Kara in Sharjah: Mall Adventures

Ah, I’ve know been getting behind on these blog entries, but the last few days have been such a blur! I spent all of yesterday and last night working on my Arab Nationalism presentation for this morning, and didn’t even get to sleep! So I have a lot to catch up on, starting with Monday night…

Okay, now I’m going to try and say this in a calm, cool, collected fashion.

THERE IS A SKI AREA INSIDE OF A MALL!!!!
Okay, so I didn’t succeed :)

You can hear about it, read about it, see pictures of it, but you just can’t understand how unbelievably amazing this concept is until you’re walking past the Gap on your left and five women in abayya’s on your right and look up to see a chairlift go by! I don’t know who had this idea, but they are a genius. Ski Dubai sits at the far end of the mall, and from the outside it resembles a giant metallic spaceship crashing into the very large Emirates Mall. On the inside a large glass wall provides visitors and shoppers with the opportunity to gaggle about and make fun of all the people attempting to ski down the hill and failing miserably. There’s a fun looking kids area with little tubing hills, a mini ski slope, and probably the coolest thing ever, a mini luge that kids can take sleds down. Sigh, I wish I were still ten!

Past the kiddie stuff it’s really hard to tell what else exists for the adults. There’s a five person chairlift that doesn’t go very high, and I’m guessing there must be a backside to this ski area, because if not there’s only one visible slope. Mike, Matt, Kim, Michael and I all decided to grab a bite at T.G.I. Fridays, which sits right next to the glass, so we could absorb this whole thing. Dinner then became entertaining for two reasons, one being the fact that we got to listen to the servers sing “Happy Birthday” in both English and Arabic (and I don’t think any of the servers spoke either as their primary language) and also because we had a perfect view of the snowboarders and skiers who made attempts at the large jump in the middle of the run. We all decided we’d be back next week to try it ourselves. I don’t know how you can pass up the opportunity to ski when it’s 120 degrees and humid outside!

Emirates mall, which houses Ski Dubai, and apparently also lays claim to being the largest mall in the world, is basically heaven. I don’t even like to shop and I got sucked into the excitement of the place. It has an entire amusement park inside, numerous shops and services, a grocery store, mega Walmart type store, and hello, a ski hill. See the pics down below!

After dinner the boys were highly interested in seeking out some refreshments of the alcoholic variety, so we went to the hotel lounge, which is one of the few places with a liquor license. Sharjah, as the most religiously conservative Emirate, bans the sale and public consumption of alcohol, but in Dubai where Emirates Mall is located, the rules are much more relaxed. The drinking age is 21, and everyone with the exception of Matt and I are well over the legal age. When we walked in, Kim and Mike, the two AU students who are legal, were carded. This was surprisng because usually life never misses an opportunity to card me. I guess I just have that youthful look about me. I even get asked if I'm old enough to sit in the exit row, for which you only have to be 15! Anyway, it was nice to have the opportunity to relax with everyone, watch some baseball, and chat. As a consequence Kim and I missed curfew by a good hour, but luckily our favorite supervisor, a lady from Sudan, waved us in and didn't mark it down :)

As I said yesterday was pretty much a wash since I was forced to do what I actually came here for, and study for class. Today though was a lot of fun. Dr. Said, our Arabic III professor, took Kim, Lamees, Olan, Mike, Matt and I to Ajman, Sharjah’s neighboring Emirate, for some Turkish Coffee. Not only was the adventure his idea, but he drove us, entertained us, and practically force-fed us at this café, then refused to let us pay our shares. When Olan and I decided to break off and see the DaVinci Code (it’s not worth your time by the way, and don’t get me started on Tom Hanks) he bought us popcorn, despite our protests that it was highly unnecessary, and he seemed disappointed when we firmly told him he didn’t need to purchase us drinks either. How incredibly nice is that? Since we’ve been here we’ve had one professor take us around Sharjah and to the grocery store for supplies, another who bends over backwards to help us out when problems come up with housing or we have questions, and now Dr. Said, who took us out and bought us lunch and popcorn, which is in no way part of his job description! Foreign students or not, I’ve never heard of this happening in any other study abroad program and I know it never happens at home. How many AU professors offer to take out visiting students? It’s just not done. But that’s the difference here. Everyone is so laid back and just nice.

Olan and I also made our way to Sahara City center and I bought some shirts, so now I have things to wear! I also was mistaken for a prostitute. Could be because I was standing alone, or maybe I just give off that aura. I forget that women alone in malls just lounging can be construed that way. At least I know I have options if I run out of money! Kidding! Don’t e-mail me about that one, please :)

*Exciting Update! Olan and I now have…..drumroll please……a cooking pan! Yes, I know it’s practically earth shattering news. Even more lovely is that we have eggs! So this means I will be having eggs for breakfast tomorrow! I cannot wait! Ah, real breakfast :)

*Also I’ve finally managed to take a few pictures of the room so you can get an idea of how we’re living. Sorry for the mess!