Insight Dubai: Day Four!

Myth:

1. IT IS SO HOT.
KINDA YEAH. In the evenings, it was actually quite perfect. Mornings were humid. But nothing was unbearable. Everything said it was in the 80's-90's but it really didn't feel that bad, seriously. I couldn't get over it. Yeah, it was pretty hot but it was definitely manageable.

2. I WILL LEARN A LOT
SO TRUE. so true.
Wow. From the conference, from the city, from the lovely women I met and spoke with. I learned a lot, both good and bad. It was incredible. 


We had all recovered as best we could from the other day's incident. From what I saw, it looked like most of us international ladies handled it well and were ready for another day abroad. Unfortunately the local girls didn't feel the same way and we were missing out on quite a few of them.

In addition to everything, it was the day I was most anticipating, because we would be in groups again for most of the day, discussing human trafficking.

Still, when I arrived to the Orange Group's room, it seemed that our party had about shrunk into half. Again, my buddy wasn't there, nor several of the other girls.

This did not deter us, and we dived right in. We began with some morning activities and then started discussing human trafficking. There are essentially three variations of human trafficking:

-Forced Labor
-Sex slavery
-Organ Trafficking

These can happen to men, women and children. 80% women, 45% children, I believe it was. I could be wrong, you'll need to check the technicalities but I know I'm pretty close.

It makes about $32 billion a year, and is thus the second growing industry, right behind drugs.

One thing that I have since learned, is that everyone thinks it happens the least in their own country. It is everywhere. Most people have come across it, whether or not they knew it. But once you begin diving into the news, you will find another story. In my research, I came upon a story from Salt Lake City, where a woman narrowly escaped being taken to Vegas- and she had already been taken (from Florida or New York).

There is another man, LDS with a family, who left the FBI/CIA (one of them) to start his own cause and just busted a large ring of child sex trafficking in Southern America. It is happening everywhere, and nowhere is free.

Of course, there are government and even private units that are seeking to stop this trade. But obviously, it hasn't been stopped. Few people escape. And those who do, are affected forever- scarred both emotionally and physically.

Before we gathered together again, we were given the responsibility to focus on sex trafficking and to make a poster about it. Our leader really, really, really wanted a skit. None of the other girls were interested in it. In fact, none of them were a lot of help to get things started. I tried to share some suggestions, but I think there was some miscommunication at some point and we couldn't seem to agree.

(Oh, subpiece. The Second day I joined a few girls to wander around campus and enjoy the area during lunch. We entered the gym where the girls were having a mini fair with free tea (their popular stuff tastes like chai), snacks, and wandered around to take pictures for instagram and stuff. It was an event for well being and super cute!)

Anyways, we eventually sorted things out to make three posters, and spent about two hours on that until lunch. After lunch, we tried again to finish things up, and I wrote a short script that sort of counted as a possible "skit" and finally managed to get Cookie to read it since no one else was willing, and I don't find it appropriate reading my own things.

Then we gathered together in the multipurpose room with our presentations!

A few of them were fairly humorous, which I had wanted to attempt but the subject doesn't have much room for that. They carried many of the same themes in nice presentations and similar scripting, portraying those who had suffered.

It was a powerful message and I think it resonated with all of us.

After the presentations, we were supposed to have a speaker to discuss the topic. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to be there and so we never ended up having that happen. All the same, we made it work for us. We hung out for a while more, discussed the topic in our group, and then the conference bit was over and we were ready for the night's activity!

Ehm, a desert ride.

Yup!

They went around strongly suggesting girls to take the "calm" one with no bumping... but that wasn't about to stop me! Possibly my own chance so obviously I'm going to go all out for some dune bashing and driving and jumping around!

And it was amazing. Long drive, unfortunately, which I was not prepared for. But we dozed a bit and finally reached the sands. Drivers stopped to let out some air in the tires, and then we headed out! It really wasn't that dangerous, but it was fun and bumpy and pretty exciting. They stopped about three times for us to run around, take pictures, and attempt to climb the dunes.

This sand was so pure and soft and orange with no litter. It was so refreshing, I loved it.

Plus, the weather was even perfect at the moment. Warm with a slight breeze, but essentially perfect, okay? Do you know how rare that is? TOO RARE. I loved it. And it was a small desert, but it looked like it went on forever. And I would have been all right staying there.

So after that thrill, we finally went back in the cars (the men driving were a little restless with all of us going nuts), and we finally arrived at our little spot in the desert. You can rent these little places out and host large parties. You can get a variety of "specials" like camels, henna, food, and so on. It's set up with pillows and tiny tables around a nice dance floor, and little spots around in the shelter with some sandy but still sanitary bathrooms....

The whole evening was chill and relaxed with no plans, so we took our time. We sat down on pillows, chatted, had drinks, I rode a camel for like twenty seconds, I got henna, and eventually the food was ready after dark.

So I definitely took a chance in the clear night to look for constellations (that was dizzying) but I couldn't find the few I knew, so that was a bummer. But the food was good, I tried real falafel and wasn't really impressed, but it wasn't too bad!

And soon after that, music played! It was fun watching all the girls really relax, destress, and jam out to all these songs! Which is always interesting when I go abroad- I never really know or feel like America has its own culture, you know? But then I go places, and I see people embracing it, and I realize we do. Fun clothes, funky music, and more. I even brought basic candy that I thought had traveled around the world by now- and they hadn't! Not everyone has Reese's Cups, you guys!

So yeah, that was our super fun desert safari sort of event, and it was great! We were there for a few hours- some girls still dancing and others ready to fall asleep- before finally heading back to the hotel. We were all exhausted by the time we finally got around to returning to the hotel for the evening.

A very, very good end to an intellectual and stimulating day.

Insight Dubai: Day Three!

Day Three:

Two Myths (since I forgot one)

Few People Speak English:
FALSE.
Essentially everyone can speak English. In fact, they have several courses in their own language in which, apparently (I heard, so I don't know how true it is), that a lot of students actually fail classes in their language more than English.

There is street food:
FALSE. At least not where I was. Yes, I was incredibly bummed. For those who have never enjoyed a street vendor's food, I'm sorry.

Day three! We were finally beginning to get into the run of things. It was only Tuesday but goodness gracious, the week was coming along well. And Day three held such promise for us. We were headed to the capital of the UAE: Abu Dhabi!

Not only were we headed to watch the government in action, but we would also have the opportunity to tour a mosque. All of our Dubai buddies brought us shelias and abayas in order to attend the lovely religious place. (Because that's the only way we can enter a mosque, to be fully modest and covered).

We all piled into large, comfortable busses. With all the excitement going on lately, my buddy couldn't personally make it. But another lovely lady's international buddy wasn't making it so I still have a covering to use to go inside.

It took four buses to fill everyone up. And off we went!

Except two busses never got there.

I never got there.

Traffic issues, drivers, and finally the biggest crash I have been in before and hopefully the last!

See the chair right behind the benches in open air? Yeah that's where I was.

So yeah. That sort of took us all off by guard. I was on the second bus, the one that bumped into the one before. A few of the girls on my bus saw what was about to happen and called out. I peaked up to see the collision but had no time to brace myself before banging my face on the seat before me.

My glasses went flying into the seat beside me. Girls fell out of their seats. Mass confusion spread around as we were stopped whilst on the freeway. And then we saw blood. Tissues, bandaids, scarves- anything we didn't need at the moment went to helping the girls around there.

Glass was everywhere and after a few minutes, we started collecting our things and staggering off the bus. We were by a gas station stop and girls were running over there for ice. It was incredible to see how everyone came together, pulled together and started helping out.

Dubai's culture may still be traditional, but they do it well. Women are considered very special, and the police acted accordingly. They arrived quickly and started assessing the situation, taking care of everything. An ambulance arrived and we split into two parties: those injured and headed for help, and those uninjured.

About forty women were taken to the nearby hospitals. Most pictures weren't taken because that isn't considered polite, especially since most women were taking off their abayas and such. The rest of us headed inside to take a seat out of the heat. We took cups of ice, and tried to calm down.

We were there for about an hour or two, trying to decide what would happen, to see about getting a ride and seeing what we would do for the day. At first, we were very hopeful about still reaching Abu Dhabi.

But all of a sudden, it was too late and we would be heading back. Another bus came around to pick us up. One Mcflurry and a tense bus trip back to the hotel (with everyone wearing their seat belts this time around), and we were all lightly achy, tired, and bored.

I gathered up with us SUU girls- all of us were fine, and we didn't want to waste our time in Dubai. We finally decided on the Global Village, which we had considered doing Sunday but hadn't had time. We parted ways to shower and clean up and then met downstairs.

We had a great idea, but a bad key to the plan: don't take the hotel's car. Just don't. It was about double the price for any taxi- and yes, that includes a taxi van. It also took a long time to arrive, and limited our time there which is a HUGE bummer.

The bus crash was horrendous. They arrested two men and it was an accident for both of them. There were fractures and broken bones. But it did give us time to go to the Global Village and that sort of made my trip.

It was a global shopping spot, essentially, and it was awesome.

If you've been to Epcot in Disney World, then you'll know about Around the World. The Global Village is sort of like that- it's a segregated area by country. And it's not an American creation so the countries aren't just Mexico and European nations. No, it included more countries like Lebanan and Syria and so on! Gah, so awesome.

We only had like two hours and that's the saddest thing ever. 

We dived in. We walked past all the cute little food stands and such and started shopping! And what's better, in a place like this: YOU CAN BARGAIN. As long as there are no set prices/price marks, then say what you will and work for your money.

I talked guys down at UAE for scarves half their price. We went to India and bought discounted jewelry- and because we already bought so much, they gave us freebies. They tried so hard to make us buy more- almost as bad as when I was in China, but they won't touch you so that was nice. But it was so fun! They were so friendly and that was awesome! :D And in Syria I bought some really fun "gypsy" pants that yes are too big but yes way comfy. And I don't remember where, but I bought chocolate covered dates. I never liked dates but holy cow they were good.

I could have stayed there all day long, shopping everywhere and bargaining and having a blast. Yes, there was an America spot. It had Carls' Jr.

Then we had to leave too soon.

We caught a taxi van and headed off to the mall.

Huge malls by the way. I think there was a ferrari shop in the one I went buy- so many nice brands seriously. I don't know if I could have really afforded anything. But we were there on time in the spot to: Burj Khalifa.

Seen Mission Impossible: Ghost Patrol? Because there's a spot where YES, that building Tom Cruise runs on is YES in Dubai (but they did inaccurately portray much of the city in the film), and YES it's the tallest building in the place.

And we went up in there! It was awesome. THe elevator was amazing too: you could only tell you were going up by how often your ears popped!

And no, we didn't get to go straight up: you buy tickets for a particular time and if you miss that, you miss it. People are expected to stay up there for maybe half an hour- and only that long because there's a gift shop up there. Supremely overpriced, by the way.

Anyways we still had about an hour so we grabbed some food: shwarma! It wasn't too bad, except mine had beans in it and we all know how I am about beans: only jelly beans. Still, it was pretty good and the food court was really nice. I was with Elisa and she got a very popular drink there. I forgot what it's called, but it's just ice, water, real mint leaves, and lemons (powder, some form of lemonade).

It's very refreshing, and you should all try it. No measurements are necessary and summer is right around the corner! I'm not a fan of lemons in any form, unfortunately, so I'll be sticking with chilled dairy products and milkshakes.

Anyways, we finally got to head up! Super long line. Serious security- we had to leave our bag behind because there was food in it. But it's apparently free so we were fairly all right about that. So we waited in line for a very long time, kind of like a Disney ride.

And then we were there!

Dubai looked so tiny. Seriously. Tiny little town. It was ridiculous. And awesome. And beautiful. There is glass obviously so no one is allowed to fall or jump. I sort of thought it would have more space, but it does make sense why there isn't that much floor space... All the same, it was very fun and I took some pictures that didn't come out well but I tried my best.

I browsed the shop and went to find some friends. One of them had been injured in the busses that day and she asked for a wheelchair. I joined them after a short while and got to cut the line to go down, so that was pretty fun. And they were a blast to hang out with, of course! Then like in Disney, you are sent right into the gift shop.

In which I obviously had to buy things: personalized key rings for my brothers and a super cool sand art piece for Katie. It was so awesome! We didn't hang out too long though because we wanted to be on the first buses back home, so we headed back out. It was already growing dark out and it had been such a long day!

We had to wait a while and we couldn't seem to find our bus with the group of us girls around. But eventually it came around! And we all dozed off on the bus ride back. In which again we wore our seatbelts, of course.

And that was Tuesday: definitely the biggest rollar coaster I have ever been on. But it was worth it.

Insight Dubai: Day Two

Monday!

Almost in the swing of things, we started off with a lovely breakfast before heading out.

That morning, it even sprinkled! Super rare, super cool. I liked it. A lot.

Fast forward> Buses, campus, buddy, orange group-> We made personal flags that represented each of us! It was a cool opportunity to give some thought into. Some girls weren't too sure so they used their own country's flag or made a variation of it, which was pretty neat.
It's interesting, because we connect even subconsciously to particular things in the world around us, and it's only when we're around those from different countries really that we consider our own.

Flag of Wales. Because who doesn't want a dragon on their flag?

My variation, I have since tossed but:
Large book because to me, knowledge is vital.
White pages for peace, because being angry won't get you anywhere and I've had to work on that throughout my entire life (I'm going to blame it on the red hair, ok?) One on page I created a family crest/shield.
This symbolized not only my European origins (a lot of that), but also my family today because I think the idea of family is important and it's definitely a help-meet in my life today.
On the other page, was a lotus flower from my days in China, and it symbolized beauty, for finding the pretty and happy things in life. Because let's face it, life can suck- but there's always a silver lining.
*This was based off some of my treasured values and priorities. So what's your flag?

This was the day we discussed Shar'iah law, and mainly covered the idea of child custody. Like I mentioned in the last post, tradition is struggling in some aspects of the Dubai life. Shar'iah law stems from both religion and culture and is used there today.
*The law shares similarities from other religions and cultures

We had a speaker on the topic, who is at the forefront of debate about child custody. The brand document, the Q'uran- about 300 out of the 6666 are considered legalities whereas the rest are about morals.
*Today, translation and interpretation has a huge effect. An example includes where it says "child" may imply boy or girl, but in some positions it does state "male child" where that may refer to male heir, so that could include a grown uncle, or any living male relative, no matter how far off they are.

In debates, the scholars gather to discuss such topics and they are connected to work on the the mechanism for the modern times. More is being brought to questionability and special circusmtances. After all, UAE because a federation in 1961 and it's grow 40000% in 40+ years.
These scholars are around "to keep in mind what is right, what is wrong"
*Head of state has the ability to reverse laws> not so that anything contradicts, but in the case that it is in the best interest of the nation.

So, to the case: the mother, who is revered in the culture, gets priority over a child. If not her, another woman. A father or male relative cannot raise their daughter without a woman there.
A case can go to a judge for an exception of the rules. Some of it applies as it does in the states- they decide if one is unfit, they decide who is a better parent, they give the child to family (father's mother is first choice) if neither parents are capable.
But they can't deny the parents' right to be in their child's life. In the UAE, family is a high priority and greatly respected.

Fun fact: In many government offices, they need at least one female on the board of directors.
Fun fact: women have been voting since 1991
Fun fact: women could inherit before women in the UK could inherit
Fun fact: house expenditures come from the man, not the women (children are not around for any sort of grocery shopping, just the parents do it)

Wills and inheritance: one doesn't usually decide as much. Stems from the man. He may will up to a third of his belongings but law dictates who gets what otherwise. Most likely, if there's something they really want to give to a particular person, it's best to give it to them while they are still alive.
Wife gets part, kids get part, and so on. It is very detailed law that is over 14 centuries old but it still seems to work well.

Since the growth of Dubai, the big problem is learning how to adapt: they want to preserve the good of the past, but they also want to adapt.

Gender relations are widely considered one of the biggest issues they are trying to resolve.Gender discrimination is an interesting topic, and to them it's really a point of perspective. They don't think they are being discriminatory, they are not trying to be rude, but it has a different form of understanding in their culture. Everything has a place, even when other cultures are calling them discriminatory. If you talk to them, you will learn that they are very kind and wonderful people. I haven't met anyone mean there. But some ideas don't make sense to them in their culture or religion.

An interesting topic is the idea of plural wives. My buddy's father has two wives. But it's not as easy as one might think. The law dictates that plural wives is for time of necessity- when women need to be cared for and there aren't enough men. The maximum is five wives. Today, if they already have one, they need to present evidence to why they need another wife, as well as share proof they can afford another wife. In addition to all this, they also need the other wife/wive's approval in a written agreement.

Additional facts from the day include:

For the evening was some sight-seeing fun!

We got to go through the town towards their Heritage Village.
It was pretty empty for the day that sprinkled on and off. Half the shops were closed since it was after 5 PM, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves! We saw some original art, traditional art, and a place for the winds! There are four different names.

On top of one of the buildings, enjoying the view! Steep stairs, so watch out!

Told you.

It was so great walking around and enjoying the stroll! And luckily, it didn't stop. We kept on walking and walking until we passed through what I non-racially title the Hindu street. I know there's a particular name for it, but the name has escaped me. People from India have settled in Dubai with their temples and stores and they are so friendly and it's awesome bargaining with them! They have treasures like fun emrboidered pillows, soccer jerseys, jewelry, and other typical tourist must-haves.

After that, we got to go on a boat ride! Not sure if this counts as a dhow as the one we used on Friday, but we'll swing with it. Fit about 10-15 girls at a time and we took our time enjoying the river! (Actually, not a river? Still not clear. Someone got offended when I called it a river but I think it's water that flows to the ocean. Miscommunication, but I'm guessing that's it!)







I believe it's for their prayers that the Hindus make flower chains/necklaces for loved ones. Not too clear on it still, I apologize. But they smell super sweet and I made great friends with the girl, R, who gave them to our group. She is such a doll!

Talk about views!

And after all of the fun sight seeing, shopping, and boating, we finally headed down (past a porsche police car and a mercedes-bentley), to dinner! It was on a beautiful patio with fun lights on the palm trees and right next to the war. It was a spectacular view and it was fun watching other parties enjoy hookah and seeing kids play around.

 Definitely good time for bonding, making friends, and chilling out in the evening. We all enjoyed ourselves vastly before we eventually made it onto the buses and off to beds.

Insight Dubai: Day One

Sorry this took two weeks, folks. Let me make this up to you.

Myth 1: Dubai is in India.

Fact: False.

Dubai is not in India. Not even Saudi Arabia

Dubai is actually located in the United Arab Emirates. See that cute little eastern edge in the Persian Gulf just next to Saudi Arabia? Yeah, that's where. And you know what else? Dubai isn't even the capital. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Look how cute it is. Like a... horse... thing.. thingy.

So quick overview of Dubai to straighten up why and what since we finally found out the where! Dubai is a fairly well known name. But as much as it may be a household name, it doesn't mean everyone really knows why they know it!

Super quick:

See, Dubai was something of a hole-in-a-wall about 40 years ago.  Mostly a desert town of huts, from what it sounds like. But then the men in power realized something needed to change as they discovered OIL. (huzzah) So they quickly started building. They broke world records. They have huge buildings unlike anywhere in the world. They created places to convince tourists it was worth the visit. After all, oil won't last forever. So they're making it into a place that can thrive on tourism when the oil runs out.

They have the world's tallest building, they used the city in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, they have the world's tallest tower, they have HUGE malls ( a lot of them), and more. So that's Dubai. Today, almost 70% of residents are international, too.

Dubai is one of the most modern cities out of... something, I don't remember the particulars, sorry.

OKAY to SUNDAY:

I wanted to stay in the famous sail boat 7-star hotel, but apparently it's expensive.

We gathered in the lobby early that morning after a fun breakfast. The humidity was already affecting us and it made me worry about the afternoon. We met into our colored groups- I was the orange group, as was my roommate Chiara from Italy, and 5 others. When everyone was gathered, we piled into buses to drive about three blocks down to the university.

At first, it reminded me of the layout of southern California community colleges. Low buildings, gates, and a lot of shaded parking.

We gathered around the fountain to meet our buddies. One by one they began trickling in. We waited about half an hour, and mine still hadn't shown. Finally we headed inside and to the Orange Group.

There, we introduced ourselves and started into games! We played several and were fast friends by the close of that, laughing and making jokes. My buddy, M, arrived then too, and we were introduced.

Together we headed into the Multi Purpose Room for the introduction. "Engage your minds as well as your hearts." This was a big part of the theme, including the idea that we really are ambassadors. What sort of (culture) ambassadors do we need, and what kind are we? 

Film screenings! I love those!

One) Finding Mr & Mrs Right: Dubai Style

This was put together by the applied communications at the university a short while ago, It is also being shared at many movie festivals. 

*This documentary talks with many young adults, male and female, from Dubai about their opinions on marriage today. As the UAE grows more modern, it's growing difficult for some to stick with some traditions. Questions were asked and the answers came.

*The overall feeling was that every single one of them, at one point, believed marriage is important and that someday they wanted to settle down. While more of the guys wanted to marry right away, no matter their age, while the girls preferred the idea of waiting until around the age of 24, after they finished their schooling.

*Men wanted a vague idea of a housewife, women wanted understanding

*Arranged marriages are still the common form for marriages even today. However, acceptance is becoming more important. On the occasion that they know who they want to marry, they will discuss it with their parents. Ultimately, it is the family's decision on who the young adult marries.

*On the format of an arranged marriage, the parents talk and if the girl doesn't protest (which she can say no to), then they go ahead with it.

Does that worry you? It shouldn't. Women, unless they move away for their education which still isn't very often, always live with their families. Families are very important and are very connected with one another. They are close, and they trust each other. The women can trust their families to make a good choice for them.

-Fun fact: guys will drive around or walk around in malls and mutter or yell out their phone numbers for girls. Question: is that better than catcalling?

Two) Second Wife

Another documentary in the same style, also done by the university. Used in the Dubai Film Festival.

*Cars. I mean, there was a Porsche police car that I saw. Having a nice car is a big part of the fashion in Dubai, if not in more areas such as Saudi Arabia (though I cannot speak for them, but I have noticed it's popular there as well).

*The idea goes that the guy's car may be his first wife. They called it a piece of fashion, that it reflects their personality, and it's all about "capability" (most commonly used term for the men).  After all, they pointed out, "It never says no, and there's no waiting."

*As you can imagine, the girls think that's stupid. A few men thought so as well, but 80% of the men questioned consider their car as their most prized possession.

*The men's idea is "don't be a scrooge" but the girls are more practical and claim, "if you don't have the money, don't spend it." (Is that a male thing? If the US government was controlled entirely by females, how would our debt be now? I just thought of that. Huh.)

*Another quirky thing about these men and women is that cars are gender-based. The girls won't drive the big cars, but the smaller ones. The safer ones. Not the trucks. It just isn't normal.

-Fun fact: the idea for this documentary, we talked to the director, and she said she came up with the idea when a family member mentioned waywardly that he would have liked to marry his car. Her purpose for making this film was "to show there is a competition for ladies."

After lunch, there was a game!

This was all about cultural habits and differences. 

We picked cards and had to do a variety of things from our culture, such as singing, dancing, and drawing. There were topics we discussed such as luck, marriage, and more.

Overall, this activity really allowed us to connect, to find similarities and learn about others. As we found the differences, we found how we are the same.  We all have so much in common with others. All we have to do is talk to them to find out!

We finished fairly early- around 7- that evening. I gathered with the SUU girls, and we decided to try heading out somewhere cool. Unfortunately it took us a while to work out ideas, since we wanted to get to bed early and everything would take a while. Eventually, we made the decision to head down the street and check out the mall. Granted we walked in a few spots we shouldn't have and there was dirty sand and all, but hey it was pretty cool. The mall was extremely nice and big and there was a miniature amusement park in there as well!

Also, there's a buttload of American diners. Baskin Robbins, Applebees, Chili's, and more!

Throughout the day in all that we did and said, we learned to acknowledge values and virtues, as well as realize our own. Whether unconscious or conscious, we were widening our idea of community and our self awareness, and developing more in the realm of diplomacy.

All of this can strength relationships such as intercultural ties. The important thing to remember is to respect. 

First night there and I couldn't even find my hotel room. Not only that, but the hotel room keys stop working VERY OFTEN. First night I went back down three times before I could enter my room. That happened a lot to everyone.