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Published: January 18th 2008
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Rainy conditions in the desert
Just a sample of some of the road conditions around the city. Glad I got the SUV! Recently in Dubai, the streets have been in chaos, so much so that my school has been cancelled for the rest of the week (2 days off paid!). This is all due to rain, and so much rain that the Ministry of Education had to cancel school. Of course, people in Colorado may be skeptical that 3-4 days of rain would be that bad that school would have to be canceled. Well, the problem is that rain, mixed with tons of construction and an already over loaded road system has lead to major traffic problems. What is usually a 20 minute trip to school has now turned into a 2 and 1/2 hour trip. With some parts of the roads so flooded, it just takes much, much longer to get around.
So, what to do with the extra days off? Go to another Emirate, the capitol city of Abu Dhabi! The United Arab Emirates is composed of seven different Emirates. These smaller kingdoms (since all ran by monarchs) combined and created 1 country after the British Empire left and lost its sphere of influence. With these kingdoms combining, they were able to keep their societies in tact, pretty good plan.
In a tourist area
Jorge and I stopped by a "tradtiional village" and made this new friend. Although most people think of Dubai as the major city in the UAE, Abu Dhabi is actually the capitol city of the country. Here is where the ruling Sheikh resides. Although Abu Dhabi does not have some of the major attractions as Dubai does, it certainly has many to come, as the pictures show. Abu Dhabi is a nice contrast though, for in this city you have many of the modernizations of Dubai, but there is not the large amount of construction or overall business. Overall, in Abu Dhabi, things are much more laid back.
As for the upcoming projects for Abu Dhabi, I admit I was rather surprised. To have plans for the next Guggenheim here, as well as the other major landmark ideas, UAE will soon be much more on the global map. I think one of the most interesting pictures though is the one showing Abu Dhabi before, then modern day. One has to realize that this is within a period of 50 years. The amount of growth and urbanization is still mind blowing for me, after even being here for so long. This of course brings up great discussions in my classroom, "Is UAE
Traditional housing
Here I am lounging in the old style homes (pre-ski Dubai). I'm not sure about the fridge though. modernizing too fast, or too slow?" Very often, the class is split right down the middle. Some students feel like the UAE is still too conservative. For example, many people still wear traditional clothing, such as Burka's. Furthermore, the government is not democratic, and the Church still plays a very strong role in the country. On the other side, people must realize where this country is coming from. Around 80 years ago, there were no major cities, mainly just fishing and trading ports. Nothing nearly as grand as today. The economy was very limited, with a slowly emerging oil business, there was only pearl diving and other means of sustenance farming. It takes a lot of time, energy and man power to create a modern society. For example, it is rather unfair to expect a country to become democratic, when the country is still getting its foundation for education. After all, if people are not educated, how can they be expected to make educated decisions for their society? Likewise, it is important to respect another culture and its differences. If people choose to live a certain way and they're not hurting anyone, then who are we to contest this? On
Traditional village from afar
From the road, it was hard to miss this place! the other side though, this level of respect needs to be a two way street. Here in Dubai during times of religious holiday, it is expected that all people, foreigners included, follow the religious expectations. For example, like not eating in public during daylight at the time of Ramadan. Of course we can eat and some restaurants are open, but it is closed off and not in open view. What is the right answer at this situation, I am not sure? It is obvious though that you can not expect a leader to keep order in his country, and then expect everyone to simply 'change' their lifestyle and manner of thinking. However, all traditions do change over time, and to fight this trend is to fight reality.
In the end though, I am impressed with the level of change in UAE. The economy is growing, education is becoming much more available and invested in, the infrastructure is growing at a tremendous rate, and the local people are not being pressured and are still remaining very loyal. Major world projects and attention is coming to UAE, opening new doors in the Middle East. However, the question remains, "are you able
The old and the new
The old fishing boats, with the modern sky line of Abu Dhabi behind to pick and choose when it comes to modernizing, or do you have to take the entire package, good and bad?"
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