Dubai, The Place Where People Always Say Goodbye

I’ve been a very busy-body. Since missing my flight Sunday night I have went to Oman, spent the day in Abu Dhabi, and went out on Tuesday (ladies night) for the first time ever!

My parents were very worried when I missed my flight and wanted me to book my flight for the next day. To save money, I just booked it on the 24^th. Then I went to the visa officer and he told me I had to leave the country by the 21^st or I’d have to pay a 7000AED fine (about $2000). So I decided to take a quick trip to Muscat, Oman at 3 a.m. on the 20^th.

I got back to the dorm around 7:30am, and had to wake up at 10:30 to go to Abu Dhabi. My 1^st Cali friend was taking the GRE at 1p.m. (1.5 hour drive) so we planned on leaving at 11. Our ride didn’t show up until 12:00!!! This is the only time in Dubai that I condoned speeding.

Our friend is an experienced driver via driving in the desert. He weaved in and out of lanes, like we were in a movie. Other times he just made people in front of us move by blinking his lights. It was crazy! She got there at 1:15, but they still let her in. Hallelujah!

The exam takes five hours, so we spent the day in Abu Dhabi while we waited for her. We even visited The Palace. There’s a museum there that talked about Sheik Khalid, and I learned a lot. There are a lot of interesting new things planned for Dubai and Abu Dhabi….

Last night, we finally got to visit Cavalli! It was overrated. It was so crowded and I wasn’t feeling the music. Afterwards, there was an interesting after party. I didn’t go to sleep until 6:30.

I am at the airport now and am so tired. I have a 14.5-hour flight, and a 6-hour layover in DC. Although my parents are super worried, and I feel bad for not coming home earlier, I am glad I got to properly say goodbye to my friends.

As you know, Dubai is a place filled with expats. They do not offer retirement packages, and you have to live here 25 years to apply for citizenship, and it is not guaranteed. For this reason, people come and go frequently. If you stay in Dubai, you have to get used to saying goodbye to good friends.

The day I was supposed to leave, my two Cali friends cried when I left and asked me to stay. I didn't want to go and I felt like I was leaving too early. When I missed my flight, I felt sooooo bad. I knew my parents were going to kill me. But on the bright side, I got to spend so much more time with them and create even more memories. These two women have touched my life in more ways than they could ever know. It was these two that made Dubai so exciting.

I love you Cali girls! 

I’m Still in Dubai!

I was hoping to put the picture taken of us with President Clinton up on this post, but I still haven’t received it L. Since I was leaving on the 19^th, this post was supposed to be about how Dubai is a place where you will always say goodbye to good friends. Instead, this post will be about how I missed my flight on the 19^th, and will instead be leaving on the 24^th.

First of all, let me start off by saying that I had a blast last weekend! Thursday I took my last two exams, and I was ready to celebrate. We went to Barasti, and decided to visit Sublime for the first time. Sublime was awesome. Why didn’t we go there before?!

The next two days, I took it easy. I chilled with some friends before leaving, and made sure I didn’t go out Saturday night since I had an interview on Sunday. Did it occur to me that I shouldn’t have made that interview on the same day that I was leaving? Yes it did, but I had an exam every day that week, spent one night visiting President Clinton, and also had another interview that I had squeeze in on Thursday evening. So basically, the only day that was feasible for me to interview was Sunday.

On the bright side, the interview went well. I just didn’t prepare for my departure like I should have. This is my first time flying out of the country, and flying can be confusing. When I left Cincinnati for Dubai, I had maps printed out of Dulles airport and Dubai airport. I checked my ticket and the maps a thousand times, to make sure that I’d be at the right place at the right time.

This time was a different story. I was running around all day interviewing, getting souvenirs, and etc. I didn’t finish packing until around 9pm, and I didn’t look at my ticket until I got into the taxi. Then I left for the airport at 10:30, because my farewell took longer than expected. It’s so hard to say goodbye L. My flight was at 12:50 am and by the time I got to the front of THE WRONG LINE the gate was closed.

Needless to say, I have learned my lesson, and I will never ever ever miss a plane again. I’m glad I got to stay though….

He Shook My Hand!!

As I’ve told you previously, I have received the Clinton Scholarship to study at AUD. Clinton Scholars receive:
• A full waiver of tuition for one term;
• Dormitory housing at the American University in Dubai on a shared-room basis.

If it wasn’t for this scholarship, I would not be here right now.

President Clinton makes sure that he sees his Scholars whenever he visits Dubai. During this visit, he made a speech at the Varkey Gems Foundation Fundraiser. An article about the fundraiser can be found here.

It was so cool to meet him! Even being in the same room as a Former President is cool. He shook my hand, and asked us how we liked Dubai. Then he took a picture with us (to be uploaded soon). I love Dubai. Dubai is the place where all my dreams come true….

I'm Just Trying to Graduate

Tomorrow I get to see Bill Clinton. What a great week this will be. The weekend was enchanting. Thursday, I went to Cirque de Soir and loved it.  It was very exotic. There were acrobats, dwarfs, fire-breathers, and etc. They performed not only on stage, but all over the club. There was an act at each table.  It was more like a lounge though. There were so many things going on that it was hard to dance in that environment, so we went to People, our favorite club!

Friday we went to Sahn Eddar at Burj al Arab, and had the Violin Classic. While we ate the delectable international cuisine, a string triplet complimented our dinner with extraordinary music. They even played Anastasia. Afterwards, I got a picture with the violinist. Oh, how I love vibrato!

When we got back, we were invited to go to the dessert. Now, this is what I came to Dubai for! We camped out with experienced campers, and had a wonderful experience. We ate burgers, smoked sheesha, and talked about religion and culture. Since our friends our Arabs, our ideas often clash, especially when it comes to our ideas about marriage and independence. It was a good discussion, and I often learn a lot when we talk about such things.

Saturday we got home in the evening. That dessert heat kicked my butt! I was too tired to go to Burj Khalifa (building Tom Cruise climbed in new MI), but I couldn’t cancel. We had booked tickets online to visit Burj Khalifa earlier that week, and they do not allow cancellations. The place is called At the Top. Interesting title for a place that isn’t at the top.

It was nice though. I tried to take photos of my friend with her fancy camera, but they came out like crap. I felt so bad because she’s taken so many good pictures of me, and I cant take one decent one of her. I love you Cali girl!

Today I had a quiz in Islamic Art and Architecture, and I did quite well. I told you I failed the first exam, so this is the class that may hold me back from graduation. The exam is on Thursday. I will study my arse off.

Bill Clinton is Coming!!!

Congratulations to me for finishing my LAST COLLEGE ESSAY! It was on Jumeirah Mosque and it was for my Islamic Architecture class. I hope I got an A on it, because I sure need it! I also Aced my Arabic quiz, after missing a week of class. Booyaa!

This week is pretty busy. Monday, we went to the Marina Walk to eat and smoke sheesha. We were going to go out last night, but my 1^st Cali friend had an assignment due at 12am.

Today I found out that Bill Clinton is coming next week to meet us!!!! So now, not only do I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow, but I really need to start studying for two of my exams that will have to be moved because of his visit.

AUD Fall 2011 Visiting Students

We’re trying to squeeze in as many things as possible since we’re leaving, but it’s kind of hard because of exams. We’ve booked our tickets for the top of Burj Khalifa on Saturday, so that’s definite, and we’ll visit Armani(in Burj Khalifa) after that. We also plan on visiting Burj al Arab, Cirque de Soir, and Global Village (again).

I just hope I find a job here. There’s so many things I didn’t get to do. I want to go to Ferrari World!

National Day! HOORAA!!

Since I missed so many days of school, my homework is really starting to pile up. I now have a makeup quiz and an essay due on Sunday. AHHHH!! I stayed home Friday night to make sure I could work all day today.

Tuesday, I had an interview at DIFC at 10 am. I went to sleep at 1am, and woke up at 7. I planned on going to my classes, but since I was still sick, I just went back to sleep. I did end of playing football by the end of the day, so obviously I was feeling much better (Im still sore!).

Wednesday, my 1^st Cali friend and I had lunch with an alumnus from her school. He works/lives in Media City and he has travelled to multiple countries in the Middle East to learn about the culture and the language. His work will be featured on Nat Geo.

His office had a celebration on Thursday, which was National Day (it’s like The Fourth of July), and they went to places such as The Atlantis and Cavalli. Since we still haven’t been to Cavalli, we said we might swing through.

After lunch, I went to the mall with Jamaila(sumo-wrestler) and then to class. I haven’t been to that class in so long. When I arrived the teacher cancelled it because he figured students weren’t going to come due to National Day.  YAY!! So me and Jamaila sat and chilled and caught up with each other since I haven’t been to any of my classes in a week.

Cirque de Soir

Afterwards, my 1^st Cali friend and I went to JBR for dinner. We met some cool people at  a Café next to Burger Fuel (our usual joint).  Our plan was to check out the new club, Cirque de Soir, but it was closed. Cavalli is located in the same hotel, but it wasn’t free that night so we left and went to Elegante. I loved it there. I was fond of the music, the dancing and the people. I will definitely become a regular (if I stay).

Thursday we were off school for National Day. Traffic was horrible! We met with a UC Almunus at a restaurant called Caramel in DIFC. The food was good, but it was so dark in there I could barely see my menu!

Afterwards, we went to Barasti, a beach club near Dubai Marina. Barasti was nice as well. We ended up staying there and not visiting the other alumni at Cavalli, because we just figured our visit to Cavalli is not meant to be.

Friday, we went to Global Village. I loved it! It was like a cross between King’s Island,  a carnival, and “It’s a Small World” at Disney World. I got some Belgian waffles, and got on the crazy sling-shot ride. All in all, it was a great week, and I can’t wait to go to Cirque de Soir!

1+1=3

I’m better now, but I’m still angry because the sickness I had messed up my entire weekend. I really wanted to go to my friend’s house for Thanksgiving. I told her I was going to make some mac n cheese, and I didn’t even show up! We were supposed to go to Cavalli afterwards. We even got our dresses express dry-cleaned! Oh well…

Friday, my first Cali friend and I went to breakfast at Organic Whole Foods, located in The Greens. We left around 1, and it took us twenty minutes to catch a cab. When we got to The Greens, there was horrible traffic, double-parking, etc. I said something like ”What the hell is going on here?!” Come to find out, people were coming from a mosque. Oops!

Saturday, I met for the Gradberry, and I met some cool people. There were students from AUS, and it was interesting to see their perspective on education in the UAE. I met a recent grad from AUS, and she was telling me about the difficulty of finding a job. It was scary. She told me about Wasta (who you know), which I lack in Dubai, and the fact that many students here already have a job lined up when they graduate because they have a family business, or Wasta.

Sunday, I had another interview at 10 a.m. and I overslept. I woke up at 9, and I was over my second Cali friend’s house. Luckily, the interview was right down the street, and I made it on time. The company really liked me, except they didn’t have a residency visa for me. Sheesh!

Companies are only allowed a certain amount of visas for each office. So some of the companies I’ve interviewed with are assuming that I am on a student visa since the jobs are internships or part-time. Companies are supposed to provide employees with a visa, but if the employee is still a student, they are not required to provide one.

There was a study abroad brainstorming session yesterday, and it occurred to me that I should make a list of need-to-knows before arriving to Dubai. The university is very helpful with the transition of the study abroad students. They have a new mentorship program that started every quarter. There are many suggestions that I have for improvement, and I look forward to helping the future study abroads, just as my 2nd Cali friend helped me.

I have two more interviews this week, and I still haven’t found out about the one from last Tuesday. They said they’ll let me know tomorrow. Pray for me.

Don’t Get the Flu in Dubai!

I am dying. I had an interview on Tuesday, and it went well. I thought I was getting better, so I went to all of my classes. Then I stayed up until 5 a.m. BIG MISTAKE. On Wednesday, I felt the effects of not getting enough rest while sick. I asked my friend if they sold DayQuil here, and she said no because it’s HARAM. The one time I need alcohol in Dubai, and it’s too HARAM to sale. Maybe they can sell DayQuil at the bar?

This morning I felt horrible. I couldn’t even keep tea down. I went to get a relaxer at a saloon in Al Barsha (yea I know, I had the flu, yet I went to get my hair done). They did a really good job. The place will be my permanent salon if I stay. Good location, prices, timing, and results.

I had an interview today, but when I told them I was sick, they tried to reschedule it for Sunday morning, and I have another interview at that time, so I said “What the hay,” and went to the interview today.

I planned on taking a nap when I got back, but some times I’m in a chatty mood. I am especially talkative now since I’m pretty certain that I’ll be able to stay. I need to go back to sleep now. I’ll have some good news Sunday, inshAllah.

Sick Day

I’m sick today so I figured I’d get some things done, such as mailing postcards, applying to jobs, and maybe some homework. I woke up 7 a.m in the morning. so I could complete my Internet City rounds. At that time, I had a sore throat, so I drank some tea. Around 8 a.m., I started having some digestive problems, so I decided to stay home today.

I sent my teacher an email saying that I wouldn’t be coming. This is what he said: “Thanks,

FYI, you are the only student to write me and tell me you can't come. Very refreshing.  Appreciate it.” This gives you a fresh look at the culture of AUD, which I have not talked about in depth because I am afraid of getting deported. Haha.

I know I never write two blog-posts this close together, but I have so many exciting things to tell you. Thursday night, we went to Cavalli, but were underdressed, so instead of waiting for hours and not getting in, we just left.  I had on flats instead of heels, because I had a Charlie Horse in my leg, and couldn’t wear heels. To top it off, I also had on a casual dress. We went to People AGAIN. Yea, I know, we need a new spot.

Friday, we went over a friend’s house for lunch.  He is a friend of my 1^st Cali friend, and lives/works in Dubai. We had a good time, and he recommended clubs to visit. Afterwards, we went to the beach at JBR. We stayed there like five hours. The water is not as warm as it was when I arrived. It used to feel like bath water, now it feels like pool water. I hadn’t been to the beach in like three weeks, so it was nice.

Friday night, we did not club. I went home to do some job applications, and my 1^st Cali friend went to Global Village. I still need to visit Global Village. Check out the Global Village blog post, written by a UC alumnus. What holyrockthrower did not mention, is that every country has its own building, yet Africa also has a building, as if it was a country, not a continent. Isn’t that interesting, Sarah Palin?

Saturday, I went to see Immortals. I’ve been slacking. The last movie I saw was Three Musketeers, and I still need to see Twilight and In Time. When I got back to the dorm, I went to my 1^st Cali friend’s room. We ate dinner, and I Skyped my dad for an hour. He begged me to stay in the U.S. I felt so bad. He said if not the U.S., stay in North America. Sorry, Dad!

Yesterday there was a presentation held in the MALE DORMS. OMG! You might remember me talking about the dorm situation in one of my I Hate Dubai posts. You know the one where I said this is not my country, and I can go back home if I want to. Anyway, there is no co-ed dorm. There is a separate dorm for the males and one for females. Students of the opposite sex cannot enter the dorm. And this is the “liberal” university….

So I used the STD presentation as an excuse to skip one of my classes (shhh!). It was a good presentation, except for the part when people were talking while the doctor spoke, which was basically the whole time. I swear I feel like I’m in high school.

Anyway, there was pizza served after the presentation. I hadn’t eaten in awhile and could have eaten a whole cow at this time. There were like 10 medium boxes of pizza for like 100 people. There were no plates, napkins, or cups. Here’s the kicker: NO CHEESE PIZZA!

Since this is Dubai, and AUD, I was not surprised. I just went to the mall and got some Papa John’s. I also went to Carrefour to grocery shop, and dropped my mother’s birthday card in the mail.

Today I applied to about fifteen jobs. I’m having a Lion King marathon now (don’t judge me!), between applying to more jobs. I haven’t been getting enough rest. Even during Eid, I didn’t rest. So I decided not to go ANYWHERE today. I’m staying in my pajamas. I really want some shwarma (Arabic taco), but I don’t know what it’ll do to my stomach.

Jumeirah Mosque visit during Eid

My computer crashed twice today, and it’s hanging on by a thread. I use an external drive to complete my Arabic homework; I’m just hoping that it lasts until I can buy a new one. Please pray for my computer!

I have earned a job as a freelance blogger for Gradberry. It’s part-time, but it’s a start. I can even write for them if I move back to the states. 29 more days to find a job!

Sorry for the extremely long blog post, but I have nothing better to do today. My dad said I should just write a book. Thanks for the advice, Dad!

Black Hair

For those of you who know nothing about Afro-American hair, it’s time for me to educate you. I highly recommend seeing the movie Good Hair if you haven’t already done so.

Taking care of my hair is one of the biggest worries I had about studying in the Middle East. A lot of people recommended I wear braids but I knew I couldn’t keep braids or micros up for 16 weeks, given the amount I sweat. I also wanted to wear my hair down so it could breathe.

My hair is not its natural texture. I get relaxers. In the movie Good Hair, a relaxer is referred to as “creamy crack”. This is because the relaxer makes your hair straight, but every 6-8 weeks, you have to get a retouch at your scalp. This means you are a slave to the relaxer because you have to keep coming back.

When you are ready to go back to wearing a natural hairstyle, you have two choices: cut your hair off or let it grow out. Many choose to cut their hair off, because once the hair is relaxed, it never comes out. If you choose to grow your hair all the way out, it will look silly, because the bottom part of your hair will be straight.

Anyway, one of my friends who grew up here (Hey Kanika!) told me that they had black hair salons so I figured I had nothing to worry about. When I get here I realized that they didn't sell Afro-hair products at Carrefour there were no outlets in the bathroom, so I decided to buy a hooded dryer. I went to Deira (30 minutes away) the second week to buy a dryer and hair supplies (i.e. a relaxer). When I got to Deira, the only hooded dryer they had was $100. Since I was only going to be here three months, I decided not to get one.

I also have to go to Deira to get the relaxer put in my hair. I went once already, and it was an interesting experience. All the other salons only do Brasilian and Keratin relaxers. They cost about $120, but they last up to for months, instead of up to 2 months. I’m afraid to get one because I haven’t done enough research into it. I don’t know who to go to do mine, etc.

So here’s the process I go through for my relaxer.

1.Trip to Deira to get relaxer.

2. AUD salon for a trim and style.

The relaxers are done by Africans who are not licensed beauticians, so I go to AUD to get my hair trimmed. It is time for a relaxer again. My hair is getting to the point where I can’t comb it, yet I don’t feel like going all the way to Deira. I’ve asked around and there is a placed called Afro-Salon in Bursha. It’s about ten minutes away.

Looks like I'm starting my own business in Dubai: a hair salon.

This post is getting a little long so I'll write you soon. More on my Dubai relaxer journey coming soon!