We really just started the Exchange yesterday, but I feel like I've been here much longer than that, in a good way. Our schedule is packed absolutely full of meetings and visits, and I am learning so much from talking to the Emirate students with us and our hosts at each event.
To answer Gustavo's question, (and it is a good one, since my blog went from "Ohmygosh, it's finals!" to "I'm in Abu Dhabi!" really quickly), I 'm in the UAE on a cultural exchange program for U.S. Truman Scholars. Basically, we're here to learn as much as we can about all aspects of the country, and with all of the recent changes and development going on around us, there is a lot to absorb and talk about! I'm taking lots of pictures, but I forgot my camera cord, so I'll have to upload them upon my return to Hyde Park.
Every building we enter has been incredibly ornate. From the UAE History Research Center to the Emirates Palace, no artifice falls short of opulent, amazing, grandiose (fill in luxury adjective here).
Dinner last night was held at the Emirates Palace; our group didn't tour the Palace, but we will next week. Suffice it to say, the cuisine, like the gold touches everywhere, was amazing to the point of almost unbelievability.
We visited Al Dar, the development company behind some of Abu Dhabi's largest projects this morning. Currently, this company is building an island (no, really) that will host a Ferrari theme park, a Warner Brothers theme park, the world's largest mall (take that Minneapolis) and a racetrack. The construction site for their Al Raha Gardens, part residential part pure luxury entertainment, is the largest in the world. Right now, 30,000 people are working on the site to complete the project. Labor and workers' rights have been the UAE news recently, and seeing firsthand how many people are involved with these fantastic development projects really highlighted the issue for our group. The scale of the development and seemingly limitless project potential is absolutely fascinating.
2 comments:
Mm, how bourgois.
If the soon-to-be-crowned world's largest mall is anything like its predecessor, it will become a concrete shell in 10 years that smells like a zoo and only contains either multiple shops for big chains (eg. American Eagle and Gap) or small, obscure shops that nobody goes to unless they're looking for gag gifts for a stag party (eg. The As-Seen-On-TV Store).
Yesterday I witnessed another competitor for world's largest mall: the under-construction DestiNY USA. (get it? NY capitalized b/c it is Central New York's destiny to be this planet's next big tourist hub.) Abu Dhabi better watch its back -- these Syracusians aren't stopping, even for the 12+ inches of snow and ice we got last week.
PS lovin' the UAE blogs!
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