In light of Turkey’s recent turmoil, SIT Jordan switched excursion locations to the United Arab Emirates, a country so starkly different, yet in so many ways congruous with the Middle East.
Arriving into Dubai International Airport, one is instantly struck by the grandeur nature… of everything. A brand new Jaguar and Mercedes Benz greet you, part of a raffle whose entrance fee is a paltry $200.00 Leaving the airport and driving into the city proper, along the long, wide, pristine Sheikh Zayed Boulevard, one is struck with awe. Skyscraper after skyscraper, the skyline is dense with structures whose shape and height defy words. Rising above them all, the Burj Dubai, stretches its elegant self deep into the sky. The bustling metropolises of the world, Tokyo, New York City, London, all themselves possess their own, impressive skylines. Dubai differs. For, surrounding the city, is nothing but desert, a context whose symbolic meaning highlights simultaneously the literal demonstration of Dubai’s entrance into modernity.
All about Dubai, one is overwhelmed by incredible opulence. Quickly, and with a bit of pride, Emiratis and foreigners alike remind you of the extreme rapidity with which Dubai has, literally, risen from the desert. Thirty years prior, the emirate was nothing but sand. And now it stands as a gleaming jewel among the world’s crowning cities.
However, that Dubai now holds a position of great global magnitude is not without criticism. Bluntly, Dubai, and much of the UAE, has been accused of being “without culture” and “without history.” Evidence includes the fact that the overwhelming majority, 85%-90% of the country’s workforce is foreign. Such a sentiment is quite tangible. Among my peers is Ronald, a Singaporean student whose specialty is Hindi. In Dubai and UAE, he thrived. South Asian communities in Dubai are bustling and day by day contribute to the majority of non-English languages I experienced in Dubai. On the other hand, Arabic itself was difficult to come by.
Store patrons often were Arab and it was explained and confirmed to me on numerous occasions that higher level positions often are occupied by Gulf Arabs, whereas lower level, blue-collar, positions are filled by South Asians. This brought up many questions of racism, the effect of capitalism, and classism in my mind that, unfortunately, I could not investigate further.
On the other hand, Dubai and the UAE as a whole does indeed have a deep and rather rich history as a centre of pearl diving and fishing, all prior to the discovery and sale of petrol. Unfortunately, such a history is not actively preserved in the education of Emirati youth, as revealed to us by a brilliant female engineer who actively works to preserve Dubai’s most poignant and important historical sites. She painted a picture of an epic battle, one fought largely between her as an individual and the massive checkbooks of foreign and domestic developers, hoping to replace Dubai’s ancient sites with new high rises and amenities.
The highlight of our trip to the Emirates, however, was a meeting with the “Green Sheikh.” Prince Dr. Abdulaziz bin Ali bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, is the nephew of the emir of Sharjah Emirate (emirate being synonymous with the word “state,” as in the United States). This prince quite loudly and diligently works at inspiring and facilitating grassroots environmentalist movements in the Emirates. We visited his, relatively, humble palace where we were treated with extreme dignity and respect. The Prince spoke with a wonderful candor and calm, with deep precision in his words. Every sentence was a brilliant metaphor meant to inspire and express wisdom. He was quite fascinating. He described how he drives only one car, lives with all the locks to his home open, his gate ajar, and strives to interact with the denizens of his emirate as equals. I was struck by the genuine nature of him and became quite fond of his policies. His staff, an eclectic mix of individuals from all over the world, reflected the honesty the prince himself so vehemently espouses.
Overall, the UAW was a fascinating country to observe the interaction of traditional Arab and contemporary Western cultures, producing a fascinating hybrid and heterogenous community.