Dubai & Abu Dhabi 2019

The UAE was nothing like I imagined it would be. However, it was one of the best trips of my life. I’ve been to over 40 countries, traveled through Asia, Europe, South America and even had a chance to visit Africa. None of these places exceeded my expectations like the UAE. This was my first time traveling to a country in the Middle East. I envisioned Dubai to be set in a land of sprawling deserts. I assumed that most people would be wearing traditional clothing, and was nervous I would be judged or chastised for dressing differently than an Emirati. As someone from Manhattan with a lot of pride for New York City,  I was sure that Dubai, a city in the Middle East that was mostly barren in the 1980s and 1990s, couldn’t possibly compare in terms of architecture and innovation.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. We started off our trip by visiting the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at 828 meters, and taking the fastest elevator in the world at 60 km per hour, zooming to the 124th floor in less than a minute for a 360 panoramic view of the city. Up there, you can see the entire city of Dubai, and the ocean beyond. It was truly magnificent. By our second day of meetings, I was considering what changes I’d have to make in my life to move to Dubai and become an expat. I had never seen such modern and unique architecture on such an enormous scale. Walking around the city felt otherworldly at times because of how innovative and grand the mega projects were.  While in the city, I didn’t see any desert. On the contrary, enormous hotels and resorts are surrounded by the clear sea, and beaches are never far away no matter where you are. The seemingly endless number of high rises, hotels, art installations and museums in Dubai is unlike anything I’ve seen. This New Yorker ate a whole lot of humble pie.

But, only in the figurative sense… in reality we ate a whole lot of local foods like spicy shawarma, rice seasoned with saffron, dates every morning and even ice cream made from camel milk. As a group, we had a traditional dinner at Bastakiya Nights Restaurant. We were offered hummus, babaganoush, seasoned rice and skewers of some of the best chicken and beef I’ve ever tasted. However, if you’re a pork lover, you’re out of luck, as it’s against the Muslim religion. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Arab Culturalist, founded by Nasif Kayed. He showed us how the locals traditionally eat in the UAE. We sat on mats and were encouraged to eat with our hands. He was the one who taught us about the health benefits of dates, hence my daily intake.  Mr. Kayed allowed us to be at ease, and was not offended by any of our questions about the local culture. He explained that the traditional garb worn by those in the UAE is for cultural reasons as opposed to religious beliefs, and that there were practical reasons for everything worn, like the abaya and hijab. For example, covering the entire body keeps the hot sun off of the skin, preventing sunburn. Men historically wore a head piece to protect their neck from the sun and to keep sand out of their faces, while the black circular cord on top of the head piece was used to restrain camels. He explained that women covering their faces was a way for them to protect themselves and gain anonymity when in public to prevent things like kidnapping. The intention wasn’t to oppress, but rather for safety.

I had the chance myself to wear an abaya and hijab when visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The mosque looks ethereal, with its white domes, gold-plated columns and exquisite chandeliers. I knew right away that pictures and descriptions could never do the mosque any justice in terms of its beautiful otherworldliness. By the end of our visit at the mosque, I really didn’t want to return the local clothing I was wearing. The clothes were light weight, and I was so comfortable. Aside from the way they feel, I also realized I would never have to pick out what to wear or do my hair if I wore these traditional clothes everyday. Needless to say, I can definitely see the appeal in wearing clothing like this compared to our western styles.

We visited different companies in various industries like D3 (The Dubai Design District), Nakheel, the company responsible for developing the famous man-made Palm Islands, Khalifa University, where we rode in self-driving cars, the construction site of Abu Dhabi’s new airport that will host the world’s 3rd largest terminal, the global investing company Mubadala, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the enormous trading hub JAFZA, oil company McDermott Middle East, Dubai Expo 2020 headquarters, organizers of next year’s world fair,  and Dell EMC. We learned a lot about different industries in Dubai and the norms of how people conduct business (for example, if you’re a male, don’t shake hands with a female unless she offers her hand first). Again, my misconceptions were proven wrong during these meetings. We learned that most of the UAE’s wealth is not driven by oil. Abu Dhabi does not intend to rely on its oil reserves, and instead companies in Dubai are investing in other industries around the world for sustainability and diversification. Dubai is very focused on innovation, and the Sheik at one point even required helicopter pads on the roofs of many skyscrapers, foreseeing a future where helicopter use is  widespread, Uber-style. At McDermott, we were surprised to learn that the United States is actually the largest producer of oil today because of fracking. It’s interesting that many in the U.S. view the UAE as a country with wealth generated solely from oil, when in reality our own country is the largest producer.

It’s no wonder that I was considering making the move to Dubai on Day 2 of this trip. There is so much that the UAE has to offer in terms of business opportunity, growth, and innovation, on an unprecedented scale. In the meantime, while I figure out how I can change my entire life and become an expat, I’ve been making plans to go back for Dubai Expo 2020. Dubai, we will most definitely meet again!

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