Here we are, flying into Dubai! I met some new friends. (Two girls doing my program met me at the SF airport, and two more met us here coming from LAX.) Emirates is super nice- 2.5 meals, unlimited drinks, a huge personal tv screen. We have an overnight layover, and the airport pays for everything- our hotel, transportation, food. Apparently night layovers are fairly common, so we took a 2-hour night tour in a cab. Our driver says Dubai is split into five different "cities"- one commercial, one residential, etc. There is very little crime because it is such a wealthy city and brand new (the oldest building isn't even 25 years old!) On our tour we drove by a mall with an indoor ski run, the Jumeira mosque, the homes of the royal family, including ... read more