Today we started the first full day of our adventure.  Exhausted and jet lagged after a long trip, we were energized waking up to the bright sunny and warm weather. Our day started at the American University of the Emirates (AUE), where we were given a wonderful introduction to Dubai and the Middle East.  The session was interactive with with administration and professors from AUE interested in learning more about each of our backgrounds.

We attended our first lecture - on culture in the gulf and the professor came nose to nose (literally) with a student in our group while shaking his hand.  The exchange really opened our eyes to how drastically different customs can be.  The lecture also emphasized just how important relationships are in doing business in this part of the world, and talked in depth about the value system here and importance of re  

Next, we were given a tour of AUE by two current students.  It was great to see how proud they were of their palm tree filled, and beautiful campus.  Thank you AUE for a fantastic welcome to Dubai.

We rounded out the day with our welcome dinner on Dubai Creek.  It provided a great opportunity to sample authentic middle eastern cuisine while eating outdoors, on a river bank.   As we ate, boats lit in colorful lights cruised up and down the creek - and many pictures were taken. Music foreign to our ears, yet enticing played in the background.  We ate delicious lamb, hummus, great olives, mint tea, fresh fruit and more. 

We arrived in Dubai today, and have already gained new perspectives on this part of the world.

Already - we can't wait for what awaits for us tomorrow.

-DSJ
 

What are we doing in Dubai?

A fair question we've been asked by friends, family and even ourselves for the weeks and months leading up to this trip.  Over the next 15 days, this blog will attempt to answer this question - directly for a portion and indirectly through described experiences open for interpretation of what this trip is about.

One benefit of global experiences is that they enable us to put our own lives into better context - from all kinds of angles like culture, education, business, preferences, norms, etc.  I will argue that concept, very broadly, defines what we are doing in Dubai.  But speaking broadly is less exciting than the play by play, hence The Blog.

To keep the words of us bloggers from getting stale, we'll keep a finger on the pulse of the rest of the gang in our #Dubai140 blog section where we'll get a highlight or summary of the day in 140 characters or fewer from a couple others each day.

Okay, now let's set the stage for our journey's beginning: in a metaphorically convenient way, we set sail for Dubai on the windiest day of 2012, as heavy gails ripped through the empty lots of Villanova's campus.  A hearty group of 29 jumped on our bus and headed for JFK Airport.   Twenty-nine  hours of travel later, with a 5 hour layover in Amman (not Oman...), we arrived in Dubai.

For the millions of viewers this blog is bound to attract, a handful of quick stats to note:

• Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates
  
• Day time temperature in Dubai in January is in the 70's
  
• Dubai is 9 hours ahead of US eastern standard time
• Plane food: curried chicken, beef, fish; standard issue roll, iceberg lettuce salad, cake and juice cup
  
• Plane entertainment: The Watch, the Dark Knight Rises, Spider Man, People Like Us, a documentary of the world's greatest free climber, Alex Honnold, and some other shows
  

 During our 29 hours of trekking, I spoke with a few classmates about what they are looking forward to most about this trip.  Some had definitive responses: the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach, people watching and haggling at the Souqs.  One classmate struggled to articulate her response and concluded she did not have one; rather, she is going into this nearly without expectation just hoping to roll with it all as the days come.  This carte blanche outlook struck me as a powerful reminder that many of life's best experiences are those we do not anticipate.

So, to myself and to others who are heading into this trip with some level of hope towards an expected highlight, I hope each of us will walk away with an unexpected highlight reel of our own come January 12.  Only time will tell.

For now, this is Kareha from Dubai - OUT.

Looking forward to the trip!