UGS: Day Ten Assignment

Today we went to the top of the Burj Khalifa- a once in a lifetime experience. The Burj Khalifa just opened last year on January 4^th, 2010. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world. It is an astonishing 2717 feet tall. It contains 163 floor levels, we were able to go to the 124^th level on the observation deck. The total building cost an estimated 1.5 billion dollars to complete. I am so thankful I was able to go to the top of this worldwide attraction.

Nothing could compare to being at the top of the Burj Khalifa. It really put everything into perspective. The number one thing I noticed while at the top was how much desert still remains in Dubai. It is truly easy to forget you are in the middle of the desert while visiting a luxurious and large place like Dubai. It made me think back on the history of Dubai, when there was once nothing. There were no freshwater sources and there were barely any buildings just 40 short years ago. Dubai has erected in such a short amount of time and it continues to grow today.

A few years ago Dubai was hit hard by the worldwide recession. The cranes stopped building and all projects were put on hold for a while. Today, the economy of Dubai seems to have recovered from the economic depression. The construction of projects such as Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Metro, and Dubai Sports City will continue and the construction of new projects will begin. Maktoum has big plans for the future and he will continue to promote the globalization of Dubai. What was once a deserted desert is now one of the world’s hottest attractions. The history of Dubai is interesting, intriguing, and unlike any other. Dubai has achieved so much in just thirty short years. It is the fastest developing city of all time and it will continue to impress the world with its architecture, developments, and traditional culture.

Day Ten Update

I was extremely tired since we stayed up so late the night before. I surprisingly made it to breakfast though. We were all on the bus to leave for the Burj Khalifa when we noticed Monica wasnt there. She had overslept. I had to go bang on her door to wake her up! We went to the Burj Khalifa and got to go to the top! The 124th floor! It was amazing being so high up in the air- the highest point anyone can get! It was absolutely breathtaking at the top. I wanted to buy a shirt. They didnt have anymore pink tshirts in a size small, so I had to buy a white tshirt with purple writing. I still like it though. After we were done with the Burj Khalifa we went into Dubai Mall. I bought a much needed Caribou vanilla latte. Stephen, Roberto, and I walked around the mall. We made up many variations of “DAB”- like “BAB” “MAB” “SAB”. So funny. We decided to venture over to burberry again. After a lot of time in the store and a lot of debating- Roberto and Stephen convinced me to buy the purse. I am so glad they convinced me though! It was embarrassing buying the purse however. My credit card was cap limit was too low and I didn’t have enough on my debit card. I seriously thought I wasnt going to be able to buy it. But the guy split the price in half and acted like it was two separate purchases, so I was able to use both my credit and debit cards to buy it.

After the amazing purchase we walked around glorified! We visited all the expensive stores and people treated us like gold just because we had a Burberry bag. We looked at the Vertu phones- and wow are those ridiculous! I hadn’t learned of them since the CEO of Majesty Yachts told us about them. But I think people are crazy to spend that much money on a phone that looks like it came out of the 90’s. Sure, i’d use one but I think the iphone is better/has more capabilities than some of those phones there. It was fun shopping and dreaming of buying some of the stuff some day. I love Stephen and Roberto. We went to eat at a Chicago Pizza Place with Jesus and Matt. I only ate some of the appetizer since I was full from my coffee already. After lunch Stephen, Roberto, and I walked to the hotel that is across from the Burj Khalifa. The boys kept telling me we wernt going to be able to get in the hotel and walk around, but I thought differently. We walked to the main doors and right away we saw a 2 ferraris and a BMW sitting in a row! We just walked right on in the hotel and nobody said anything to us- could have been the Burberry bag! Who knows. Anyways, we walked around the amazing lobby. We ventured outside by the pool. They had an extremely nice infinity pool, very nice lounge chairs, a nice bar, a nice restaurant,  a nice lounge area- everything! Imagine laying out in the beautiful Dubai weather looking up at the Burj Khalifa ALL DAY! What a life that would be. Roberto was taking pictures like a giant tourist as usual and Stephen was having an anxiety attack that we were going to get caught! So funny! So we walked back through the lobby and left. We picked up a taxi and the taxi took us back to the hotel.

At the hotel Roberto, Stephen, Dr. C and I all went to the pool to layout. I didn’t swim because I didnt want to be all gross for the plane right home. The two big fat whales swam though. Afterwards we all went back to our rooms and packed for home! 😦 I fit everything into my suitcase and had an extra carry on bag. Roberto, John, Stephen, and I took the second taxi to the airport. We waited for everyone to get there. My bag was overweight so I had to put some stuff into Roberto’s suitcase. Even after that my bag was still overweight! Luckily the lady let me go and didnt charge me for an overweight bag! How nice! We got there extremely early and had like 4 hours to just chill at the airport. Roberto, Stephen, and I walked around the entire airport looking for a nice place to sit down and eat. We ended up eating at Cosi and Burger King haha! Whatever, it was good. After that we ran into a local Emirati that was on his way back to the States for college. We talked to him and walked around him with for quite some time. He told us he drives an average car- and when we asked what that was he told us a Mercedes. Must be nice, right!? Anyways, he was an extremely nice guy, just like all the Emiratis are. We added him on facebook. He showed us his music that he writes and creates. It was so good and we told him he should try to sell it on itunes!

We got on the plane. John switched seats with Roberto, so I got to seat in-between Roberto and Stephen! Roberto and I fell asleep right away. We slept the majority of the plane right until the end. When I woke up I watched “Easy A” and then I watched “Life As We Know It”. We landed too soon for me to see the ending of “Life As We Know It” and I was pissed. During our flight this really tall guy passed out. They had to take him out of his seat and lay in down on the plane. It was interesting and provided some entertainment for the ride.

When we got to the Atlanta airport we literally thought we were not going to catch our next plane. We had to go through customs, had to get our luggage, had to check out luggage back in, and had to go through security. I ran ahead of everyone with Stephen and Reid. We made it and were the first ones out of our group on the plane. After awhile everyone showed up- except Roberto! He got caught in immigration line! We were about to leave and then Monica had a panic attack. She had to get off the plane and stay at the airport- so Jim went with her. We left Atlanta without Monica, Jim, and Roberto. This flight I sat next to Stephen and John. I just slept the whole time once again.

When we got to Detroit we all got out bags and say bye to eachother. It was really sad even though I know we will all be hanging out a lot! My mom and I went out to lunch when we got back. It was so great to see her!!

I had an amazing time. No doubt about it- this trip topped both trips in Europe. It was the best experience of my life and I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to do it!

Day Nine Update

Today we went on a tour of Modern Dubai. We visited the International Cricket Stadium. That was a neat experience and we took lots of pictures. After that we visited some expensive sukes in an extremely nice area. This area was surrounded by beautiful blue water and we could see the Burj Al Arab in the background. It was a relaxing sight. We went around to the little sukes to find gifts for people. I only bought a shot glass for myself since I collect them from everywhere I visit. Roberto bought a hookah. After that we drove to Palm Island. We got dropped off at Atlantis. We took millions of pictures of Atlantis while waiting for the monorail to pick us up. We took the monorail across Palm Island. That was cool because we got to see the entire island. I saw the place were the Trump Tower will be build in the future. Palm Island is beautiful and it would be such a luxury to live on it.

When we got back on the bus there was this giant ball of hair on the bus floor. It was Siritta’s. Literally, a HUGE clump of hair. So gross Siritta! We all made fun of her. We went back to the hotel and got ready for the dinner cruise. I was going to wear jeans and this new dressy shirt I bought. However, Monica and Melissa were really dressed up in nice dresses so I thought I should dress up a little more. So I literally could not find anything to wear! I was having a panic attack. Melissa and Monica let me try on some of their clothes but I didn’t end up wearing those things. I chose to wear my skirt and this new shirt I bought. It was fine I guess. The dinner cruise was very nice and I’m glad I decided not to wear jeans after all! We took pictures and chatted with everyone on the boat before it took off and while we waited for our food. The boat was very relaxing. They served us these delicious appetizers of some really good chicken. The dinner food was also VERY good. It was a buffet and I found many things that I liked. I had two plate fulls of food and I was SO stuffed afterwards. The cruise was fun and we went back to the hotel afterwards. Roberto, Monica, Jesus, and I stayed up pretty late on the first floor lounge. I didnt end up going to bed until 3:30am. I didnt have my room key either- so I had to bang on our room door and wake Siritta up. She was pissed haha but it’s okay. We had a conversation that I’m pretty sure we didnt remember in the morning because she was half asleep at the time. I slept for a little bit and then woke up pretty early to write my blog and to shower/get ready.

UGS: Day Nine Assignment

Today we visited Knowledge Village to have lecture at the Michigan State University Department here. It was neat and a great change of pace. Knowledge Village is a place where international universities have the opportunity to have their own sector in Dubai. This is a wonderful concept. It gives the students here a place for a great education and a choice of which university they would like to attend. Knowledge Village helps globalize Dubai and the other emirates. There are many students traveling from around the world who come here to receive a once in a lifetime education, whether it be study abroad or not.

Today we also visited the Cricket Stadium in Dubai Sports City. It was a great experience! I learned so much- before this trip I did not have a clue what cricket even was. It opened on April 22, 2009 with the Australian vs. Pakistan series. The Cricket Stadium is not just for the Dubai Team or the United Arab Emirates Team. It was also built to be the home of the Pakistanis. Pakistan could not afford to build their own stadium, so Dubai built one for them here. The stadium holds up to a capacity of 25,000 people. It has a one of a kind lighting system. There are 350 floodlights mounted on the roof of the stands. When turned out they create a “ring of fire” look. The design of the lighting system will prevent any distracting shadows of the players and such. “The ring of fire will allow cricket to be played during the cooler evenings, and will replicate natural daylight. The revolutionary design will create ideal playing conditions and will add to the atmosphere inside the ground,” said Macky Dudhia, General Manager, Sports Business, Dubai Sports City.

This stadium also contributes to globalization of Dubai. Countries from all over the world come to play at this stadium. Spectators from around the world come to watch the cricket game- bringing culture, revenue, and a great time to Dubai. The globalization of this stadium contributes to the sustainability of Dubai in regards to the profit and tourist attraction. It’s a wonderful concept, it seems as if nothing can go wrong. Middle Eastern people love cricket, I wish we could see a game! According to Eye of Dubai, “Dubai Sports City’s cricket stadium will be the first of four stadiums, with a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose stadium for football, track and field, and rugby; a field Hockey Stadium capable of holding up to 5,000 spectators, and an indoor arena that will house 10,000 supporters for a wide range of sports including basketball, indoor hockey, volleyball, handball, netball and ice hockey”.

UGS: Day Eight Assignment

Today we visited a popular worldwide company called Majesty Yachts. They custom build every yacht to fit the desires of each and every one of their costumers. The CEO of the company who is young and very successful gave us a tour of the company. We were blown away by the big, luxurious yachts that were being made. The most expensive yacht they are working on at this time is 17 million dollars. Just imagine having such a large amount of money and being able to simply spend it on a “toy” for your weekend adventures. The yachts and the trivial custom details of each one were extraordinary. I was blown away by the luxurious idea of these yachts and I envied those who were buying them.

Yet, once I saw the workers of the company my perspective of a lavish yacht changed. Billionaires order this company to build their dream yacht so they can show it off to everyone they know. It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea until you consider who is building these boats- poor Arab men. From what I saw yesterday, the working conditions for these men are not the greatest. In one section of the building the workers were working with toxic fumes. The CEO told us if one breathes these fumes too much they may not be able to reproduce. At another section of the company, the CEO told us these men make $700 a month with food and housing paid for. Not only I, but I think everyone in our group was astonished and felt bad for these workers. They work so hard all day in order to grant the wealthy people their dream yacht, while these workers are only trying to support their families. As we were leaving the company, I noticed it was lunch time for the workers. They all stopped what they were doing and walked towards the cafeteria at the same time. It reminded me a prison inmates going to lunch. And although I think the condition for these workers aren’t great- I know the workers themselves appreciate having their job. They do not notice the irony of the situation because they will work for less here in Dubai and they will be happy with just having a job.

Majesty Yachts works with costumers all over the world. They are a well-known and a globalized company. They contribute to the globalization of Dubai. As long as the wealthy people continue to buy their dream, Majesty Yachts will stay sustainable at a globalized level.

I found an interesting article on Aquoul about the working class in Dubai. It says, “Most laborers are forced to live in crowded camps on the outskirts of the city, where land is cheap, and conditions are generally poor. These camps often lie in inaccessible locations, meaning it would be hard for a worker to travel to the city and back by bus on a weekday even if he were not already working 10 or 12 hours a day. The cost of a taxi ride puts such a luxury well out of the reach of anyone living in such accommodation. On Friday, their day off, they are bused into the old markets near the center of the city, where they can connect with workers from other camps and thus speak in their native tongues. They can then take over small streets or open spaces with grass”. While in Dubai we were hardly exposed to people like this. The working class is barely seen in Dubai because they are strictly not allowed in the shopping malls, hotels, and public parks. Dubai has very distinct class distinctions and the working class is the lowest among them.

 

Day Eight Update

Today I woke up later than I wanted to. I woke up at 7, my alarm was set for 6. I took a shower, got ready. We left on the bus at 9 to go to a company tour of Majesty Yachts. The lobby of the company was small and rundown. I thought it was strange that the company builds million dollars yachts yet they can’t upkeep their lobby. The CEO of Majesty Yachts introduced himself as our tour guide. This guy is probably in his 40’s and you could tell he very successful. He was cute too. He talked about materialism and how it is beneficial for business purposes. What are the three things every businessman sets on the table in front of his counterparts first? Car keys, watch, and sunglasses. If you have expensive things people will believe you are successful and they will want to do business with you. After his enlightening speech, I decided I wanted to buy the Burberry purse- final answer.

The CEO gave us a tour of the company. We got to see how the yachts were made and we got to tour some of the yachts. I think what we as students noticed most about this company is that the laborers work for very little money. They each make $700 a month with expenses of living and dining included. This leaves very little money available for the workers to provide a stable and healthy lifestyle for their family. The CEO told as in one of the factory sections that breathing the fumes for too long can result in an inability to reproduce. I think it’s horrible that one should be asked to endure those fumes and put to rest their reproductive life. Billionaires are demanding these luxurious yachts and it’s up to the poor, disadvantaged workers to build them- that’s really what I got out of this tour. Yes, it’d be great to own a giant yacht to show off to my friends and coworkers. However, by seeing such poor conditions the workers have to face while constructing such a yacht really diminishes idea.

We got to go out on the water and walk around the yachts that were finished and were ready to be sailed off to their owners at a final destination. I kept thinking, “If I paid all this money for a yacht to be built, I would be furious if 17 kids got to venture around on it before I even got to see it!” Anyways, as we were leaving the “lunch bell” rang. The laborers put aside their work and all walked towards the lunch room. It reminded me honestly of a concentration camp. Although I know the conditions arn’t nearly that bad! These workers, however, probably don’t even complain about the bad working conditions. They are probably truly happy with just having a job and being able to bring home an income. People in the United Arab Emirates will work for less than will Americans in the United States. Especially foreigners over there- they will commit to any job that will provide them with even just a little bit of money.

At night we drove out to the sand dunes. We got in an SUV and had our crazy driver drives us all around in the sand. It was so much fun and it felt like a rollarcoaster. Melissa, Dr. C, Stephen, Roberto, Hannah, and Reid were all in my car. The driver dropped us off for a few minutes to let us take pictures in the middle of the desert. We saw a camel randomly walking around. We took pictures with the Michigan State flag that Hannah brought- that was such a good idea! After all the pictures the drivers drove us to this little get-together in the middle of the desert. Dr. C came in the back of the car with Roberto and I. At the get-together we had a chance to ride camels! I rode on one with Stephen. It was a really quick ride- the camel walked down a straight line, turned around, and came back. Although it was really short it was an awesome experience. After riding the camel I walked back to the stage area and found Reid, Stephen, and Roberto getting ready to smoke hookah. They asked me to join them and I did. The worker asked Reid how old he was. (You have to be 21 years of age to smoke tobacco in the UAE) Reid said he was 21 and the guy said okay. He didn’t ask anyone else their age nor did he ID Reid. So we smoked hookah, everyone else found us and wanted to do it too. It was a lot of fun. I thought we were going to get in trouble but Dr. C and Dr. Lucas didnt care. After that we all watched the belly dancer on stage. They had cute little tables for us to sit at and we had to sit on comfy pillows in the sand. It was such a neat experience. We also all got free henna tattoos. I got a cool design on my hand. Right after I got it this girl ran into me and my henna got smeared. I was so pissed, but the lady tried to fix it up a little.

We all had so much fun. When we got back to the hotel Siritta, Me, Roberto, Stephen, John, and Reid all went to the hot tub. However, apparently it was a night for only the guys to use the hot tub. Siritta and I didnt know this. We got kicked out of the hot tub by this guy that could barely speak English. We couldn’t understand him and he said something about a sauna- so we thought we could use the sauna atleast. So after being kicked out of the hot tub we went into the sauna. Like five minutes later the guard found us again and got pissed! He kicked us out again. So Siritta and I decided to leave the building. While walking out the guy told us we could go into the women’s only sauna- I said “No, we want to be with the guys. We dont want to sit alone in there by ourselves”. I was honestly really pissed that Siritta and I couldn’t stay in the hot tub. I went back to my room and went straight to bed. I hate being discriminated against- I’m not used to it and I think it’s just not fair. I understand it is their culture, but I let it get to me.

UGS: Day Seven Assignment

FedEx is one of the top companies in the world. Today we had the wonderful opportunity to tour the FedEx hub in Dubai. The company itself treated us so kindly. They bought us pizza for lunch, allowed us to tour a cargo plane, and took pictures of us while sitting in the pilot seat- they made it a truly enjoyable tour. Costumers are the number one concern of the FedEx company. As long as FedEx invests in their costumers, the costumers will invest in them. FedEx firmly believes the costumer is always right. Their beliefs are probably what drove them to be one of the top companies in the world. As long as you keep pleasing the costumer, they are going to keep using your service. When a costumer calls FedEx and they are on hold for more than 20 seconds the call with automatically be dropped. For this year, FedEx had a 92% success rate for calls. That is phenomenal service. Just thinking about calling AT&T or some other large business can make one cringe with consideration of the wasted time they will spend on hold. FedEx costumers do not have to worry about that- their call will always be important and will always be taken care of.

FedEx is also very engaged in their relationship with the employees. While FedEx was undergoing difficult economic times they did not simply fire a few workers. Instead, they found more important and useful jobs for their employees. FedEx works to accommodate it’s people and to accommodate it’s costumers. They are a high-class company and one I would never mind to do business with. I agree in their policies and in their determination to create a wonderful experience for their costumers while using FedEx.

I was doing some research on FedEx when I came across articles about the “suspicious package” found in Dubai on October 29th of last year. I remembered hearing about this story on the news. What I did not realize was that the suspicious package, that illegibly contained a bomb, came from Yemen to Dubai to the US through FedEx. That would not have meant much to me at the time, but now that I have been to the FedEx Hub in Dubai it really hits home. The package contained a bomb in an ink cartridge in a Hewlett Packard Printer. The bomb was said to be linked to a call phone sim card. I am so glad we were able to find the bomb before it was activated. A real story like this just makes my experience at the Dubai FedEx Hub so much more meaningful.

Day Seven Update

Today I woke up at 6:15, showered, wrote a blog entry, etc. We had a one hour meeting on the first floor lounge. We learned more about Twitter. After our lecture we got on the bus and drove to FedEx. We got to tour FedEx base in Dubai. It was very neat. They showed us a powerpoint which got kind of boring after awhile and made us tired. But after that they bought us pizza for lunch. It was delicious and also my first time getting pizza in Dubai! After lunch we went on a tour of an actual aircraft they carry cargo in. That was ridiculously awesome. We watched them transport very large packages off the plane. We were able to go into the belly of the plane and walk around. It was all around just a neat experience- especially walking around the plane in heels. They also let us sit in the pilot’s seat of the plane. When the tour was over with they gave us a cute package that contained a miniature FedEx airplane.

After the FedEx company tour we visited another company. It was some French company that does maritime engineering. It was honestly a really boring tour. We sat in one little room the whole time. I was in the back so I couldnt see the screen and it was very difficult to pay attention. I noticed the employees were wearing jeans. I thought that was strange!

After the company visits we came back to the hotel for 15 minutes and then took the bus to Dubai City Center. We all went to the food court to eat. Hannah and I split Panda Express. It was sooo good, even though I’ve had Chinese food 3 times for dinner since I’ve been here! After that Stephen, Hannah, Roberto, Sirrita, John, and I walked around the mall. We went into Forever 21 and us girls all bought something. I got a skirt, a shirt, and a headband. Siritta got the same skirt as me and Hannah got some jewelry. We continued to walk around and look at all the expensive things we wished we could buy. Siritta took us into this trashy/nasty store and told us it was one of her favorites. She ended up buying two things from there. She kept wandering off from us and we kept having to look for her. We went into a sunglasses store and tried on nice glasses. The guy working there kept checking out Roberto, it was hilarious. Then we went into Burberry and spent lots of time there. Stephen wanted to buy this coat that was 900 dollars. I spent a lot of time debating whether or not to get the purse I love.

Anyways, we all just walked around. It was fun. We met up and drove back to the hotel. We all met up on the first floor again to write our blogs and hang out. There was a group of Arabs hanging out down here and they were smoking cigarettes inside! We were so pissed! I asked them nicely to not smoke inside. They made fun of me and started blowing smoke towards us. Jesus literally wanted to beat them up. I told them I was going to go tell the front desk if they did not stop smoking. They told us they were “Arab”- as if they get some sort of privilege. Being Arab in Dubai is a privilege and they think they can use that excuse to get away with things. Luckily, a guy from the front desk came up to the floor because he smelt the smoke. The Arabs quickly put out their cigarettes in the fake plant- CLASSY. I told the guy at the front desk that they were smoking. He started yelling at them in Arabic for about 5 minutes. I wanted to go into hiding after that, I literally thought the Arabs were going to come out and shoot me. Everyone made me stay though, they told me I’d be fine. It was a scary situation but funny now looking back on it.

I’m about to go to sleep. I’m so tired. We are leaving at nine tomorrow for another company visit.

UGS: Day Six Assignment

Today we went to Abu Dhabi to visit a company called TDIC (Tourism Development and Investment Company). This company has created a master plan for the future of Saadiyat Island, which stands for “Island of Happiness”. The construction of this Island is part of the Shayk’s plan to improve the quality of Abu Dhabi and to make it a top tourist attraction, “Saadiyat’s transformation is a key proposition in the Abu Dhabi government’s strategy of increasing tourism to the emirate from its current level of almost one million to three million by 2015 – a projected growth rate of 11.3% a year”. This company has down to a science what the island will be like in the year 2020- the hotels, the villas, the museums, etc. Through a video and many models they were able to show us their plan for the island. There will be seven different districts: The Cultural District, Saadiyat Beach, Saadiyat Marina, Saadiyat Reserve, Saadiyat Promenade, Saadiyat Retreat, and Saadiyat Lagoons. Some of the major projects to be constructed are The Guggenheim Museum (Estimated to cost $200 million), Zayed National Museum ($1 Billion), The Louvre ($83-108 million), and so much more. Clearly, this project is going to cost unimaginable amounts of money. From these examples we pictured a place of utopia. This island will have difficult golf courses, will provide high education, will have luxurious hotels, will have top-fashion shopping, will have beautiful houses, and will have serene beaches to relax. TDIC says, “Occupying 27 square kilometers, the entire project is due for completion by 2020 and is created around an environmentally sensitive philosophy with a special low-density master plan. A premier island destination as well as a modern, integrated residential community, Saadiyat will eventually be home to an estimated 145,000 residents with a full complement of leisure and tourism facilities, as well as civic and cultural institutions”.

Yes, the people of TDIC and Abu Dhabi are excited and are positive their plan for utopia will succeed. But will it really?

There are many skeptics of this plan. The big question is “is Saadiyat Island going to be sustainable?” There are valid points for both sides of the argument, however, I believe Saadiyat Island will be sustainable. The elite of the world will migrate to Saadiyat Island to be apart of the world’s greatest creation. The elite alone will bring a lot of revenue for the island. Tourism will also be one of the main components to Saadiyat’s economy. From museums to shopping to beaches to golf courses- the tourists can do it all. TDIC wants to create a place people can go to for a variety of experiences. The vast amount of entertainment and relaxation available on the island will attract a countless number of tourists which in return will stabilize the economy of the island. In the words of TDIC, “This unique place will offer an entirely unique invitation to the discerning traveler. The island is infused with a richness that serves its visitors and residents cultural, social, emotional and environmental rewards. Indeed Saadiyat is positioned to become an international destination of desire, a flagship for Abu Dhabi, a treasure for the world.” I hope they are more than right. I would love to visit Saadiyat Island one day, especially to see if it’s all it was planned to be.

 

 

Day Six Update

Today I woke up at 6:15 and showered. I was very tired because a few of us stayed up until 4 the night before. We got on the bus and drove to Abu Dhabi. I fell asleep for the majority of the drive. When we got there we toured a large company called TDIC, Tourism Development and Investment Company. It was really nice- they had us go into a cute little theater with very comfortable seats. We watched a movie on what the company aims to do for the public. We were served water and got to relax for a little bit. After the quick clip we walked around the company to look at the models TDIC has created for Saadiyat Island. The company aims to build a sustainable environment full of luxury and entertainment for visitors and residents of Saadiyat Island which will be completed in 2030. Saadiyat Island means “the island of happiness”. The models were awesome! I wish the island was already complete so we could visit it. The only thing on the island that is currently completed is the golf course. I would LOVEEEE to go play golf there. Maybe Dad will bring our family back in a few years and we can do it 🙂

After TDIC we drove to Marina Mall to get lunch. It had to be quick so we all ran into the food court, grabbed what we needed, and got back on the bus and ate our food. I got Burger King because they were barely any options. I asked for my food “to go”. They put everything in a bag. They even wrapped up my pop in a brown bag and put it in the larger bag. It was a stupid idea because they pop turned over while I was walking and was leaking all over the mall floor through the bag. I had to throw the bag away- half my diet coke went to waste. We visited another company which also had tons of models for the island. I think it’s pretty cool they know exactly what they will build on the island for the next 15 years. They have this huge master plan of creating a utopia place that will be highly expensive to live in. Half of the residencies are sold already and they haven’t even began building them yet! Anyways, it was very cool to see the plan of the future for this island. I hope someday I will be able to come back to the UAE and see the progression this country has made since 2011.

After the company visits we got a tour of The Emirates Palace Hotel! This was a surprise for us! The hotel in itself was just beautiful. There were extremely expensive cars parked outside the lobby doors. We were given a tour of the place. It was just gorgeous, I wish I could stay there one day. Some of the rooms are over $50,000 to stay in a night. In the lobby they had a gold machine. For a certain amount of money you could buy gold coins. We took millions of pictures together inside and outside of the hotel. It was fun.

After The Emirates Palace Hotel we drove to Mall of the Emirates. Stephen, Melissa, Reid, Roberto, John, and I all went to Ski Dubai. Stephen was having an anxiety attack about being on time. The guy getting our rental boots and jackets was extremely slow and stupid. Stephen and I bought gloves for 15 dirham. Best 15 dirham I’ve ever spent! Ski Dubai was awesome. It is an indoor ski/snowboard place. We went on the medium sized hill first. After going down that Roberto and I realized we were not good at snowboarding. Us two went to the bunny hill to practice. We spent a lot of time there until we got kicked off- apparently snowboarders are not allowed on the bunny hill. So we went down the medium sized hill again. Roberto didnt have gloves so his hands were freezing. He went inside to warm them up while I went down the slope with Stephen. Stephen is good at skiing. He got down the hill really fast while I fell down it the majority of the time. It was the worst run for me of the night. I fell literally like 5 times while going down. Patches of the snow were super thick so I couldnt even move my board around. Yet, when the snow was not think it was pure ice. It was horrible conditions. On my last fall I fell hard and hit the back of my head on the ice. It hurt really bad. I took my board of my feet and walked down the rest of the hill haha. After that we all decided it was time to leave. There were Monster promoters inside Ski Dubai so we all got free Monsters and free Monster tattoos and stickers. We spent about an hour and a half snowboarding/skiing together. It was a great experience and well worth the money. After Ski Dubai we all went to the food court to get dinner. Then we walked to the metro station. We missed the 9:00 metro so we took the one 8 minutes later. It was about a 45 minute ride to where we had to get. We were all exhausted. We sat there and tried to speak Spanish/made fun of Roberto’s accent. When we got off the metro we had to find the rest of our group. When we found them we had to wait for our hotel bus to arrive and pick us up. Stephen, John, Roberto, and I walked across the street to the sweets shop. Stephen got this cake that looked really good and John bought a bunch of sweets to share with everyone. We rode the bus back home and all went straight to bed! What an exhausting day!