Adopt a Camp Program

Dubai is home to some of the wealthiest people in the world, but it is also full of labourers who work tirelessly to build the crazy buildings, malls, and homes which they enjoy. There are buses filled with construction workers in monochromatic uniforms every morning and late at night. The workers are usually Indian or from other South Asian countries, and live/work in brutal conditions. Their employers, while offering them 10 times the salary they would earn in their home countries, also often mistreat them and do not pay them in a timely manner. This has led to several high-profile suicides among workers in Dubai. BBC did an informative piece on this issue a few years ago: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4249223.stm

I got involved with the Adopt-A-Camp program, working to improve living conditions and make care packages for labourers. We attended a huge care package assembly event, which helped ease the pain of the 12,800 men targetted by Adopt-A-Camp.

The Dubai Mall (aka... Where AM I?)

Ok, I know I already did a post about shopping, but the Dubai Mall deserves its own page. This shopping mecca (no pun intended) includes a mere 1,200 stores, an indoor ice rink, a shark tank, and a gold souk all inside. This makes it the largest mall in the world. It is conveniently adjacent to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, also pictured here. There is an outdoor water show at Dubai Mall with dancing foutains that is spectacular! I ate lunch at a Vintage Chocolate shop which was incredible, and tried gourmet dates at Saleha. Not too bad for a Friday :)

So much more to tell you!

Info and pictures about my school, apartment, and trip to India coming soon :)

Ramadan (August 15th- Sept 1st)

I arrived in Dubai during Ramadan (translation: scorched earth), which means that eating and drinking outside in the presence of Muslims is prohibited. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and occurs on different days each year. Schools in Dubai don't start until after Ramadan is over so kids don't have to fast during the school day and can concentrate on praying more than 5 times a day. It is believed that the Quran was sent down during Ramadan.

It also means that there are huge Iftar dinners in the evenings in which people eat elaborate meals. I went to a cultural center at a mosque, dedicated to sharing and understanding of Muslim culture. We had an Iftar dinner there which consisted of Chicken Biriyani, bread and dates.

Out on the town

Even though Dubai is technically a conversative Muslim country (a hypocrisy which one is faced with every day living here) there are no lack of places to go out and party. Though the cover charge is sometimes steep and the scene is much like that of the USA, it is still a good time. Here are pictures:

Shopping in Dubai

Since arriving here, I have had to do LOTS of shopping to get new things for my apartment. The malls here are absolutely insane, as there are many people with money to spend. In fact, many of the typical American brands are available here and some places will even alter clothes as part of the pricing. Interesting, considering that the local people here wear the abaya (women) and the dishdash (men) which also come in a full range of designer brands:

Here are some pictures I took of shopping malls in Dubai! Included here are the Mall of the Emirates, Festival City, and Dubai Mall.

Even the grocery stores here are crazy... here is the inside of the local Lulu's Hypermarket, which has every type of food you could think of from around the world. I have been cooking more indian food, as the availability of spices is wonderful :) Please notice that there is a swimming pool and arcade in this grocery store!

The beginning

Hello!!

I have been living in Dubai now for a little over a month. I work at the American School of Dubai, in Al Barsha. The last month of my life has been absolutely CRAZY so let's try to summarize! I arrived on August 16th after a 24-hour flight delay due to a weather problem in Washington DC. Since my arrival I have furnished my apartment, started a new

job, met a whole bunch of new friends, eaten new foods, obtained a new drivers' license and car, among others.

I live in a complex called MotorCity, which is mostly expats (as is the general population of Dubai!) In fact, according to most estimates there is only a 17% local Emirati population in Dubai. Here is a pic of my apartment complex (I will take more of my actual apartment soon)...

It is very pretty and situated next to an Autodrome, which I thought would be loud and obnoxious but actually is not! Many of the new teachers are in the same apartments as I am, so there is no lack of people to explore with. My apartment is a 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom first floor unit, and is tons of space for just me!