For a spring break, our week spent in Dubai wasn’t much of a “break.” Judging from the other entries in this blog, you can probably tell that by the end of the week, the only thing keeping our eyes open and keeping our engines running was the fact that we were afforded such an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, really only this ONE time. We would never be undergraduate students in our 20s in Dubai for a week, with the same group dynamic into which all of us fell so comfortably. We had enjoyed every last minute of our week thus far, but I think we all needed that one free afternoon to relax and enjoy a bit of a slower pace. We had discussed going sky-diving, which would have continued the high-adrenaline activity streak that started with dunebashing on Tuesday, but we opted for a relaxing, stress-free day spent at the beach, soaking up some rays. We did manage to get some thrills on the water slides, however, especially on the tallest slide called “Leap of Faith” that all of us became so fond of. (By the end of the day, it had been shortened to simply “LOF,” as the name came up quite often.) We grabbed some lunch after hours spent in the refreshing water of the lazy river and slides, and sprawled out on our huge, fluffy Atlantis towels, next to the azure water outlined on the horizon by the unmistakable outline of the Burj Khalifa and the rest of the inimitable skyline. Could it get much better?
It only did when we played an awesome game of beach volleyball with some Middle Easterners for an hour or so. No beach trip for me has ever been complete without at least one game of competitive beach volleyball, so I’d have to say that along with the tanning, the water, the beach, and the friends, minus unfortunately a little bit of sunburn, Atlantis was a HUGE success.
We had dinner plans that evening at the home of an alumna of the Delaware/Zayed exchange, Khadija. We slathered on some aloe, hopped in to some cabs, the girls sporting our new five-inch heels that the Emirati girls bought us and dropped at at the hotel for us that very morning, and we were off. We arrived about a half an hour later at Khadija’s palace, er, I mean, house. But it might as well be referred to as such. For the last time, I will say, that I have NEVER seen a house that impressive or that expansive in my life. Not only was it fenced in with guards at the gate 24/7, but it was accompanied by a huge fountain, marble staircases, white stone, and impeccable landscaping, all accented by multi-colored outdoor lighting that emphasized the grandeur of the architecture. I thought for a minute we had taken a wrong turn and arrived at a royal residence of some sort. We hopped out of the car and started snapping pictures but were quickly asked not to do so. It's a shame…I wanted to show my friends and family back in the States just how unbelievable this house was. Words just can’t do it justice. Along with the fact that it was probably three times the size of my house, and my house in Pittsburgh isn’t necessarily on the smaller side, it probably cost three times the amount.
We sat in the majlis (the salon/greeting area) for drinks, refreshments, and some farewell messages before dinner. Everything was either made of gold, marble, or upholstered in red velour. Then we were escorted into the marble dining room where we were treated to a feast. Most of us were so run-down at this point and so bummed about having to leave for the States the next morning that we didn’t have much to say. But we took it for what it was worth, enjoyed our last meal with the Emirati girls, and soaked it all in.
We moved back into the majlis to watch Hessah’s DVD she made of the trip—a sentimental array of photos taken from day one to day five, of us getting to know each other in person, not via videoconference, becoming friends, and bridging a cultural gap that the majority of American and Emirati students are not given the opportunity to encounter. For all this, each one of us is uncompromisingly grateful. We made great friends in a short amount of time, saw one of the most spectacular and truly awesome cities in the world, and experienced Middle Eastern culture in a very real way. Some tears were shed, and the night ended with the girls once again exceeding all expectations of generosity with their presentation of the gifts they bought for each one of us. They had 10 polo shirts embroidered with the Sheikh’s face on it and a quote in Arabic on the back (the exact quote escapes me at the moment), and bought each of the girls their own shaylas and abayas accented with various fabrics, embroidery, and detailing, and doused with the unmistakable musky and rich scent of Oud oil. I was also thrilled, more so than the rest of the Americans, I think, to find a personal package of dates tucked away inside my goodie bag. I had mentioned to the girls numerous times the copious amount of dates I had consumed during my month in Tunisia, so they went ahead and bought each of us a dense, vaccuum-packed bag of sweet dates.
We said our final goodbyes and kept in mind that only in a few short weeks, we might be able to see a few of them on campus in Delaware for a few days. Will and the girls were waiting to hear from the university about funding for airfare to send the class to the U.S. for a week or so at that point, so it was still up in the air. Most of the girls seemed enthusiastic about the opportunity and couldn't wait to hear the news.
Our trip had come to an end. Emotionally and physically exhausted at this point, we took our last drive through Dubai at night to arrive at the Arabian Park hotel for the last time. Some of us nodded off as Khadija's personal driver swept us away in style back to the hotel, while some of us glued our eyes to the nighttime Dubai sky. I knew that this experience was one I will never forget.
We had a relatively smooth returning flight back to London then back to Newark, NJ, and got back to campus late Saturday night, two days before classes started back up again. The jetlag definitely hit us harder on the return home than it did when we arrived in Dubai, and it took most of us a whole week to recover, coupled with classes and assignments, and disappointment that the dream was over and it was back to the old grind at school.
The girls found out a few days later that no funding came through to send the class to the States. However, some girls' parents were keen enough of the idea of their daughters experiencing a few days in New York City, university life at Delaware, and a day in Washington, D.C., that they decided to fund the trips on their own. So in two weeks, we will be welcoming a handful of Emirati girls to our campus, showing them around Newark, and taking them to our nation's capital for a day. We are just as thrilled as they are, but we can only hope to live up to the standard of hospitality they established during our trip. And they set the bar pretty darn high. We'll do our best to keep them busy and give them an authentic experience of academic life at an American university. Looking forward to seeing them again in a few short weeks!
The view on the way to Atlantis.
Skyline at sunset before on our last night.
Last group shots taken at Khadija's house.
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