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!

If I Only Knew…

Today was an eventful day. I met with the CEO of Bayt, and received great career advice and insight into entrepreneurial ventures. Later on I found out that I’m not eligible for any positions at AUD, because I lack experience. My drive counts for nothing these days.

I had to tell my professor never mind about the recommendation that I asked for, and he told me I did well on the exam I took yesterday (Yes!). I like it when I get good news on the same day I get bad news.

Tomorrow I’m going to visit Internet City. There are about 15 major technology firms there, such as Miscrosoft, HP, and Siemens. I am also in the works of joining the American Business Council, which two people have recommended. It costs about $300 for the whole year, so I’m trying to find out if it will be prorated. We’ll see.

I have 34 days and I’m really starting to get worried. Going out does give me less time to look for jobs, but it’s a great stress reliever, and I don’t want to ruin my trip by doing all work and no play.

Speaking of going out, on Thursday my friend and I thought we were going to go to  a J Cole concert Abu Dhabi with friends, but it was an epic fail. The people we were going with were friends of a friend, and the details were kind of shady. We ended up going to Abu Dhabi, grabbing coffee, and coming back to Dubai. “If you want something done right, do it yourself” –Zorg, Fifth Element.

Friday, I went back to Crystalle aka People. I told my first Cali friend how great it was the last time I went and she was down. It sucked. The atmosphere was the opposite of what it was the first time I went, and I felt like a loser for telling her how great the club was, and showing up and being disappointed.

We left there around 1:30, and went to Armani, which is one of the hottest clubs in Dubai. Everyone loves Armani. Armani was the same as Crystalle, bad music, barely any people, etc. I don’t know, maybe the Friday after Eid just isn’t a good clubbing day. Don’t worry, we’ll make up for it this weekend!

I'm 22!

This was the most enjoyable birthday I've had in awhile. I had a whole bunch of love and support and I'd like to thank everyone for coming. The company and the food at Red Lobster was awesome. I had two people offer to give rides, so no one had to ride the metro or take a taxi to the mall.

Although Boudoir was SUPER crowded because of Eid, I still had fun. I still have so many clubs to visit. 

On my actually birthday, the 8th, I went to dinner at Organic Foods & Cafe, with my first Cali friend. I had      pancakes and apple oatmeal (too much carbs I Know). I was tasty. She enjoyed it as well. She's into organic food, which is hard to find here.

Today we are going to Jumeirah Mosque for a class project. For my Islamic Art and Architecture class, we have to visit a mosque, and compare the architectural details to mosques we've studied in class. It's due December 1st, but since I failed the first exam (don’t judge me!), I'm trying to make sure I get an A on this paper by not procrastinating. 

We were going to go to Burj al Arab, but they're a bit pricey. We'll go later if we can get someone else to treat us (I love Dubai).  I hope this mosque is interesting. It's so hard for me to write about a topic that I'm not passionate about.

I was supposed to go to Internet City today to handout my CV, but I haven't finished the necessary research to prepare, so I’ll go Sunday morning. It’s hard to go to sleep early. When I go out at night, even if it’s just to JBR, I’ll get in at 1 or 2 am.

My goal is to have an interview by the end of next week. I will be visiting a lot of places, and my 1^st Cali friend has arranged for us to have a meeting with the CEO of Bayt, so I feel like my chances are high.  39 days to find a job (I counted wrong earlier)!

Dubai is a Very Traumatic Place

Very bad things have happened to my friends, and many of them want to leave. The latest incident was a car crash. A group of study abroad students were heading to Oman for Eid. They had been planning the trip since the beginning of the semester. Low and behold, some idiot rammed into the back of their taxi. They ended up going to the hospital and cancelling their trip. Luckily, everyone’s fine (physically at least).

Dubai Driving is a topic that I’ve wanted to discuss for some time now, but I need a video to show you exactly what I’m talking about. I plan on making a video while in a cab, sometime during the break. I really think that if I die in Dubai, it will be from a car crash, but we’ll talk about that later.

Weekend recap

Thursday: Crystale Club

Friday: Dry Night, clubs closed- went to JBR

Saturday: Motorcycle Ride, dinner at Dubai Marina

Sunday: Drove friend’s car

Right now, I have a ten day break for Eid al Adha. As you can see, I did not go to Egypt as I planned, but I’m still having the time of my life.  I had so much fun at Crystale, and am meeting new people just about everyday. Tomorrow’s my birthday, but I’m celebrating tonight. I’m going to Red Lobster at Dubai Mall, then to Boudoir again. I’m blow-drying my hair as we speak.

Gotta get ready now…I love this place! Eid Mubarak!