Exploring in and Around Dubai - JJJ

Exploring in and around Dubai

After a day of moving onto and settling ourselves on the ship, Chris and I had two full days of training to get us oriented and ready for our responsibilities once the students arrived (January 5). The kids were basically rogue, although thankfully all three have made friends very quickly and they have enjoyed spending time with them.  I managed to sneak away from the ship twice with the kids to explore a little more of Dubai and the surrounding areas during breaks in my schedule.

Adventure one was a trip to the Arabian desert to explore and play in the sand. The city of Dubai is incredibly modern. Sky scrapers can be seen for miles, traffic is almost always heavy, and people fill the public spaces. Surprisingly, only about 30 minutes from the city center (we headed south east, in the direction of the border with Oman) the urban landscape disappears into nothing but red tinted sand dunes: the stunning Arabian Desert.

We had a blast enjoying the sand. We enjoyed ATV driving (Rig drove Wall and I drove Guth), a camel ride, sandboarding (snowboarding but down sand dunes), and my favorite “dune busting” (basically driving a four-wheel drive vehicle as fast as humanly possible over and around sand dunes). Soooo awesome. 

Adventure two was a tour of the spice, cloth, and gold souks near Dubai Creek, where we got to explore the markets, learn more about the culture and history of the UAE, and take a boat ride on Dubai creek in a traditional Abra style boat. 

Dubai, and UAE, are such unique and interesting places, it would take a lifetime to fully understand the social and political dynamics at play here, but we were grateful for having the chance to scratch the surface.  A few fun facts:

--UAE is made up of seven Emirates, each with its own Emir. The Emir from Abu Dhabi is the President of the UAE and is the most powerful Emir (the Vice President of UAE is always the Emir from Dubai, the second most powerful Emir). 

--Only 8% of the population of the UAE is Emirati. The remaining 92% are from all over the world (the largest populations being from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Emirati are typically very wealthy and enjoy social supports from cradle to grave from the country. Expatriates mostly come to find work as front line laborers (construction, tourism, driving, etc.). Work visas must be renewed every 2 years. (Note: we’ve done a fair amount of traveling and I can say that Dubai is without question the most diverse place I’ve every visited in my life). 

--Gaining citizenship is basically impossible in the UAE. If you are born in UAE but your parents are not Emirati (i.e. your parents are from India) you are considered Indian, not Emirati. It is very possible for generations of families to live in Dubai or UAE and none of them have citizenship. Non-citizens have no social benefits (health care, etc.)

--The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world. About halfway through its construction they ran out of money, and the Emir from Abu Dhabi financed the project.  The tower was originally to be called Dubai Tower. Guess what the Emir from Abu Dhabi was named? Yep, you guessed it, President Khalifa. All revenue from the Burj Khalifa is funneled to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and does not benefit the Emirate of Dubai. Dubai is currently working on a design for a new building which will be constructed near Dubai Creek which will surpass the Burj Khalifa in height. Construction is set to be completed in the next 5-10 years.

--Three leading values of the Emirates according to our guide are (in order of importance): 

1) Security/Control. This is a very, very regulated place.  This is probably the safest place I’ve ever visited in my life. Crime is basically nonexistent, largely because there are MANY rules, and the consequences for breaking rules is extremely severe. 

2) Money. The UAE has oil and that has contributed to extraordinary wealth (for a minority). Dubai, however, does not rely on oil for its economy and instead focuses on tourism. 

3) Religion. UAE is a without question a Muslim country. But it’s interesting. Tolerance of other faiths is strictly mandated (it’s against the law to proselytize for ANY religion. This is strictly enforced and you can receive severe fines if you do so). It’s easy to see the influence of Islam everywhere, but value 1 (Security/Control) and value 2 (Money) are more important than religion. 

Adventure three was having the chance to connect with an old Peace Corps friend, Rose, for a brief visit on our last day in Dubai.  Rose and her husband, Robbie, both were in the Gambia with me as PCVs. They married shortly after the completion of our service. They, along with their three kids have lived as expatriates most of their lives – in Egypt, Bangaldesh, Morocco, and now Dubai for the last 3.5 years. It was such a treat to reconnect after all of these years!