We spent the majority of Thursday afternoon at Zayed. At first glance, if someone were to tell you that ZU was a five-star resort, you’d believe them. The main building looks like a submarine that has run aground, with a huge outdoor courtyard with pristine blue tile pools, white stone decks, lush palm trees, lounge chairs and huge umbrellas. Inside, the atrium is by far the most impressive space—a huge indoor lounge with sandwich and coffee shops, plush sofas, and palm trees (of course.) The university, founded in 1998, offers undergraduate and graduate programs for about 6,000 male and female students and has a few campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Will gave us a tour of the facilities, followed by a discussion with communication professor and radio show host James Piecowye. From his bright pink tropical print shirt, thick red-rimmed glasses, bleach-blonde hair, and sporadically detectable Canadian accent, it’s easy to see how James has created a successful career niche for himself as a talk radio personality. He says since he is not an Emirati citizen, he allows the guests on his show to say most of the things he “would lose his job” for saying: things that might be considered criticism of the royal family or of the UAE government, etc. He could have talked for hours about the fascinating political culture in which he must find creative ways to work around the restrictions on media freedom while upholding a certain level of listener interest. He has gotten some flack, he says, from conservative Emiratis who text the hotline during the show and say, “Your show is the worst one on the radio today.” After knowing James for only half an hour, you’d assume that he wouldn’t walk away from such a comment with his tail between his legs. And you'd be right. He responds with quick-wit to comments like that with, “You just wasted three durhams on that text.” The time we spent with James was well worth it; it was fascinating to get a Western ex-pat’s view on media license in a Middle Eastern country and to find out just how much the envelope can be pushed in a country where the government monitors all media and you can be deported for outwardly critical commentary.
The discussion that ensued after James’ presentation was one that Ralph had beenitching to have since day one. His inner journalist was displayed as he asked some probing questions about the girls’ expression of personal freedom, the role of their parents, and the role of government in their everyday lives. We landed on the subject of the "Sex and the City 2" movie, which was set in Abu Dhabi (but not filmed there because the sheikh found the content too explicit for that direct of an association.) We discussed the role of women in Middle Eastern culture, not just specifically Emirati culture, and whether or not females are inherently oppressed in nations governed by shariah law. Once released, the movie was banned in the UAE, and the debate that transpired was over the grounds on which the movie was banned: was it because “sex” was in the title, because the movie mocked Arab women, or because it belittled Arab culture in general? The Emirati girls talked about the role of religion and the strong cultural implications that penetrate every aspect of daily life in the UAE.
Mashaikh, who goes by Mash, posed the most profound question towards the end of the discussion that left most of us practically speechless: does the US have a culture? I thought about the question for only a second, and responded with somewhat of a chuckle, “Actually, not really.” There is not one single religion or culture that dominates the United States. There are so many different ethnic groups, so many different backgrounds that comprise the American populace that it’s hard to just peg one as the overall “cultural” experience of being an American. The Emiratis, however, are mostly all followers of the same religion and even of the same sect of Islam, so they have that common thread running through their cultural experiences as Emiratis. It is extremely ignorant, therefore, for Americans to assume anything about the Emirati people or of Islam without attempting to recognize the origins of the people or of the religion first. Hessah even gave all of the American students a copy of a book called “What is Islam?” for us to gain a more thorough understanding of daily life in the UAE.
We had lunch made by Looya’s cook right there in the conference room. Looya brought three huge chafing dishes full of cous cous with lamb, fish, and chicken for all of us (it was enough food to feed an army.) Aside from the sheer amount of food prepared, I was astonished at how good it was. Having a cook and maid is standard for most families in Dubai.
We then rearranged our plans and visited Hessah’s uncle’s printing press, the largest one in Dubai. They print Qur’ans for free and distribute them to mosques all over the city.
We had some free time before dinner and after some deliberation between going to see “Ski Dubai” in the Mall of the Emirates, going to the Karama mall famous for its knock-off bags, shoes, watches, and accessories, and taking a boat ride on Dubai creek, we opted for the ferry ride to watch the sunset and take in the sights and sounds of the city as much as possible. We returned to the old souq and boarded the ferry, spending the next hour soaking it all in, taking pictures and posing for pictures, and watching the sun blaze down past the horizon, illuminating the Dubai skyline more beautifully than I had ever seen it.
We made it just in time and hopped off the ferry just as the sun had nearly disappeared. We shuttled back to the hotel, donned our dinner attire, and headed to the Madinat Jumeirah hotel to check out the souq inside the hotel and grab a bite to eat. We settled on a Persian restaurant that ended up being a bit pricey, but worth every bite. We enjoyed some incredible feta cheese with pita, mint, and tomatoes as an appetizer, then delved into our main courses ranging from lamb stews to mahi mahi kebabs accompanied by freshly squeezed mint lemonade, or Persian yogurt drinks called Doogh (pronoucing “dough), made with yogurt, salt, mint, and ice cubes. It was delicious, and definitely very unique. We were seated outside along a man-made pool lined with lit-up palm trees and fountains with the Burj al Arab illuminated in the background. Feeling quite full, some of us ventured to the bars next door and grabbed some drinks, reminiscing about the week and planning the next day we would be spending in Atlantis on the Palm Island!
The Delaware group at Zayed
The atrium in Zayed.
Zayed's design is architecturally very unique, looks almost like a submarine. Pretty cool.
The outdoor courtyard at Zayed.
Tom and the girls hamming it up at Zayed
Sunset on Dubai Creek during our ferry ride.
Conor on the ferry
Conor and I on Dubai Creek
Greg and Kaitlyn on the ferry
The Delaware group at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel for dinner Thursday night. The Burj al Arab, the world's only seven-star hotel, is illuminated in the background.
Lanterns like these are typical merchandise found in souks, like the one in the Madinat Jumeirah hotel.
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