Last Day in Dubai...not so eventful

Yea so Friday was our day to just explore all of Dubai sadly I was not feeling so hot so all I got to explore was my bed. No biggie though I got to catch up on some sleep and I made sure to not lay on my butt all day because I would be sitting on it for the next few hours when we got on the plane back to Atlanta.
I have to say I could not have picked a better destination to do my study abroad I had so much fun (with moments of not so much fun sprinkled in there) but the experiences I had are worth more than anyone can ever know. It's really sad that I my time in Dubai is over especially because it was so short, but hey in what other moment in my life would I have gotten the opportunity to even travel here so thanks KSU and a special shoot out to my prof Dr. Ali you are truly the best and thank you for everything.

BYE BYE DUBAI!!!!!!!!!!!!

Desert Safari Part Deux

"Oh nothing much just riding a camel you like always"

When I was getting off the camel I swear I thought I was gonna fall off

Belly Dancer. She was really good

Henna Tatts

Not too many pictures but like I said I have a ton more on facebook.

Desert Safari

Honestly, I don't really have much to say so I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, but what I will say was that Desert Safari was the BEST EVER and our driver was too cool. Overall, definitely my favorite part of the trip and a fantastic way to end my Spring Break. So enjoy the pictures (certain pictures were not suitable or did not fit on here because my prof will be reading this so if you want to see more pics find me on facebook)!!!!!

So Mr. Camel was trying to give me a kiss but that was not in the cards for us

If you tell me that Eric isn't Awesome I'll just have to disagree

My boys!!!!

Yup I'm in the desert guys

Gorgeous sunset

3M....LAST BUSINESS VISIT!!!!!!

So our last business visit for our trip was 3M and really Dr. Ali saved the best for last. I had no idea that 3M was represented in every product I use. Going to the innovation center totally blew my mind. Walking around and playing with and learning more about all the products 3M makes really was the best way for our group to end our business visits. On a personal note the highlight of our visit was when Leila demonstrated how this liquid flame retardant worked by placing an Ipod in the liquid and the Ipod just continued to work as if it wasn't submerged in a liquid. Now I personally would never have placed my electronic devices in it but then again my name isn't Eric who actually put his Iphone in there. I mean his phone works fine but still I doubt Steve Jobs or Siri would have been happy with the one. Anyway, I really had a ton of fun on this visit which was perfect because after a nice break we were going to be picked up to go on DESERT SAFARI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grand Mosque

Going to the Grand Mosque truly was a memorable moment in the trip. It's just so majestic and beautiful and to think that this is where they go to prey it really shows how spiritual the Arabs are as a people. In order to even get in the Mosque all the women in the group had to wear a Keffiyeh, which is the traditional Arab clothing. Not gonna lie the fact that probably hundreds of other women have worn these before me did make me kind of itchy. Nevertheless I put it on and made my way into the Grand Mosque. Even before making our way inside the architecture of this place is remarkable but once you get inside it's just breathtaking, and what's even more amazing is that it is still under construction. Even though it was a short go around it is such a spiritual and beautiful place that just those few moments I was in there will stay with me forever.
Again I really am sorry, but mostly for me, that my camera decided to break and I missed out on some great photo ops.

IBM

Next stop IBM. As you may or may not know IBM is celebrating their 100th years as a company, no small feat, so it was really great for us to be able to you and visit such a successful company. The information being given to us was great; learning about how IBM is using Cloud technology was fascinating. Overall, there really isn't much to say about a company that has been around for a century. IBM has been able to adapt with the changing trends and put out technology that has serviced their customer effectively. Honestly, I'm excited to see what the next century holds for this chameleon of a company.

Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce

I have to start off by saying that I felt so official while I was here. I mean the entire setup was so amazing I felt so awesome. I mean they even made a banner for us and everything they really went all out for us and I appreciated it so much. During our talk with Omar I learned so much about Abu Dhabi and how it wants to transition from just being known or dependent on its oil to a more business savvy city. The entire set up of the chamber in itself just makes the process for anyone trying to start a business in Abu Dhabi a whole lot easier. Within the Chamber they have offices for basically everything. It really is a one stop shop, an idea I wish the U.S. would adopt in these circumstances because you really have to jump through so many hoops and go to so many places just to get one piece of paper. So seeing that a person, business or not, could walk into the Chamber and handle whatever business need they have all in one place and not have to run around the entire city was not only refreshing but admirable.
I was most interested in learning how open they are to new businesses coming to Abu Dhabi because you never know I may, in partnership with my dad, decide to expand our coffee import/export business to Abu Dhabi.

   Tell me that banner doesn't make us look legit

Abu Dhabi Day

All of Wednesday was spent in Abu Dhabi. First we took a meeting with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, which I loved because here was another totally business setting which I love, after that we went to IBM, then we took a tour of the Grand Mosque, and finally we ended the day with an amazing seafood buffet. Sadly, my camera broke on Tuesday night so from now on I have no more pictures, that I personally took, to show you and desert safari is coming up. WORST LUCK EVER. Thankfully for me Curt is the historian and he's super serious about taking pictures, since he is a professional photographer, so I have all of his pictures to share with you. He's a life saver.

FREE TIME!!!!!!!!!

So once we got back to our hotel room my roommate, Ebony, and I had an invitation to go out that night and visit the Burj Al Arab. The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located along the Palm Jumeirah, but it is actually on a man-made island that's about 920ft off the Jumeirah Beach. Along with being the world's fourth tallest hotel, it's also considered to be the only seven-Star hotel in the world. This hotel is super exclusive and the only way to even get in is if 1) you have a suite in the hotel or 2) you make a reservation to one of its restaurants. Luckily for us, we were able to get an invite from someone who goes there often.

Blurry I know but you see that that's REAL Gold....Yup they do it big in Dubai

Every level is a suite

These two are pictures from one of the restaurants inside the Burj Al Arab: Al 

Mahara

View from the Outside

Dubai International Financial Centre

When I saw this listed on our schedule I have to admit I was pretty excited and I'm going to blame it on the fact that I'm sort of a Finance major. Honestly though, this visit was so great and I got even more interested when we went to visit the DIFC courts. After I graduate from KSU I want to go on to law school so getting to visit the courts and ask some questions about how they regulate these businesses was not only the most interesting visit for me but the one most related to what I want my career to be. The DIFC is fast becoming an important financial hub in the world attracting hundreds of companies and even many stock exchanges. The DIFC is a perfect example of a well-constructed plan being efficiently put into action and resulting in a prosperous free-zone.
I was so glad that we were able to tour the entire 100+ acres of the DIFC. It's really great to see how they have in this space combined a work atmosphere but also a homey feel for all those expats who live within the DIFC. The DIFC really is like a small town within a bigger town (Dubai).
Now onto DIFC courts, my favorite business visit of all mainly because I was able to find out how I can possibly get hired to work with their courts at some time in the future. Can you imagine me living in Dubai??? That would be AMAZING, but I'd never take that possibility off the table. Anyway enjoy some gorgeous pictures of the views of and from the DIFC.

This building is exclusively for those living in DIFC and one more thing its interior design is by FENDI!!!

Burj Khalifa in the background

Dubai Mall

During our lunch break we had the opportunity to visit the Dubai Mall once again.....our first experience was when we went to Ski Dubai. This time though we had more time to explore before we had to get back on the bus and off to our next visit of the day. I have to say Dubai Mall is unlike any mall we have here in the U.S. Like I mentioned before not only do they have a ski resort but they also have a skating rink and an aquarium. YEA when these people do something they do it BIG!! Also, in what other place in the world will you see in a mall stores like Cartier, Harry Winston, Bvlgari, Coach, etc. Honestly, I saw these stores and I just felt like I was in heaven. Forget about Disney World this mall is the GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH.

 Sorry I didn't take too many pictures at the mall but I was just too in amazement...and we were on a limited time

Microsoft Visit

Fortunately, Tuesday was not as long as Monday was and we only had two business visits and one of those was to the Dubai International Financial Center, but I'll get to that in my next post. Right now I'll like to tell you about my visit to Microsoft. First off, we learned that what they mainly deal with here in Dubai is with sales which was very interesting. With the person we meet with, Ms. Tatiana Alexeev, she structured our visit around what she personally does for Microsoft Dubai and that is helping the education system become more technologically dependent. So basically she goes into schools and helps teachers learn how to use Microsoft products and apply them to their curriculum. In particular she showed us some of the features available on Microsoft OneNote, and I have to say I was just blown away at all the things I can do with this program. My freshman year of college I used it but mainly as a substitute for paper notebooks, after this visit I see how much I underestimated this programs abilities and benefits for me.

Ski Dubai

Our next and LAST stop of the day was at Ski Dubai....a ski resort located INSIDE of a mall. Yup that's right they have actually built a ski resort inside a mall people but that's not all you'll find at a mall, but I'll talk more about that later on. Guys I have to be completely honest with you, because it was such a LONG day I was completely wiped out (and hungry) that by the time we went to Ski Dubai all I really wanted to do was eat something, shower, and jump into bed. That being said I still had a good time touring the entire facility and learning about all the behind the scenes stuff that makes this resort work and prosper. I also LOVED seeing the PENGUINS they were just so cute I just wanted to hug them....sadly I could not. After our time with the penguins we took the ski lift to the very tip top we thought (minus me because I have  FEAR OF HEIGHTS) that it would be cool to walk down the slope to the bottom (once again I was not THRILLED about any of this). Thankfully, Kristy, one of the staff who was with us during our tour, was super nice enough to be my walking stick and help me walk all the way down the slope...except for the one part where I decided to use my butt as a sled...the result 5 WHOLE SECONDS OF FUN!!!!!

Told you Stephy was TIRED

Butts as Sleds....GENIUS!!!

HP Visit

Our second visit for the day was to HP. Let me start off by saying that I did like seeing all the new innovative technology that HP is working on and that will soon be releasing onto the world. Getting to experience some of these technologies was really great. The people at HP we were talked with where great and most importantly knowledgeable. We were luck enough to get to "talk" with the General Manager of Operation Mr. Itani. I say "talk" because his presentation really felt more like a lecture which was slightly disappointing, but nonetheless informative. Once we got through the discussion and began to deal more with the Cloud technology HP is working on that's when the visit became even more interesting.

Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services Visit

First off before I even begin chronologically the rest of my Spring Break in Dubai I want to apologize for NOT keeping up my blog so just bear with me as I posts a weeks worth of visits in a few hours. But thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I was able to take.

Monday March  5, 2012:

Monday was the official start to our week long visits of several American companies with branches in Dubai. While the original plan was to visit Oracle certain things fell through and instead we traveled to a neighboring Emirate, Sharjah, and visited the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services. At this center they work with children with special needs bet it autism, or down, or whatever other learning/physical disabilities these children may have. Fortunately for us the staff took us on a tour of the ENTIRE center showing us everything they do with and for these children and their families. We were taken to the various treatment rooms and my favorite room was one that had a vibrating water bed.....seriously I need to get myself one of those COOLEST BED EVER!!!! Even more impressive is that as these children get older the center teaches them skills that they can use to earn a living, which is truly incredible. Being there and actually getting to interact in the classrooms with the children had to be my favorite part of the entire visit. Overall, I have to say that this center is something I wish we had in the states because the staff and especially Sheikah Jumeriah has created a center where not only the children are helped to live a life as close to normal as possible but also their families are taken care of and are given all these magnificent services at a low cost and for those who cannot pay these services are no charge. Visiting the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services was really the best way to start off our visits.

On a side note our visit was spotlighted on the Sharjah newspaper....at the moment I do not have a copy but once I do I'll make sure to upload for you guys to see (even though you will not be able to read it since it's in Arabic and you really don't see my face but hey we're in it.)