal I kept when I went to India in '02. Most of it was me crabbing about the heat, the bugs, the hygiene and sanitation practices, how long it took to get everywhere... I have a feeling that not much will have changed in those respects, but I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of progress has been made since the last time I was there.
It's been a busy week. Almost every day has been packed full of stuff to do. I don't feel homesick yet because it feels like home here (though I do miss my dad, my cat, and the Bombers.) From Starbucks to Banana Republic, there isn't a single shop or restaurant that Dubai doesn't have. (I haven't seen a Wal-Mart yet, but I'm okay with that.) I stopped in my tracks when I saw a couple with Tim Hortons cups at Mall of the Emirates. There's even an Ikea, but I'm not sure how people would get those boxes into their flats because the lifts seem very small. (Most people live in flats, not houses.)
I've also gotten my fill of "western" movies and music. I watched a highly edited (but still hilarious) version of "The Hangover" the day I arrived, I watched "Twilight" the other day, and "Behind Enemy Lines" this evening. The mall stores play Justin Bieber, Nickelback, and Taylor Swift - so it's no different than being at Polo Park or St Vital Centre.
I've done touristy stuff as well. The fountain display at Dubai Mall was incredible and I also got an amazing view of the Burg Khalifa. We saw the indoor ski park (Ski Dubai) at Mall of the Emirates, but I didn't go in because I didn't come all the way here to do something I can do at home for half the year. The crowds were unreal since snow is a novelty in a place that hardly even gets rain. I bet they'd feel differently if they had to live in three feet of it from November till April and shovel it all the time.
Speaking of November, I got a sunburn while swimming in the Arabian Sea at Jumeirah beach today. It didn't feel like November to me at all (more like July or August!) I will be in for a nasty shock when I come home in six weeks, so I'm enjoying this while I can. It has been sunny and cloudless each day I've been here, which I don't mind, but it's hard to imagine living in a place that doesn't have distinct seasons. Hot, hotter, and less hot are not seasons to me.
Yesterday was "desert safari". We went out to a desert by the UAE/Oman border in a Land Cruiser and our driver bashed the sand dunes. It was fun for about the first three minutes, after which point it felt like annoying airplane turbulence. We also rode on camels, dressed in traditional Arabic outfits, watched belly dancing, and ate kebabs. It was an authentic Arab experience. (No, I did not partake in shisha.)
There's been a bit of culture shock (which I'll write about separately), but I'm sure it'll be nothing compared to what I'll experience in India. Before I left, I found part of the journal I kept when I went to India in '02. Most of it was me crabbing about the heat, the bugs, the hygiene and sanitation practices, how long it took to get everywhere... I have a feeling that not much will have changed in those respects, but I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of progress has been made since the last time I was there.
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