Leftovers

*Number of times Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has been played in my room: 13

*New cool phrase: Wake up and smell the hummus!

*Latest stalker: Omar from Birmingham, UK. His MO: Picking up chicks at the water park and following them around everywhere. Also telling them that they look 14, offering to declare their love by going headfirst down an 80km/hr waterslide, and not taking hints very well. See the kind of creeps I attract?

*Although I haven’t set foot in a McD’s, I have had more french fries in the last five weeks than I have in probably the last two years. They are served with everything! They even put fries on sandwiches. And here I thought I had a good chance of going abroad and losing some weight!

*Number of times I’ve been forced to listen to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from 1997’s the Titanic: Way too many. Grocery stores, department stores and restaurants all need to trash this!

*Cab drivers. They are their own breed everywhere, but I now have a new appreciation for Chicago cabbies. I’d even go so far as to say that I miss D.C. cabbies…ok, no wait. I lied. D.C. cabbies are still the worst.

*If I never see another huge speedbump again it will be too soon.

*Number of times I’ve been blocked from sites due to the fact that they are "inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political, and moral values" of the UAE:too many. Although I was surprised at some of the sites that were not blocked.

*I'm not sure how, but I managed five weeks in intense sun without any kind of a visible tan. I'm off white now instead of pasty, but no one but me can see it so you'll have to take my word for it...

Leftover photographs:





I found it amusing that Burger King was transliterated.

Inside the dome of the main building.

Inside the main building.

I really don't know why I'm like this. It's a sickness of some sort.

Olan just hanging out.

This is one of the most beautiful carpets in the world, and I am its godmother!

I'm not sure if I've posted this before, but it's my absolute favorite picture of the trip!

My miserable attempt at dune jumping.

Last Day

Ah, it’s finally here, the last day of the trip. Basically we were lazy, grabbed a final lunch in the student union, played some Ben Folds 5 on the piano, and trekked out to Jumeirah City for some Italian.

The best part of the day, however, was another selfless, generous gesture by one of our neighbors. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my two sizable carpets back to the U.S. for a few days now. I decided I was going to need a huge duffel bag of some sort, so I asked the girls next door if they had a suggestion as to where I could find one. It’s not easy to get off campus, so I was hoping they had an idea. They suggested Carrefour, the large, Walmart-like grocery they have here. As Olan and I were getting ready to head to dinner and then Carrefour, one of the girls, whose name I don’t know, came by and offered me a bag of hers if the carpets fit. She said she had a bag she didn’t need anymore and I could come and look at it. The bag turned out to be a huge suitcase. I mean, who offers you a suitcase? Of course I told her I couldn’t possibly take a huge piece of luggage from her, and she said take it, and we went back and forth forever. After assuring me she didnt' need it again, I finally accepted. This solved a huge problem for me, and was an awesome gesture on her part. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, people here are so nice, they don’t even think twice about stuff like that. Needless to say, I picked her up a thank you gift for her when we were out at dinner tonight, and now I have a suitcase and a nice parting memory :)

There’s not much else to say about our day. Italian was great, the Burj was all lit up, and we had decent cab drivers! Olan and I took a walk around campus and said goodbye, so now we just have to finish packing and wake up at 5am (groan)!

Wild Wadi (rocks my) World

After five weeks we finally managed a trip to the famous Wild Wadi water park in Jumeirah beach, Dubai. Matt, Mike and I decided to head there for one last hurrah. It was also their last night, so we needed to let loose and have some fun.

The water park was a blast. The best part may have been its location. It sits right in front of the Burj al-Arab and next to Jumeirah city, so as you’re flying up the waterslide you get some great views. And yes, I did say up. I’d never seen this before, but you start on the ground level for water slides (with inner tubes) and water shoots you upwards, then when you reach a certain altitude, you slide down, like you normally would. Whoever invented this was a genius, because he realized that people hate climbing all those stairs to get to the top of slides and found a solution! The only problem was that the jets of water shooting you up the slide were pretty violent, so if you didn’t take care to sit up in your inner tube, you ended up with a sore rear. Still, soaring up a slide with a nice view of the park, the city, and the Burj with the Persian Gulf to look at, especially during the sunset, was pretty sweet!

The park itself is also quite beautiful. There are palm trees everywhere, a view of the sea, and of course the Burj and the Beach hotel shaped like a wave, all of which combine for a very pleasant, relaxing atmosphere. At night it’s even more beautiful. The trees were lit up, party lights strung everywhere, and the Burj was all lit up with different colors. The term 'enchanting' was made for this place! In terms of attractions, there was a mini wave pool, a kiddie play area, a surfing area, numerous slides, the one giant slide, and a long lazy river. We’d heard tales of the famous Jumeirah Sceirah, the tallest and fastest free-fall speed slide outside of North America (featured on Amazing Race 5), that shoots you down at upwards of 80km/hr. SO of course the boys wanted to tackle it. After the five minute walk up the stairs I figured I might as well suck it up, so I said my prayers, crossed my arms and ankles, and took off! There’s nothing like a terrifying shoot down a waterslide to add some spice to your day. But overall, a great park, minimal lines (none for the giant slide), and great people watching. Really one of the best parts was having all the great photo opportunities! (See below).

After Wild Wadi we decided to hit Sheikh Zayed road and our favorite Lebanese restaurant, Safideh. We’ve been there twice already with Dr. S, and it’s cheap and good so enough said. We caught some of the Saudi Arabia – Ukraine game, then headed home. Tonight was the last for Matt, Mike, and Kim, all of whom are on planes back to the U.S. in the next few hours! It’s crazy to think that Olan and I are out of here Wednesday; we’ve really settled in!

ps: My body feels like it’s been put through a meat grinder. I’m now rethinking the wisdom of massive jets of water that shoot you UP a water slide.

A waterslide with the Burj in the background.

The boys pose in front of the Burj.

Jumeirah City from a little ways up the Jumeirah Sceirah.

View of the park.

Yet another Burj. This one is from the top of Jumeirah Sceirah.

That's Mike going down. He's about to drop over the steepest part!

Last Burj I promise.

Last shot with the boys.

Khor Fakkan

I'm back! I know I've been slacking on posting lately, but this week has been our busiest in terms of our academic component, and after typing papers and doing a ton of readings, the last thing I've wanted to do is write about it!

The best part of the week is that it's over, yay! I still have a research paper, but no more classes until the fall :)

Let's see...to catch up, the last few days have been alternating between very hot and very hot with high humidity. You know it's bad when you walk outside and your sunglasses fog up. I suppose it's just as well that we had class every day this week and homework to keep us busy; 100+ degrees and humid is hardly good activity weather.
Olan bought a rug! We now have three sitting in our room. Hers is a qum (koom), which means it's 100% silk and absolutely beautiful. My Nyeen (sp?) carpets are jealous. The great thing about buying a carpet, or being with someone who does, is that it's not only the carpet you walk away with; it's also the stories that come with it. I'll always remember having the carpets unrolled in front of me (10, 15, 20, 30!), chatting with the owners of the shops, and the bargaining that went on forever, involved consultations with bosses and much fussing, and finally the sale! Everytime I look at my carpet, I'll have all those memories :)

The highlight of the week was our trip to Khor Fakkan, a neighborhood in Sharjah Emirate that sits on the eastern coast of the penninsula and is situated on the Gulf of Oman. Sharjah is distinctive in that it has coastline on two different bodies of water. To get there, we had to drive two hours, first through mostly flat desert land and then through the beautiful mountains of Fujairah, another Emirate. When we arrived, the eight of us were treated to a lunch buffet and the great service provided by the staff at the Oceanic hotel. It was a lovely, bright, warm day, and it didn't take long for us all to jump into the water!
The hotel's beach is located in a little bay, and has beautiful sand, mountains, and clear blue water. We spent some time lounging about and diving around in the warm surf, then decided to head for Shark Island, which belongs to the hotel. Shark Island (thank God I didn't see any!) was the best part of the whole trip, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures because getting to the boat required swimming out quite a ways, and I wouldn't have been able to save my camera from getting wet! The drive over was like an action sequence out of Speed 2; we went crashing over the waves in a tiny speedboat. Matt, Mike and I sat in the front, and it was a blast! There's nothing like being out on the water in a fast boat :)

The island was a small pile of rock not far off the mainland. The hotel had provided us with some snorkeling gear, so those of us willing to brave the water went in search of marine life. Mike was awesome at finding all sorts of fish. Among my favorites were the parrot fish, spiny black sea urchins, angel fish, sea slugs (ew, ew, ew, they were huge!) and a puffer fish. I was actually surprised at how much there was under the water. I think I must have been a fish in a past life, it's not normal for someone to enjoy the water so much...

The trip to Khor Fakkan couldn't have come at a better time. It provided all of us with a much needed break in the middle of a long week, and left us refreshed for the work we had left to do.

Only two and a half days left...I'm pretty worn out, but the goal is to hit as many sites and get out as much as possible before it's back to the USA.





View from lunch.

View from the hotel entrance.

Playing in the Gulf of Oman.

Another shot of the water and great scenery!

Just to prove I was actually there.

A shot from the drive home.

The Oceanic hotel, Khor Fakkan.

I'm a Foreign Exchange Student? (Oh!)

There are finally people on campus!
The regular summer session began this week, and after almost a full month of living and going to school on a ghost campus, it's nice to finally see some people! It's also very strange being one of only a few Americans in the area. We stick out like sore thumbs, and it's just been that fish out of water feeling for a few days. A girl walked up to Mike the other day and asked him if we were foreign exchange students. Although you would think them to be obvious truths, that's the first time it had really occured to me that we were a) foreigners in this country, and b) students (class has a casual, non-traditional feeling about it). So I've finally realized that I'm a foreign exchange student! Now you may be thinking something along the lines of, 'well duh,' but I'm so used to the idea of exchange students as well, foreign, and it's a new concept for me to be thinking of myself as 'foreign.' And yes, I'm aware of what an American that makes me sound like. I think the fact that we've all gotten on so well here has also delayed the realization. In a lot of ways I still don't feel a big difference between here and home.
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Fun activities of the week:
1) Shopping for Iranian carpets! (and buying them!)
2) Watching the World Cup on Arab television in a room packed full of AUS male students yelling at the screen in several languages. Last night: Argentina 2, Cote d'Ivoire 1. Tonight: Mexico 3, Iran 1.

Entertaining observations of the week:
1) Men at Emirates Mall attempting to bowl in their abayyas (long, white traditional robes).
2) Finding a group of girls crouched around the dorm television watching Maury Povich ("Are You My Baby's Daddy?"). It's amazing what they do and do not censor.

Stepping Outside the Box

“..the Arab is often portrayed as a religious fanatic, caring little about human life, capable of making only black and white distinctions, lacking in scientific curiosity, irrational, fatalistic, incapable of thinking clearly because of the allegedly imprecise nature of the Arabic language, burdened by an authoritarian personality, a “shame culture,” and having a strong appetite for sex and power. Islam, too, according to some scholars, inhibits rational thought, accurate perception, and social innovation. Little wonder that a people sharing characteristics such as these should exhibit turbulent and irrational political behavior. Sharing the same monolithic Arab mind, the Arabs become a frighteningly cohesive entity whose capacity for satisfying their essentially negative urges is limited mainly by their collective weaknesses.”

According to the author this national character construction contains “some kernels of truth but reveals more of the prejudices of the observers than the characteristics of the observed.”

–Michael Hudson, Director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, noted scholar.
-Excerpts are from his book: Arab Politics: The Search for Legitimacy, pp.54-55

Much of the current social science literature “treats the Arab world as congenitally defective, “democratically challenged” as it were, and seeks to find biological, cultural, and/or religious causes for this disability.” –Lisa Anderson
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The belief that Westerners and Arabs are fundamentally different seems to pervade both historical and contemporary literature.

Most of what I’ve read on the Arab World (note the Middle East and Arab world are two separate distinctions. The Middle East is a geopolitical term that includes the non-Arab countries of Turkey, Israel, and Iran) fits in with Hudson’s characterization of the literature. It is reductionist in its evaluations and, to borrow a term from Edward Said, it is also “Orientalist” in nature. I cannot and do not, in the space of one blog entry, or even through numerous entries, have the expectation, the desire, or the expertise to combat this viewpoint or even to present a respectable, all-encompassing counter-argument, for there is just too much to address. I do think that it is important to be aware of the stereotypes and generalizations present among the media and policymakers today, and to be open to deconstructing much of what we learn about the Arab world through these sources, which have their own motives in portraying their version of a geo-politically strategic region. Consider that the Arab world is a large geographic region, encompassing 22 countries, and extending from Mauritania in the west, to Oman and the UAE in the east, to Sudan and Somalia in the south, and as far north as Syria and Lebanon (click here for a map of the Arab world). Consider the cultural, political, and religious diversity of a people that span such an impressive geographic expanse (Arab refers to a common language and a shared descent) . Looking at just the political (or political culture) aspect, is it fair to lump a Tunisian, who enjoys a very western, secular state, with an Iraqi, who has lived under authoritarian rule, or to a Kuwaiti who lives under a quasi-constiutional monarchial state, to a Saudi who has no voice in government and who lives under an alliance between a dynastic monarchy and religious institution that seeks to regulate every aspect of daily life? To say nothing of the vast differences in cultural practices and social norms among the states. Religious and even pockets of ethnic differences (minorities) also exist and their presence is another factor to consider when looking at the states. See below.
The Arab world is comprised of:
1) Arab Muslims, Sunni (orthodox)
2) Arab Muslims (non-orthodox or Shi'a) including the "Twelver Shi'ites" (Iraq and Lebanon), the Zaydis (Yemen), the Alawites (Syria), and the Druze (Syria, Lebanon, Israel)
3) Non-Muslim Arabs: Christians (Coptic, Maronite) and Jews
4) Non-Arab Muslims: the Kurds and the Berbers
5) Non-Arab, Non-Muslim: Armenians and Southern Sudanese

I also feel the need to point out the distinction between Arabs and Muslims (popular misconceptions seem to abound). Only about 18% of all Muslims are Arab. There are over 1.2 billion adherents to Islam, or 1 worshipper for every 5 individuals in the world. There are over six million Muslims in the United States, of different races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. The largest Muslim nation is Indonesia, a republic, which stands as a key piece of evidence in debunking the myth that Islam and democracy are somehow incompatible. The universal appeal of Islam is important to point out, espeically with all of the misconceptions and misinterpretations of Islam as a violent, terrorist religion.

There is, of course, a rising Islamist movement that is irrational, fatalistic, adheres to a black and white orientation of the world, and as such has little care for human life. However, we must take care to separate these so called “fundamental Islamists” from Islam itself. The Qur'an does not condone killings based on sectarian identity or affiliation with a non-Muslim religion. In fact, killing a Christian, Jew, or fellow Muslim is considered an ultimate sin. What’s more, Arabs and Muslims themselves have been targeted by these groups. Average Iraqis, Jordanians, Egyptians, etc will tell you they have little sympathy or support for groups that target their own people. When bombs went off in Egypt in the 1990’s on known tourist routes, Egyptians were the ones who sustained the most casualties and led the outcry against the terrorists. Similarly, Iraqi citizens suffer mass murders everyday at the hands of terrorist machinations. Every religion has had its fanatics, and the Arab world and Islam are suffering through a crisis right now. No one has, in my opinion, offered a plausible explanation for why. If Islam is fundamentally a peaceful religion, then what accounts for the undeniable rise in extremist factions?

Perhaps we need to take a closer look at the economic, political-cultural, and social conditions present in the Arab world. Most of the region is under authoritarian rule, or a form of rule that scholar Michael Herb has called dynastic monarchism. In Egypt the state has fixed elections, bars most opposition groups, is often brutal in its repression, and is suffering through serious economic hardships. In addition, the state guarantees an education to its citizenry, but then has no jobs available, so what should be a vibrant middle class is quickly becoming poorer, as men with Master's and PhD's struggle to make ends meet driving cabs. Is disatisfaction with the state a possible contributer to the breeding of terrorist violence? What about educational systems, under authoritarian or monarchial rule that change the history books to reflect a past of repression and colonialization, teach pride in arab nationalism and/or martyrdom, stressing the wrongs done to generations of ancestors? What of population pressures, as in Jordan, where millions of Palestinians live in refugee conditions, not belonging to one place or another? These are just a few of the challenges and questions facing the region. It is also why a reductionist reading or evaluation of the Arab world or huge generalizations concerning contemporary issues do not do justice to the complicated political, economic, and social realities.

I am not trying to be an apologist, nor do I think that's how I've written. I'm simply trying to put some things into context and think outside of a narrow perspective limited by and reliant upon generalizations and stereotypes. I've only touched on a few of the issues that interest me about this region. These are, of course, my views, except where otherwise stated, and my intention is not to offend anyone who might read this. My time spent in the region, coupled with my leisurely and academic readings, have me constantly questioning and considering. Everyone and anyone is free to disagree with my views and opinions, and I welcome any comments.

A Short History of the UAE

The UAE is a confederation of seven independently ruled Emirates established in 1971. Before becoming independent, these Emirates were tribally organized sheikhdoms which ruled by the authority of the main power in the region, Britain. These sheikhdoms became known as the Trucial States for the numerous treaties the prominent families signed in the 19^th century with the British, handing over control of defense and foreign affairs for the region to the foreign power. The British had an interest in controlling the Arabian, or Trucial Coast in the late 18^th and early 19^th century to protect their trading interests in nearby India.

In the late 1960’s Britain decided to sever its treaties with the sheikhdoms, Bahrain, and Qatar. In 1971 these nine attempted to form a union of Arab emirates, but were unable to agree on suitable terms. As a result, Bahrain and Qatar announced their independence and the six remaining sheikhdoms formed the United Arab Emirates in 1972 (Ras al-Khaimah, originally part of Sharjah, joined as the seventh a year later).

The UAE is organized on the state, or Emirate level, with each ruling family maintaining control over the internal affairs of their Emirate. The power at the federal level is weak, but works to serve the interests of collective security, economic prosperity, and in the case of foreign affairs, political negotiation on behalf of the combined Emirates. The federal government has a Supreme Council of Rulers, made up of the seven individual rulers of the Emirates. The President and Vice President (often also the Prime Minister) are elected by this council every five years in accordance with the constitution, however in practice the Presidency always goes to the Al-Nahyan family of the capital, Abu Dhabi, and the Vice Presidency to the Al-Maktum ruler of Dubai. This derives from the fact that most of the oil, and therefore the wealth and economic resources of the state are found in the Emirates of those two rulers. Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan is the current President, and only the second in the history of the confederation.

The UAE is a member of the GCC, or Gulf Cooperation Council, formed in 1981 as a reaction to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war which threatened regional security. The council seeks to enhance cooperation in the areas of security and trade, and includes five neighboring Gulf states; Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Presidency rotates yearly between the members.

The seven Emirates and their ruling families include: Abu Dhabi (Al-Nahyan), Dubai (Al-Maktum), Sharjah (Al-Qasimi), Ajmann (Al-Nuaimi), Ras al-Khaimah (Al-Qasismi, different branch), Fujairah (Al-Mualla), Umm al-Qaiwain (Al-Sharqi).

Interesting facts:
*Oil was first discovered in 1958 in Abu Dhabi.
*The UAE’s exact boarders are unknown to everyone except the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It is therefore unclear where the boarders between the two countries, as well as the boarder between Oman and the UAE lie.
*According to the CIA’s figures, only 19% of the population are native Emiraties. This has several repercussions for issues including democracy, human rights, and stability (foreign born workers easily outnumber the native Muslim Arabs).
*Every year the country hosts two European Tour events (golf), and the richest horse race in the world, the Dubai World Cup.
*Al Fujayrah, and Umm al Qaywayn are relatively small, poor, and dependent on their wealthier neighbors for development grants.

What is it with Pizza Hut?

Something always happens when we decide we want pizza. Usually it's that the driver doesn't come to deliver it, but today we had a delivery with a bit of a twist.

When I walked outside the women's dorm to grab the food and pay the driver, our pizza was in mini form. They thought we had ordered a personal size pizza instead of a regularly sized small pizza. But when I went to pay the delivery man anyway, he kept stalling.

Delivery guy: Where are you from? Are you American?
Me: Yes, I'm from D.C.
DG: Oh, you go here for four years, for the fall?
Me: No, just for the summer. I'm going home.
DG: No, you can't leave. I must see you again. You are so beautiful (read white). You like Egypt?
Me: Um, as in the country? Yes. (I think he was going for Egyptians)
DG: You give me your phone number, we go out, I must see you again.
Me: Um, I don't have a mobile, no. Sorry, no.
DG: Please I must. You like Egypt?
Me: (starting to get weirded out) Yes. Here's the money. Thank you.
DG: No, please. Take my number. Please you are so beautiful.
Me: I don't have a pen. Sorry, thank you!

You get the basic idea. It went on like that for ten minutes while I tried to get him to accept the money. That and he didn't speak English well, so then I tried to communicate in Arabic, and I think he was excited that I knew the language. I was just trying to avoid a marriage proposal or kidnapping attempt! Anyway, kinda creepy but also kind of a nice boost to end the day. Kim spent a lot of time traveling in Egypt, so she thought it was hilarious because this type of thing happened to her all the time. She wants to come outside next time we get a delivery, but I told her to stay away so I didn't have any competition! Ha. At least being pasty white is good for something!

Media City

Today started out with Dr. S’s favorite activity, shopping. Our trip was to visit the Al-Arabiyya studios, but like other companies here, they operate on Arab time, so we didn’t need to arrive until around noon. Al-Arabiyya is based in Dubai but is generally looked upon as Saudi owned, or funded, though its funding is also derived from other sources. They call themselves the more sensible, "less-sensationalist" news source, pitting themselves against Al-Jazeera. I haven’t been able to watch much of the channel, so I can’t offer any opinion on this one.

The Mercato mall, on the other hand, I can offer an opinion on. It was made to resemble an Italian village, so all the store facades and the promenades were colorful and featured artistic drawings of various Italian scenes. The girls settled in for a late breakfast at Paul’s, a popular French café, and the boys went off with Dr. S, who as usual was shopping with the intent to buy. I’ve never met a man who truly enjoyed shopping like Dr. S, or who was so devoted to buying things for his wife. This time he purchased two pairs of shoes, and was still debating over a Gucci watch for her as we left. Then it was on to the t.v. station.

As we arrived at Al-Arabiyya, the Zarqawi story had just broken, so even though it was a weekend, there were people everywhere scrambling to put together graphics, history, bios, and story script. The channel was also live as we were in the studio, so we were able to watch the anchors real time and observe from the control room as well. We even managed a few minutes with the top Al-Arabiyya executive, whose name currently escapes me. Dr. S tells us that he is the number one media person in the Arab world, so perhaps I should work on finding his name…

Al-Arabiyya

After bumming around the studios we headed, where else, to a mall! This time it was the Madeenatee Jumeira, or Jumeira City mall. It’s all indoors, but designed to look like an outdoor souq, so everything is wood carved and draped with canvas. The outdoor patios of the restaurant area resemble the canals of Venice, with boats leading, via waterways, to the hotels surrounding the mall. Everything there was overpriced, but it was a great area, and we enjoyed a nice Italian meal! One of the highlights of this mall is its proximity to both the Burj al-Arab and the homes of the ruling family. We were able to pass by their mansions, and I’m not even sure what to equate them to. Each home was probably a good 8 times larger than the White House. I’d love, love, love to get a look inside, but let’s be realistic. The palaces are guarded heavily, and audiences are granted in a separate location, ensuring the privacy of the family. Then I thought about marrying a member of the family to get a look, but they tend to marry cousins. Oh well.

On the set of a program. Dina and Aiya, two AUS students from our class joined us.

Olan highjacked my camera and this was the result.

Kara plays correspondent.

Media City

Outside Jumeira City mall. On the left is one of the hotels.

Matt and I on the restuarant patio. That's the Burj in the background.

Inside the mall.

I forgot to put this one up earlier. Matt workin' the camera.

Abu Dhabi

Yesterday was our much anticipated trip to the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies Research, one of only a few think tanks in the region.

Abu Dhabi is a three hour drive from Sharjah, and resembles the drive from Chicago to D.C. in that it’s pretty much flat with nothing to look at. Occasionally a mansion would pop up in the middle of nowhere, but the more we drive around this country the more you realize that it’s really just a giant sandbox with the occasional sandcastle, and a few populated cities. The only other thing we saw was a camel track, of which there are a few here in the Emirates. Camel racing is the national sport of the UAE, and the season is held from October-April, so unfortunately I won’t be able to watch any races. We also passed by a new mosque being built to commemorate Sheikh Zayd Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late ruler of Abu Dhabi. When completed, the mosque will be one of the largest in the world and will hold roughly 32,000 worshipers. It’s white, majestic, and palatial; truly a beautiful work of art.

Here's the only article I could find on the mosque...

Finally we arrived at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies Research, or ECSSR. The facility was established in 1994 as an “independent academic instiution to facilitate objective research on key political and socio-economic issues, topics, and developments affecting the UAE and the Gulf region.” The center's main building is all marble and wood paneling, with glass windows. The rooms are filled with rich fabrics, dazzling crystal chandeliers, and lush carpets. It’s as though every portion of the building was designed as candy for the eyes. It didn’t matter which way you turned, something would cause you to ‘oo’ and ‘ah.’ Even the elevators were beautiful! The flat panel televisions in the lobby welcomed us as the ‘Delegation from the American University of Sharjah,’ and we were immediately escorted into a presentation room to learn about the center. Inside the room we found close to thirty movie theater style seats, only larger and extra comfortable. In front of every seat was a lovely wooden table with a box of tissues and a packet of materials the center had supplied for each of us. Established by the ruling family, the center has limitless resources, and it showed in our surroundings and in the staff's generous hospitality.

Our subsequent tour of the facility brought us to meeting rooms, outdoor sanctuaries, and a state of the art media center. The media department has the job of tracking every news source; internet, print, and television. They even receive the New York Times via electronic means before New Yorkers do! They also provide the service of breaking news or alerting VIP’s (designated as the top two hundred individuals in the country) to any of the day's important events. VIP’s are alerted by a text messaging service, and can even request the center to tape specific programming for them. I just soaked up the opportunity to watch t.v. I even got to watch a few minutes of jeopardy, which was one of the programs they had on the 100+ television screens on the front wall.

My favorite part of the center is the library, which is unusal because in general that’s a building I try to avoid. Their library contains a number of rare Arabic texts and documents, along with the usual periodicals and research materials. But the best thing about the library is the services they provide. The researchers at the library will pull together material for you on any topic, literally going through and photocopying for you relevant passages, chapters, and articles in books or magazines. They do this free of charge. It’s like the ultimate academic tool. I’ve never heard of such a thing. And they practically beg you to use the service. While we were there the lady kept asking us, “Is there anything we can do for you? Any paper topics you need us to dig up research on? We’d love to help!” Dr. S kept any of us from answering with an emphatic 'yes!' (we all have 20+ page research papers to complete for his course) I guess if you’re a true academic, this type of thing is your calling. They have professors from as far away as Lebanon take advantage of their generous services. Everything about the facility, from the rooms to the staff are top-rate, proving money really can buy some wonderful things!

Click here to learn about the ECSSR

The rest of Abu Dhabi we saw by car. At one point we jumped out to take pictures of a palace built for GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) meetings. The sand in the UAE wasn’t good enough, so soft Moroccan sand was flown in for the palace beach, in yet another example of what you can do with too much money. I could describe how grand this palace was, but I feel like every building I see here is just magnificent, and really words can’t do justice to them, so I’ll stop trying and start focusing on obtaining pictures.

The drive home was an event. We got caught in the infamous UAE rush hour (all afternoon), and this meant being in bumper to bumper traffic with buses full of foreign labor workers, the ones that have a habit of staring at us. Eventually Dr. S, getting tired of observing the car jockeying and stares, exiled me to what has now been termed the quarantine seat, which sits by him, in the front of the bus, and can be protected from outside viewing by curtains. Then he told Kim, still in the back, to cover her hair. We stayed in this new arrangement until the car exited the highway. Dr. S had some good advice for me on masters programs in Middle East Studies. Apparently the U.K. is the place to be, so I'm going to start looking into specific schools in the near future. All in all, a long, driving filled day, but a good one :)

A portion of downtown Abu Dhabi.

Hanging out on th e Arabian Sea/ Persian Gulf.

The palace that houses the GCC meetings and delegates.

'One Hell of a Day'

*Note: This entry was originally posted yesterday, but due to blogger problems has re-posted a day late.

Which is appropriate given that today is 6.06.2006

At 46C it today was hotter than any other since we’ve been here. The plan was to head over to Emirates Mall for a shopping/Ski Dubai trip after classes finished, and then to have a group dinner. Pretty simple plan, right?

Wrong. Everyone in the program went on the trip, and to get there we called two different taxis. As we were approaching Emirates mall, our cab driver, instead of taking a left into the complex, kept driving straight ahead, into the construction zone of Dubai and away from the mall. After a half mile, I asked where he was going, and he replied that this was the way but he needed to make a U-turn. After another mile and two turns in the opposite direction from the mall, it became clear that this driver was trying to milk our fare for all it was worth and scam on the fact that we were obviously tourists. Now this is one of those awkward situations I seem to find myself in more often than I’d like. It’s not in my nature to be quiet and let people get away with this type of activity, since they count on you not wanting to sound impolite to carry off their schemes. And of course I don't appreciate being taken advantage of. At the same time, if I start to challenge the driver by asking him where he’s going and why he's taking us the wrong way, I risk embarrassing and upsetting the other people in the car with whom I’m spending the rest of the day. So I tested the waters by making comments about what the driver was doing, and finally the guys realized how far away we were, and we all had a good laugh. The driver had the nerve to then take a side road, parallel to and obviously slower than the highway right next to it to get back to the mall!

Well as we were pulling in, I asked the guys if they were really planning on paying the 82 dirham fare, since I felt we should only have to pay the 65-70 the meter read the first time we were at the mall. Not wanting to make a fuss, they paid him 80 (with no complaint from him since he knew he’d ripped us off) and got out of the cab. Right behind us the ladies got out, and they flat out refused to pay their driver anything. This inevitably created a huge scene, with numerous spectators as Lamees berated the cab driver and the cab drivers yelled right back. I figured if she was putting up a fight, I’d let our driver know we knew that he ripped us off. Of course, since neither of them knew much English or Arabic we didn’t get very far. Long story short, we tried to get the police involved, but none of us had a mobile and the cabbies wouldn’t call (because they knew they’d lose their licenses) and so our driver sped away and the girls’ driver, who still hadn’t been paid, followed us around the mall. After fifteen minutes the girls, excluding Anne, just walked off. So I had to deal with the second cab driver, who felt he should be paid because we paid the first driver. I asked him why he followed the first cab if he knew the proper destination and had been in the turn lane to go into the mall, for which he had no answer. Anne eventually paid him, and brought an end to a 45 minute argument which we ultimately lost.

Originally the plan for the night was for Mike, Olan and I to ski while everyone else shopped, and then to meet up later for dinner. Matt had relayed the 8:30 meeting time for dinner to the girls before they had run off, but that still left Mike and I without Olan. We lapped the mall in an effort to track her down, and when that failed, we set off to do some skiing.

This adventure was easily the highlight of the day. For 150 dirham (which includes a 10d deposit on your ski pass) we received a two-hour ski pass, snowpants, a ski jacket, and equipment. We’d been so hot all day that we were excited to jump into the giant refrigerator that is Ski Dubai.

Outside temperature: 45C/113F

Inside Ski Dubai: -2C/28F

After a quick change we headed up an indoor escalator to the bottom of the ski lift. The minute we stepped inside it was as if we had turned into five year old children experiencing the first snow of the year. We hopped on our skiis/board, and headed straight for the only chairlift, a five person lift that moved slower than anything I’d ever ridden. I’m talking slooooooow! We had plenty of time to get the lay of the land, which wasn't difficult because there’re really only two runs, with a few jumps positioned in the middle. You have the choice of unloading halfway up the hill, or continuing on to the top. The only good thing about the speed (or lack thereof) of the chairlift is that it gives you time to engage in the great people watching spectacle that characterizes Ski Dubai. They have a rule that you can only ski if you’re experienced, otherwise you're requited to take a lesson. There are however, clearly a number of people who try to play off being able to ski in order to avoid the extra expense of a ski instructor. There were even people who couldn’t get off the chairlift without falling, and the thing barely moved.

Mike and I lasted a good hour before we realized our hands were frozen and we couldn’t feel our ears. After three weeks in 100+ heat, the sudden change really worked its way into our system. It probably didn’t help that neither of us had been provided with gloves or a hat. We needed two trips inside to warm up, but all in all we had a good time. The two hour pass was a good call; you’d be hard pressed to spend more time than that in a facility with only two runs. I should also mention that for an additional cost there is a snow park with small tubing runs, an ice slide, and a play area, but it looked more like a children's thing, so Mike and I just did the runs. We also kept our keys, deciding the 10d deposit was worth a good souvenir!

After our ski session, everything went downhill again. We ran into Lamees and Olan, who, through a misunderstanding, thought that we were skiing at 8:30, not eating, and so had missed out. They took Kim with them and returned home to the dorms, understandably upset at how the day had turned out. The boys, Anne, and I went to Chilies for dinner, which is a popular place here in the UAE. Everyone was starving, but our server was nonexistent for the greater part of the over two hours it took us to order, receive our food, and order again for dessert. Then, as our waiter was bringing out another round of drinks and milkshakes for Mike and I, he accidently dropped the whole tray, milkshakes and all, into Anne’s lap. She was covered, the table and chair were coated, and Mike and I got splashed. In the history of spills, this was the motherload. It was the perfect ending to our drama filled day! We did get a free meal out of it, but Anne smelled like strawberry for the rest of the night, and the rest of us, unable to find a bar in which to end the evening, left the mall and waited anxiously for 6.7.06 to roll in.

Ski Dubai information




Mike and I before hitting the slopes!

Inside Ski Dubai

At the bottom of the lift.

At the top of the run.

Yep, he's King of the World!

Go figure this was my attempt at not looking awkward in a picture.

You get the idea.

The Blue Souq

I think Olan talked about this in one of her earlier posts, but The American University of Sharjah is located at the end of a large compound known as University City. The compound also includes the gender segregated University of Sharjah, the Police Academy, the Medical school, a Technical college, and probably a few other things I’m forgetting. The entire community is gated, and rests about twenty minutes outside of Sharjah city. In order to leave campus, then, you’re forced to take a taxi. This inevitably means putting your life in the hands of a man who probably doesn’t speak English or Arabic and, at least in my experience, doesn’t always know where he’s going. In addition, no seatbelts + speeds in excess of 120mph being de rigour + no signaling + tailgating at high speeds + hundreds of roundabouts + crazy drivers = a recipe for an early death. So if I don’t post for a few days, the most likely cause, behind procrastination, would be death by car accident.

Yesterday, six of us brave souls ventured out in taxis to the Central, or Blue Souq in downtown Sharjah. The ordeal of calling for a taxi here is even worse than in Washington, D.C. (where they refuse sometimes to come “all the way out” to American University, grr) and it’s complicated by the fact that none of us have mobiles. There are certain taxis that the university trusts, and will let onto campus, and others that it won’t. If your called cab fails to show up, you’re left hoping against hope that a stray taxi will somehow find its way to AUS and pick you up. Such was the case yesterday, and it took us over an hour standing out in the intense heat to find a taxi driver who would take us into town.

Once at the souq, however, we had a great time. Everyone needed to shop for friends and family back home, and souqs are the better alternative to malls because you stand a good chance of finding affordable, authentic, and unique gifts, unlike at the malls where everything is westernized. We split up to go wander around, and I found myself in numerous fabric shops. The textiles here are mostly handmade and imported from places like Nepal and Kashmir. You just don’t see these types of fabrics, designs and colors back at home. The one aspect of shopping in the UAE that I’m neither familiar nor comfortable with is bargaining. It’s not that I’m not good at it, it’s just that the shopowners are so skilled at making you feel terrible when you finally do get your asking price, that I feel guilty even after a good purchase. A little ridiculous, I know, but I can’t help it. Of course the other part is that these men tear their shops apart trying to help you find what you’re looking for, and when you have to walk away without a purchase, that doesn’t feel so great either. Unless you're Mike, who likes to "set 'em up, and knock 'em down." Boys.

The boys were utterly clueless, so I spent most of my time helping them pick out appropriate table cloths for their moms back home. If someone needs my help when discussing color, length, design, or shape, you know they must be really badly off. All came away with purchases though, and it was onto the Persian rugs. I was never much of a girly girl in that I’ve never had a thing for specific clothing designers, or a penchant for Tiffany’s jewelry or anything, but I think I’ve found my jewelry equivalent. The Persian rugs here are all handmade and just incredible. I don’t really have anywhere to put one, but that didn’t stop me from almost splurging ! I couldn’t find a carpet that I absolutely had to have, so no purchases were made, but I will continue to look and with any luck I’ll come home with one in my suitcase! Overall my shopping adventure was mildly successful. I returned with a few small items that I think the intended recipients will enjoy.

The ride home was another ordeal, especially when we discovered the cab driver really had no clue where he was going. I wasn’t looking forward to possibly being stranded in the middle of a city that is pretty much completely foreign to me. He was also a reckless driver, so I spent the majority of the ride looking out the side window and contemplating which way I would roll if he slammed into the cars in front of us. We made it home in one piece though, and I can’t wait until we have an opportunity to return to the souq!

*Boo to public laundry machines. They are almost always out of order, or break when you're using them, or the other people using them put random things like gym bags in the washer and it gets shredded and then you have to deal with that nastiness. D.C., Sharjah, it doesn't matter. Laundry woes are all the same :(