Greetings! I must say, Dubai is unreal. It has been a whirlwind and I am still reeling from how much we have packed into these last few days. Internet is very limited and so I have not been able to write, so this entry could get long.
Customs was a breeze. Hire a company to get you through, because you don't have to stand in any lines and they don't ask you any questions. Wham, bam, see you later all you folks in that ridiculous line. :)
My apartment is giant. Way too much room for one person and I have been at a loss as to how I am ever going to furnish it. I honestly don't think I will, and I'll have a yoga studio/art room/sport equipment room/spare bedroom in my apartment. We have been shopping like maniacs the last few days, as well as going through various steps to become a resident of Dubai. I have succeeded in buying a bed and beautiful frame, a side table, a random other entry table, a big comfy chair and random other things. I have realized that I am terrible at making big purchases (such as a bed or couch) because I have never really done it. There will be pictures forthcoming, but I'll wait until my place is a little more put together.
As for my colleagues, I couldn't ask for a better crew of people to be around. The general description would be young, female, and very much eager to teach and travel. I feel very much like I have known these people for a lot longer than four days. We are all in the same boat as far as being completely overwhelmed, and so it is nice to have a support system. My admin staff is very wonderful. It is such a unique group of people with so many experiences and different international teaching backgrounds. I know I am going to learn so, so much.
So far, we have gotten our blood tested for HIV/AIDS, and x-ray for TB. Apparently, you are not allowed in the UAE with those. Interesting. Another interesting fact is that in every government building that we have gone to, the seating areas are either segregated by gender, or women are given preferential seating. Security guards are also there to enforce this. Today a man sat in the wrong section, and was told he had to get up, and then he had to relinquish his spot in line and go to the end!!! I was really intrigued. We had to get fingerprinted for our National ID card and being a resident of Dubai. We have to get these things before being able to get our driving license and get anything, like internet in our home.
The most interesting thing would be coming into this country during Ramadan, as the UAE official religion is Muslim, everywhere is moving at a much slower pace and often is not open. This includes government processing buildings and customs at port. For this reason, I have no idea where my shipment is or when it will arrive or if it is here. Lovely. Ugh. During Ramadan Muslims fast all day until sundown. This fasting includes everything; water, chewing gum, food, and impure thoughts. At sundown, they break their fast by drinking water and eating a sweet date (which are incredibly delicious). Then they eat. Sometimes they have a traditional feast called an Iftar. We were able to go to the Sheik Mohammed Cultural Center for Understanding where we had a traditional Iftar feast, and just a general presentation on the cultural aspects of being an Emirati. The women and men are both dressed head to toe, the men in white and the women in black. Women can show their face, and if they choose not to show their face, they are just more traditional. The proper etiquette for when you meet an Emirati in public is to basically treat them like a normal human. This sounds funny, but they don't appreciate being stared at because of their dress, and especially because Dubai is tourist centered, it happens quite a lot. You are not allowed to take pictures of them, and you are not allowed to greet them unless they greet you first. This all seems strange, but they are more informal than that. Overall, I am learning a lot about a very interesting culture. I am sure there will be more and more as I am here longer. Check out the link above.
I finally got into my classroom about an hour ago. It is beautiful. I have unreal storage and nice windows and a balcony! I am excited, and need to get into it and make it welcoming! More pressing than that is getting lessons planned for the first week or two and just being really on top of everything before the students get here. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Last night we went out to Dubai Mall, where the Burj Kalifa is and watched the water show, which is much more elaborate than Las Vegas. We ate and then went to the Observatory Bar on the 52nd floor of the Marriott in new Dubai. It looks out over the Palm and the Marina. It is beautiful.
Okay, I think that is way way to much for now, and I promise that these entries wont all be this long. I will put pictures up and will also post a few on facebook. Hope this is interesting, sorry if I am boring (and for any spelling/grammar errors)!
Customs was a breeze. Hire a company to get you through, because you don't have to stand in any lines and they don't ask you any questions. Wham, bam, see you later all you folks in that ridiculous line. :)
My apartment is giant. Way too much room for one person and I have been at a loss as to how I am ever going to furnish it. I honestly don't think I will, and I'll have a yoga studio/art room/sport equipment room/spare bedroom in my apartment. We have been shopping like maniacs the last few days, as well as going through various steps to become a resident of Dubai. I have succeeded in buying a bed and beautiful frame, a side table, a random other entry table, a big comfy chair and random other things. I have realized that I am terrible at making big purchases (such as a bed or couch) because I have never really done it. There will be pictures forthcoming, but I'll wait until my place is a little more put together.
As for my colleagues, I couldn't ask for a better crew of people to be around. The general description would be young, female, and very much eager to teach and travel. I feel very much like I have known these people for a lot longer than four days. We are all in the same boat as far as being completely overwhelmed, and so it is nice to have a support system. My admin staff is very wonderful. It is such a unique group of people with so many experiences and different international teaching backgrounds. I know I am going to learn so, so much.
So far, we have gotten our blood tested for HIV/AIDS, and x-ray for TB. Apparently, you are not allowed in the UAE with those. Interesting. Another interesting fact is that in every government building that we have gone to, the seating areas are either segregated by gender, or women are given preferential seating. Security guards are also there to enforce this. Today a man sat in the wrong section, and was told he had to get up, and then he had to relinquish his spot in line and go to the end!!! I was really intrigued. We had to get fingerprinted for our National ID card and being a resident of Dubai. We have to get these things before being able to get our driving license and get anything, like internet in our home.
The most interesting thing would be coming into this country during Ramadan, as the UAE official religion is Muslim, everywhere is moving at a much slower pace and often is not open. This includes government processing buildings and customs at port. For this reason, I have no idea where my shipment is or when it will arrive or if it is here. Lovely. Ugh. During Ramadan Muslims fast all day until sundown. This fasting includes everything; water, chewing gum, food, and impure thoughts. At sundown, they break their fast by drinking water and eating a sweet date (which are incredibly delicious). Then they eat. Sometimes they have a traditional feast called an Iftar. We were able to go to the Sheik Mohammed Cultural Center for Understanding where we had a traditional Iftar feast, and just a general presentation on the cultural aspects of being an Emirati. The women and men are both dressed head to toe, the men in white and the women in black. Women can show their face, and if they choose not to show their face, they are just more traditional. The proper etiquette for when you meet an Emirati in public is to basically treat them like a normal human. This sounds funny, but they don't appreciate being stared at because of their dress, and especially because Dubai is tourist centered, it happens quite a lot. You are not allowed to take pictures of them, and you are not allowed to greet them unless they greet you first. This all seems strange, but they are more informal than that. Overall, I am learning a lot about a very interesting culture. I am sure there will be more and more as I am here longer. Check out the link above.
I finally got into my classroom about an hour ago. It is beautiful. I have unreal storage and nice windows and a balcony! I am excited, and need to get into it and make it welcoming! More pressing than that is getting lessons planned for the first week or two and just being really on top of everything before the students get here. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Last night we went out to Dubai Mall, where the Burj Kalifa is and watched the water show, which is much more elaborate than Las Vegas. We ate and then went to the Observatory Bar on the 52nd floor of the Marriott in new Dubai. It looks out over the Palm and the Marina. It is beautiful.
Okay, I think that is way way to much for now, and I promise that these entries wont all be this long. I will put pictures up and will also post a few on facebook. Hope this is interesting, sorry if I am boring (and for any spelling/grammar errors)!
Oh Megan--this is wonderful! Please don't worry about length of posts-Remember, we are all living vicariously through you :-)
ReplyDeleteI can relate to the pressing issue of planning lessons-I am up to my eyeballs in that as well! It sounds like you have amazing people around you and I am excited to hear more! I wish you well, my friend, until the next post-Much love and many hugs!