30 September 2010

It's almost October! Well, in Dubai October is the hottest day of summer in Michigan, everyday. I'm getting used to the weather; I can go out in a sweater and be fine even if it is 100 degrees. It's kind of weird. Anyway, enough with the weather. Classes are great. My intro to Islam class will absolutely be the most challenging class while I'm here. I'm not sure if it is because the professor is sort of condescending toward us students or that the material itself is pretty difficult; we'll see. Overall, I'm going to learn SO MANY new things in my classes and I will be even more knowledgeable about the Middle East and its history when I return home.

Socially, things are looking up. I seem to be talking to more people in and around campus, which is making things easier to get used to in this foreign land. One thing that is actually better in Dubai is that there is basically no crime, (we can argue about whether the mostly Indian workers getting paid shit and working and living in inhumane conditions as being a crime while Emiratis enjoy luxurious lifestyles) but nonetheless, I can leave my door unlocked without having a guy named Hot Chocolate staring over me in my bedroom (ask Nicole), or having things stolen out of my room. When I think about it anyway, I don't know how many of these people here would steal my shit anyway since every pair of pants I wear includes the word sweat in the title and I don't have any beauty products worth taking (my concealer bottle has a hairspray cap on it). Anyway, I guess that's a perk.

Back to the workers. I'm not sure how I feel about the entire situation except that I've always been for labor unions and workers rights, and there are absolutely no rights for workers here. If you would like, Google "Slumdogs and Millionaires", and that should explain the situation in Dubai. It's hard to look at on a daily basis while I know the fanciest mall in the world that I am strolling through (Dubai Mall) was built by these laborers.

Overall
1. People are nice; people are assholes. It's a lot like American in that respect.
2.The bars are pretty great so far and so are the restaurants.
3. People stare at me when I wear my Communist Party t-shirt.
4. It's hot.
5. My roommate Mira and her friend Yasmine are my best friends here.
6. I'm learning a lot.
7. Workers rights.


I hope that wasn't too boring.