New Adventures

Its has been over a year since I blogged last. It has been one crazy year, 2011 gave me a run for my money. I just went back and reread my last post and realized it was in January 2011. Little did I know that the next month my entire life would change. The revolution started in Libya and it was a tough, sad, frightening, exciting, depressing, blessed time in my life. The emotions of the revolution are ones I never thought I would experience and ones that I am likely never to forget. Alhamdulilah that is over and Libya is Gaddafi free.

InshaAllah in 10 days on June 23rd I will journey to a free Libya. I am a bundle of emotion. While this isn't my first time to Libya, it will be the most emotional and meaningful trip I'll ever make there. Like my Dubai adventures, I hope to document them. While I can only plan, I hope to travel to the different Libyan cities that made the ultimate sacrifices to ensure our freedom. I want to tell my story, the stories of the cities, the stories of those I meet while there.

I am excited to start blogging again. I missed it. That said, I would like to take a moment to remember my dear friend Kawthar (AllahiYarhumha) who passed away June 24, 2011. I remember her now because not only do I miss my friend every single day, many nights painfully so, but I remember her now because of her words of encouragement while I was blogging my Dubai trip. I will remember her as I write of my adventures because not only did she support my blogging but she was a supporter of Libya and a supporter of the liberation and freedom of Muslims&Arabs everywhere, especially in her native Palestine.

So here goes nothing. Another adventure and more blogging of Assia Abroad.

One lump or two?

In Dubai they have a massive ex-pat community which is heavily from the U.K. English customs and mannerisms, along with annoying things like spelling (realise, colour, globalisation, favourite), have saturated the UAE. There was one thing I was excited to experience though--Afternoon Tea. After years of reading Jane Austen and other period pieces, I always fascinated with the ritual of an almost mandatory afternoon cup. It seemed so foreign to me. Coffee has always been my drink of choice. It is the drink of productivity, makes me feel cosmopolitan as it comes from exotic lands, and most importantly after a party in Boston, it was the American drink of choice. If I did drink tea I only drank it one of two ways: cold with a wedge of lemon or hot with carnation milk and a tuna sandwich--the Libyan way.

The Brit's almost holy Afternoon Tea is served at almost every hotel and even a few tea shops have been set up to sell pots of exotic blends of tea and various cookies to satisfy the most sophisticated tea goer. When a few friends of mine came from the States to Dubai for a visit, we met up at the Ritz-Carlton for Afternoon Tea to see what it was all about. Our expectations were exceeded!

 

 We were seated on the terrace overlooking the Persian Gulf and each of us picked out what blend of tea we wanted, there must have been 25-30 to choose from! In what seemed like a blink of an eye, four employees came bearing a pot for each of us and a tea stand bearing all sorts of goodness.

  Scones with delicious jam and clotted cream, pound cake, amazingly simple, elegant, and scrupulous sandwiches with smoked salmon and cream cheese and cucumber.Mini tarts and pieces of cake were at the top. Each person had her own stand and it seemed there was no way we would eat through it all. The ''snacks'' were so delicious and the teas delicate and perfectly brewed. 

The two hour experience was so lovely. The Brits are really onto something with this. If you haven't gone out to ''Afternoon Tea'' I HIGHLY suggest it. Its now my goal to hit all the best rated tea places in Dubai. We'll see if anyone can top the Ritz!

Office Space

I haven't written a new blog entry in such a long time, I almost forgot my password! Unfortunately, I haven't had much to write about now that I'm an adult and work full time. I miss my days of being a bum. I would really miss it if it weren't for the fact that I had watched every season/episode to date of mad men, watched all the new movies, and find myself hard pressed to stay amused. Alhamdulilah, I have been had the great opportunity to intern with PwC here in Dubai. It has been an amazing experience. I've learned new things, met new people, and learned that apparently the British have a bunch of different spellings and grammar rules than Americans. I can't wait till I no longer have to write colour, globalisation, realise, favourite, or mum.

My days in my cubicle are filled with hours of facebook and finding great recipes on foodnetwork.com. As the intern, I'm usually left to my own devices till I am needed; which is fine by me. Some days my cubicle is my friend, sometimes I feel like its a dementor from Harry Potter and is literally sucking my soul from me. 5 days a week I sit down to the same sight: a cup of coffee, my company laptop, and facebook.

 

I work with such a multinational, multicultural group of people. Its like the UN with all the different faces and languages spoken. As the only American and only Libyan in my office, I find myself needing to represent both of the rich cultures that describe and define me. So I've pimped out my humble cubicle so there is no guessing or denying my background. 

Its all pretty dull but a priceless experience nonetheless. I finish the internship at the end of January and Insha'Allah will be home in March. That leaves the month of February to get back to being a tourist, finish up my Dubai ''to-do'' list and start the blog back up. Thank you to my loyal readers. Sorry its been so long. Good things happen to those who wait!

New Plan

I've been in Dubai for what seems to be a lifetime; really its only been a little under three months. I've traveled to far away lands, drunk camel milk, and frequented the worlds largest shopping mall. My trip was to draw to a close on November 29th, but something came up. I was given the opportunity to intern at a consulting firm here in Dubai. With similar opportunities in the States being nearly nonexistent, I knew it would be a waste to pass it up. So I've signed on to stay for an additional three months making my tentative return to America sometime in February.

 Of course this has its advantages, such as avoiding freezing and dreary winter weather, but also its disadvantages. I really miss my family and my friends. Mentally, I was prepared to come home at the end of November. I am very lucky to have an opportunity such as this, but I can't help think of all the things I will miss out on. My friend is getting married, the undie run at the end of the semester, and Christmas lights. I love Christmas. People are always so nice and there seems to be a general air of good will about. All that aside, I will put on a happy face and just start a new count down!

So now that I'm all employed and what not, I'll try my best to continue to blog. Frequency will probably drop as I won't have time to be exploring as much as I was. Hopefully there will be new things to talk about like winter in Dubai and New Years.

The Dubai Fountain

Where the back of Dubai Mall there and the Front of Burj Al-Khaleefa meet there is a "lake". Really its just a 900ft long, 4 foot deep chlorine pool. Nightly, from 6 to 11, there is a fountain show that goes off every 30 mins. It is the world's LARGEST dancing fountain (just another 'world's largest' Dubai can boast) shooting 22,000 gallons of water 500ft in the air.

 Last night we had dinner at a delicious water front Italian restaurant and watched 3 shows all showcasing 3 different pieces of music and ensembles. It was SPECTACULAR. If you are in Dubai YOU MUST SEE THESE FOUNTAINS. I can't explain how majestic it was, so I'll just show you a video. 

                                                      Part 1

                                                                          Part 2

Economy...FAIL!

For the last two or so years, it has become a guarantee that when you read or watch the news, US or international, you will hear about crumbling economic conditions. This has become a very real and apparent situation in Dubai. This city-state, founded on speculation and investment on the promise of large future returns, was hit very hard by the economic turn down. A few months ago Dubai's economic struggle almost became one of epic proportions when it nearly failed to pay its first installments on massive loans. A default of this size would be disastrous not only to Dubai but to other economies as well.

Signs of the turn down aren't only apparent to those who follow economics or the news, but can be seen just driving down the street.

Only a year ago, cranes use to cram the skyline. Buildings were going up as fast as was humanly possibly. Today, only few dot the view. Construction equipment, like those above, sit in endless rows, unused filling empty parking lots. Tens of thousands of laborers, engineers, and construction workers were sent home.

Massive projects slated to begin were halted. Below is the proposed "Dubailand" Universal Studios amusement park that only got as far as an entrance arch. The project is suppose to resume when funding is available. Till then, the acres of land sit sandy and empty.

Universal Studios archway

It is however projected that the economy of Dubai has the worse behind it. It should start to make slow but gradual incline. By 2015 everything should be right back where it was.  As for the American economy, thats another story.

Old McDonald had a Farm

Through out my blogs I keep saying how I have learned and experienced so much while abroad. I've become more aware of not only different places and faces, but I've been exposed to things that have made me learn new things not just about different countries, but also about the U.S.

Today, Hend and I were grocery shopping and she bought this huge bag of oranges. I didn't understand why she would buy so many when I was sure they weren't going to be ripe. I told her "Hend, its not the season, they wont be sweet."  Winter is the season for oranges, everyone knows that. She shrugged and told me "Its Winter somewhere." It was true, the oranges came from South Africa and they were delicious. 

One of the things that has become very salient to me is how protected the American agricultural business and American farmers really are. The American agricultural business is essentially under lock and key to foreign markets. American farmers are very protected. With few exceptions of South American products, most fruits and vegetables are home grown. The reasons behind this are many, but fall under two categories: National Pride or Economics. 

Being the desert, Dubai has to ship in all of their resources, but there is a benefit to all this. I've become a world citizen vis-a-vis the grocery store. I've eaten apples from Brazil, watermelon from Iran, tomatoes from Malaysia, onions from Holland, potatoes from Jordan, grapes from Italy, broccoli from the US, carrots from India, and peaches from Morocco. Its amazing to taste all these fruits and vegetables from different places. The varieties are slightly different than ones grown in America. 

Yet another opportunity in Dubai, I wouldn't have in the US!