Hello again everybody.
I took some photos on Friday as we went on the hotel bus to a local Dubai mall. I didn't get many good pictures since we didn't really go far in to Dubai. But here's what I have nonetheless...
This is a picture of the center court of the mall we went to. It features a couple of animated camels and tall golden pillars. Fun times. This mall was actually quite plain compared to others in Dubai. I haven't gone to the Mall of the Emirates yet (the one with the ski slope). But when I do, you'll certainly hear about it.
Here is a picture of the beach outside of my hotel. Not bad, huh? The problem is that the water is riddled with little blue jelly fish and it's far too hot during the normal day hours to go walking on the beach. But the mornings and evenings here are very nice and make up for the hot days.
This is a picture of a very large mosque in the middle of Sharjah.
This is my neighbor. It is currently under renovation, but I guarantee you the horns on the steeple are sufficient to call people to prayer if they are within a mile of this thing.
The last picture is of downtown Sharjah, which actually has its fair share of high-rises.
Lately I've found myself hoping for the first time that oil prices increase. Last year the university suspended any salary increases, so I'm hoping that if oil prices continue to rebound a bit, the Ruler of Sharjah will have the funds to give the faculty a healthy pay raise.
I've noticed on campus the students are quite affluent. They drive luxury cars and SUV's to campus, they all have the fancy and expensive smart phones (I have the base model Nokia), and the females carry designer handbags; designer meaning Gucci, Prada, you name it. It's evident that the students' parents are doing just fine, despite the downturn. However, the university did suffer a drop of enrollment this year; I think somewhere around 5%. But this is also after an increase in tuition of a whopping 15%!!! So it seems that demand for AUS education is inelastic... :)
It's definitely a different world over here, but it's not too different that I'll never get comfortable. The people here are incredibly nice, generous, helpful and understanding. I have yet to meet someone who does not have a friendly demeanor and I have yet to hear anything similar to gossip or bickering. Friendship and family mean so much here, and I both admire that and enjoy it.
Until next time...
Ben
Very cool, thanks for the pix! So with the expenses being covered by the 'rents, are they still focused on their studies? Or do many have the attitude of "I'm only going to school cause my parents told me to... and I'll just find a nerd to beat up and steal his homework..." Stupid jocks, their such jerks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing some pictures Ben! Sounds like you are at least learning a lot...which we all know you love to do! :) Looking forward to seeing you in about a month!!
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic following you on this blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the coffee? How's the coffee?
Awesome pictures...and nice job working in an economics principal into the blog (elasticity) - you are truly a nerdy professor now, good Dr.
ReplyDeleteSteve, it seems you had some interesting experiences with jocks in the past. :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some interesting cultural reasons why the students come here. Some of the females come to school to get away from home and avoid being married off. Others actually do have a goal of getting a degree and a job thereafter. Many of the males, especially the Emirati males, already have jobs lined up. So all they need to do is pass, which is easier said than done. The students generally do not study much and mostly just hang out, which I suppose is similar to the US.