Sooo...I finally made it to DUBAI!!

View from my grandparents apartment (tall thin line of light is the Burj, and I couldn't even fit all of it in one frame)

Snow in my backyard from the snowstorm

Sooo…I finally made it to Dubai. And I say finally because it was quite a process. First, I had weeks of going away parties and events in Chicago. Then I went home to D.C. and got hit with the biggest snowstorm in 100 years. 21 inches of snow in my backyard!

While this was happening, Tameem was in the hospital, so I had to wait out the snowstorm and then run to NYC to take care of him. Then I came back to DC for Christmas, back to NYC for New Year’s, back to DC to pack and another going away party, and then back to NYC to catch my flight to Dubai.

When I checked in for my flight, they were asking for volunteers because the flight was overbooked. Of course, I volunteered and got a free roundtrip ticket from JKF to Dubai, so now I’m fairly certain I can make it back to the states in August, probably sometime around the 14th (someone should be really happy about this).

Ok, now DUBAI!

So, as most of you know, I decided to go to Dubai soon after Chicago 2016 was over. I have always wanted to live abroad, and this was the perfect opportunity. My grandparents live in Dubai, my grandfather has a family business that my dad has been bugging me to work at for a long time. So without much hesitation I decided to jump ship. I literally had no expectations and when most people asked me about going to Dubai, I told them I was just going to go and figure it out when I got there. I would live with my grandparents, work at the family business, and see what happened. I thought that when I finally got on the plane, it would hit me, I would miss Chicago, the U.S. etc. but honestly it still hasn’t hit me.

I’ve been to Dubai many times, but it still hits me how amazing this place is. As soon as I land, I’m awe-struck. The airport is huge, spotless, fountains everywhere, probably the nicest airport in the world. The floors are so polished that I literally slip and slide. Everything is brand new, bright lights.

The view from my grandparents apartment is stunning. I can see the whole Dubai skyline, inlcluding the Burj, tallest building in the world. The next day, I meet up with some family, at a mall called festival city. The mall is huge, an Ikea only takes up a small part of it. There are canals going through part of it. Later that day I meet up with a cousin and we go to a gym in a building called The Address. It’s in the same complex as the Burj and the Dubai Mall, the biggest mall in the world. There are fountains everywhere, the ground is all marble and I’m slipping and sliding everywhere. The Address looks tiny compared to the Burj, but it’s the third tallest building in Dubai. The gym looks out at the Burj and there’s a fountain show every 20 minutes that I can see while working out. This place is amazing!

My first couple of days were a whirlwind. Going to the gym, checking out the office I will be working at, getting a cell phone, unpacking, setting up my room, finally getting the internet set up.

I always tell people that Dubai is like Vegas but without the sin. But honestly, Dubai is way better than Vegas. Things are bigger, brighter, cleaner. I was reading an article that describes Dubai way better than I could. Here’s the link:

www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/03/dubai-world-economic-crash

Obviously, some things have been quite frustrating – It took a couple days to get the internet set up. I’m having trouble getting my residency visa because I need to get a copy of my diploma notarized, which is taking some time. My grandmother is constantly nagging me to pray, to not drink, smoke hookah, etc.

But so far, I’m still very excited to be here. I can’t wait to go out and meet people, start being social again, making new friends.

As I write this, I’m sitting at a hooka café in the building next to my grandparents, watching traffic flow by, look at the skyline. It’s 70 outside, and the temperatue fluctuates between 60 and 75 everyday. I can’t help but think that I could be in 0 degree weather in Chicago right now.

There are my first impressions of Dubai. Kinda jumbled thoughts, but I’ll be posting regularly with more coherent thoughts.

Feel free to comment, email, gchat, call, mail, etc.