Day 19: Jumeirah Beach

Once again, greetings from Kuwait! 

After an incredible weekend in Dubai, I'm back in the Holiday Inn Salmiya. Today was a lot of fun, as I ventured out with a few other members of the group to Jumeirah Beach, a public beach about 10 minutes outside of city center. It was absolutely beautiful, and the water was so warm! This was actually a little frustrating, though, because it was so incredibly hot in the sun. There is no such thing as cooling off by taking a dip in Dubai, that's for sure. Unfortunately - don't be too disappointed, Mom - I got very sunburnt. I wore sunscreen, but was clearly not careful enough. Hopefully it will turn to tan. Just kidding, that's definitely not going to happen. Oh well! I had fun, so that's what matters. The beaches are absolutely beautiful, and it was a great time. 

The bright, beautiful beach!

Later in the evening, we arrived at the Dubai Airport and found our gate without many issues, but there's just one thing I have to mention. After I went through security and was getting my things together, I noticed a man holding a cell phone up, looking like he was going to take a picture. We made eye contact, and he motioned at me to smile. I did, not realizing what was going on, and he snapped my picture and walked away! How weird is that?! I have no idea where that picture is going to end up, but I'm slightly frightened. I've gotten somewhat used to people taking my picture and staring at me in Kuwait, but I never expected to encounter the same thing in Dubai. 

Overall, I really loved Dubai. It is an incredible city that has really done a great job with modernizing itself into a real economic and tourist attraction. However, this is also probably the most expensive city I've ever visited. Absolutely everything costs money, and nothing is cheap, or even reasonable for that matter. I recommend that anyone who travels to Dubai makes peace with the fact that you're going to spend way more money than you want to, before you arrive in the UAE. If you do that, you'll have a great time! There is so much to do here, and I'm bummed we were only here for 2 days.

I had a fun time at the visa counter in the Kuwait airport...I met someone who was wearing a Chicago White Sox hat who I later found out was from the South Side of Chicago. I told him I was a Cubs fan, and it was fun to experience that joking all the way over here in Kuwait. He was on his way back to Chicago and had been in Afghanistan since 2009. I'm not exactly sure what he was doing there, but I can't imagine being away for so long. He seemed so excited to finally be going home. 

Well, now starts the final stretch on this crazy adventure! I'm so ready to enjoy my last 6 days in the Middle East! 

Day 18: Dune Bashing

Verdict: Dune bashing is the coolest thing I've ever done.

Today was a really great day. I knew it was going to be a good one right off the bat, because the breakfast buffet at the hotel included a pork section, and I was able to enjoy real bacon (not this strange beef stuff they feed us at the Holiday Inn in Kuwait) for the first time in three weeks. Ahh, how I've missed pork. After breakfast, a group of us rode the Metro to the Emirates Mall, home to Dubai's indoor ski slope. Interesting fact - the Dubai metro is so clean, and part of the reason for that is because you're not allowed to eat, drink, or chew gum. If you decide to do so, you can be fined. For chewing gum! 

Emirates mall was beautiful, and definitely less touristy than Dubai Mall, which was nice. It was still full of the most high-end shops I'd ever seen, though. And the indoor ski slope pretty much spoke for itself. 

Dubai Metro - puts the L in Chicago to absolute shame 

Emirates mall

Center of Emirates Mall 

Indoor winter wonderland 

So strange

Ice Age...really?

This afternoon was the adventure we had all been anticipating for the entire trip: desert safari. We were picked up from the hotel by our wonderful tour guide, Ismael, from Pakistan, and drove a little under an hour out to the desert. The first thing on the agenda: dune bashing. I cannot explain in words what this experience was like, so I figured the best thing to do would be to link a YouTube video that could provide you with a better idea of what dune bashing really is. 

Dune Bashing Video

The video is over 6 minutes long, so skip around to various parts! It was so scary at first, but so thrilling the entire time. Ismael turned up the music really loud, and it was a combination of pop/techno music, which was just plain cool. I'll never forget dune bashing to "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna. We stopped along the way to the camp (where the rest of the night's events would take place) and took pictures:

Group silly photo in the desert;
Photo credit to Hannah!

Endless sand

We even blew our tire, I'm not even kidding 

Obligatory cheesy picture

Dune bashing in action!

Hello!

We arrived at the camp about 45 minutes later, where we rode camels, ate dinner, and watched belly dancing. It was a really cool experience to be so far out there, away from everything. It reminded me of doing the safari in Africa. Although it was an amazing experience and something I'll never forget, it was also strange because the safaris are so different from the actual societies surrounding them. It's almost like entering a different country within a country. I don't know if that even makes sense, but that's the best I can do after this insane day!

Maya and I on a camel!

Looking like pros

Group desert sunset photo!

I'm not sure yet what the day holds for tomorrow, but we don't fly back to Kuwait until later in the night, so we have one last day to enjoy Dubai! Before I sign off, here are a couple extra pictures from the past couple of days:

Group photo at the Burj Khalifa! 

A little nervous heading to the top of the Burj!

Outside of Dubai Mall

I officially have 1 week left in the Gulf. Let's hope it's the best one yet!

Day 17: Dubai

Hello from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates!

We arrived safely in Dubai this morning and had an exhausting first day. We went to the Dubai Mall, which honestly makes malls in America (and even Kuwait) look pathetic. We shopped for awhile, not really buying anything, but just walking around and seeing all the cool things the mall had to offer, like its own aquarium, Souk, ice skating rink, and even the world's largest candy store. 

In front of the Burj Khalifa, the
tallest building in the world!

Burj Khalifa

The "Souk" in the mall

Feels like home! 

Candylicious, the world's largest candy store 

Aquarium in the middle of the mall - that's normal

This must be what heaven looks like

We ate dinner at a nice restaurant, and walked around outside, where there was a fountain show every 30 minutes. It was pretty amazing, but also weird to see such fancy things done with water, which is so rare around here. There were a bunch of different songs from all over the world to which the shows were "performed," even including Thriller by Michael Jackson!

Wowwwwwww

Afterwards, we went up to the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It was pretty incredible to be up there at night. 

Maya and I at dinner! 

Up on the 124th floor!

Blurry, but it works!

Dubai Mall from above

Tomorrow promises to be unforgettable, as we are going on a desert safari, complete with camel riding and dune bashing! The last time I went on a safari was 3 years ago in Kenya, so this will definitely be a lot different. I can't wait!

Day 16: Amricani & Kuwait House of National Works Memorial Museum

!مرحباً

We switched things up today and had site visits in the morning, class in the afternoon. We toured 2 museums this morning: first, Amricani Cultural Center, the American Mission Hospital founded in Kuwait City in the early 20th century. It was without a doubt the nicest museum we've visited so far. The first exhibit was called Treasures of the World and displayed jewelry, weapons, and more, mainly from the Mughal Dynasty. Everything was intricately designed with emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and gold. Even the daggers, which were actually used in battle, were studded with thousands of jewels. 

Our next stop was the Kuwait House of National Works Memorial Museum, which was entirely dedicated to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait from 1990-1991. Personally, I think the exhibits gave me a much clearer picture of just how horrible and heinous the invasion and occupation were. Because Kuwait hadn't expected the invasion, they were incredibly unprepared. One of the most striking points: 25% of the military was on vacation (makes sense in the heat of August - the invasion took place on August 2, 1990), including military officers. At the very end of the exhibit was probably one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen. We all remember this playing endlessly on the news during 2003, correct? : 

This statue of Saddam Hussein was torn down and
shattered in Iraq

Well, they gave the head of the statue to Kuwait, and I saw it with my own eyes today. 

Statue head of Saddam Hussein - I touched it

It was a bit of a shock to all of us when we realized what we were looking at. I remember watching the news so clearly, as that scene of the statue being pulled down became a sort of symbol during the first few months of the Iraq War. I guess it almost makes sense that they would give this to Kuwait.

Later in the afternoon we held class in the hotel and talked about oil and its affects on the Kuwaiti state. It was a very interesting lecture. One thing in particular I want to share is a study that was done in 2009. It asked Kuwaitis to rank their priorities, in terms of what they wanted the state to spend its budget on. They were given choices such as education, improving infrastructure, stock market reform, getting rid of corruption, and new foreign direct investment initiatives. What was the number one response? Paying off consumer debt. I think that just about says it all. 

Another interesting point we discussed was domestic energy use. Domestic energy consumption in Kuwait is about 16% of what is produced. This is a fairly low number, especially compared to Kuwait's neighbor, Saudi Arabia, which uses nearly 30% of its own oil. However, for Kuwait this is a 70% rise in only 10 years. If this trend continues, in 2022, Kuwait will need the price for one barrel of oil to be $320 in order to break even. This is probably the definition of unsustainable. 

For dinner some of us walked to a nearby Asian restaurant called Noodle House. It was such a nice change of pace from what we've been eating lately (although I do really enjoy the food here, it can get a bit repetitive). Tomorrow we leave very early for Dubai; I'm so excited! We have a full weekend, so I'll do my best to keep my daily blogging streak going! 

Day 15: Tareq Rajab Museum

A pretty low key and enjoyable day here in Kuwait. After a very interesting class about the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia, we went to the Tareq Rajab Museum, home to probably thousands of various artifacts from all over the world. The museum is in a Kuwaiti home and is absolutely packed with pieces. However, there is barely any organization or pattern to the collection, which made for a somewhat confusing tour. There would be a glass case with 30 pieces of jewelry, with no description other than a list of 4 different countries on the side. There was also a calligraphy museum that had incredible pieces from hundreds of years ago. There were even tapestries that had originally been in the Kaaba in Mecca. 

The museum had so many incredible pieces, but it was interesting because there is no state involvement or investment. If someone (even other than the state) put some time into the collection, there would be many opportunities to make money. Especially with some of the jewelry; creating smaller and cheaper versions of some of the necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. and selling them in a gift shop could become a huge source of revenue. I would definitely buy some! But there just seems to be no interest. So instead, in the Tareq Rajab Museum lies this fascinating history, barely appreciated by anyone. 

Tonight we ate dinner at a Syrian restaurant, followed by Sheesha and tea. All of the workers were from Syria; our waiter was a Syrian Christian, in fact. We had really great discussions about a bunch of different topics, and it was a very relaxing evening. Although it totally freaked me out during the first couple of days, I'm really starting to get used to these 4 hour dinners!

Since we weren't allowed to take pictures at the museum, for the first time this entire trip I took zero pictures today! To make up for it, I'll add some pictures from the past few days taken by some of my classmates:

At a dessert cafe at Marina Mall called
The Chocolate Bar, which is actually based off of the one
at BC! How's that for a small world?!

Marina Mall

Doha, Qatar

Group Falcon photo!

Another picture with my new, slightly frightening friend

Hope you enjoyed one of my shorter posts! Goodnight!

Day 14: Arab Organization Headquarters

Today was pretty cool. We didn't have class and instead left at 9:30 to tour the Arab Organization Headquarters, which is home to four major Arab organizations: the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development, OAPEC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries), the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, and the Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company. It is considered one of the most acclaimed buildings in the Middle East because it is also home to hundreds of incredible antiques from across the Arab World. Our tour guide was the electrical engineer who worked on the building during its construction. Originally from Palestine, he has been living in Kuwait for almost 40 years. He was so passionate about the building and knew where everything came from, the materials from which it was made, and pretty much anything else you could possibly think of. It had so many interesting pieces and so many beautiful rooms:

Waterfall fountain in entrance from Morocco 

Mini model of building

Beautiful tiling on wall

22 Arab state flags

Largest conference room

Can you say...bright future?

Diwaniyya room

Conference room with long granite table

Birds throughout the building, constantly chirping
and singing!

Chandelier from Morocco! 

Shirt from Syria with entire Quran
written on it! 

Stained glass window in Prayer Room

In Islam, heaven is thought of as being a garden and a paradise. For this reason there are plants (and even animals - birds!) all throughout the building. With the lighting, colorful tiling, fountains, and foliage, they really do all they can to make the Arab Organization Headquarters look and feel like paradise. I have to say, they do a pretty good job!

In the latter half of the day, we went back to the AWARE Center to meet 4 Kuwaiti students (some who had already graduated, others who were still in school). We talked about a lot of interesting things, such as dating in Kuwait (which is pretty much nonexistent) and religion in Kuwait and the U.S. Dating in Kuwait is fascinating; there is no such thing as public dating. People "date" through texting, over the phone, etc. Once a couple gets engaged, they are allowed to visit one another in the home to have lunch/dinner with the family. This stage is more like "supervised dating," as one of the students phrased it. This is when you ask the other person important life questions (like, how many children do you want?) to make sure you can really spend the rest of your lives together. I can't imagine waiting until right before the wedding to talk about such things!

Our final stop today was dinner at a Kuwaiti home: our friend Reem who we met the first day! Her family had us over for dinner and tea, which was so much fun. Their house was absolutely stunning - I can't believe people actually live like that. It was absolutely gigantic and had beautiful decorations and furniture. They had domestic workers, as do most Kuwaitis, who served dinner and cleaned up. The domestic workers live in the home with the family (of course their rooms are very tiny), which is something I only realized a couple of days ago. My favorite part of the night was desert. We had chocolate ice cream, something I have missed soooooooo much since our arrival 2 weeks ago. I can also still taste the Moroccan Mint tea we were served - delicious! I'm really glad that we were able to see a traditional Kuwaiti home, even though it was a bit of a shock at first. 

Tomorrow should be a good day as well, inshahAllah!