Work and Cultural Learnings

Hey you guys! Ok, so yesterday was my first day at work, and all is going well. We work at the base construction site for the Palm Jebel Ali. I may have mentioned before that I am working on engagement for the Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai Waterfront developments. It is truly amazing the work that is going on over here. These palm islands, well Jebel Ali, is about 8km long and twice as wide. This third island is getting a little more creative in that they have added 'waterhouses', literally floating houses outside the crescent of the island. Additionally, on the interior of the crescent, they are building these floating barges that when viewed from the air create Arabic proverbs. Truly amazing. OH - and Nakheel (my client) has just announced the unveiling of a new set of islands 'The Universe' which will be built around The World islands. If you ask me, it looks like someone threw up around The World - but God bless.

So here is what I'm talking about.....

What you see in the picture above is a little dated (from google.com) But the development only began about four years ago. I've tried, in my novice attempt at exerpts, to illustrate where I am working. Pretty much what you see is still the case - LOTS of sand still. Not much landscaping, just sand....lots of sand and trucks!

This is right outside my office building. Not quite sure what the tents are for, but when I said I was on the beach - I was being literal. You can see cranes in the distance.

This is the base of the Palm Jebel Ali - eventually, I'm sure there'll be resorts or night clubs or something fantastic right where I focus on when I space out during the work day!!

It's been interesting working in this environment. People do things SO differently than we do in the States. There is really no sense of urgency, everything is very lineated and deliberate...and yet, this place has huge areas for improvement. Which is why we're here I guess! It should be a great working experience. Honestly, it's a 8:30-5pm day, sometimes 5:30pm with about a 30min lunch. My kind of work day!!! As far as I know now, we're here for at least the next 9 weeks. We will determine at that point if we will continue with the next phase of work. No word on apartments, we'll continue on at this fabulous hotel until mid-March.. YAY! However, that means that Armand won't get to be a jet setter just yet. I have it on good authority that he is fitting in just fine being a downtown loft dweller with Oscar. :)

Ok...so along with the cultural learnings for make America good (Borat anyone??) I was so perplexed upon using the restroom here. So, I arrived in my hotel room and saw this. Initially I thought the thing on the right was a biday...but not so much. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm pretty sure it's used to wash your feet. Now, what I have figured out is the hose that sits next to every toilet in Dubai. Initially I thought it was a handheld for the tub. You can see how I would be confused as it's so close to the tub...but when I noticed it in the half bath as well as in the office - I started to wonder. Not wanting to be 'that guy' I decided to do my research to confirm what I already assumed. It is, in fact, used to wash yourself after you.....go. What on earth? I understand it's probably alot more sanitary...but HOW DO YOU MANAGE? Obviously I have not attempted it yet only because I don't want to make a real mess - but I'm SO curious. I mean...do you reach around with the hose? down the front and through the middle? in a full body squat? I DON'T KNOW!!!

OK - so....five days in Duabi and I have poop - literally. :)

Went to dinner with a colleague of mine from the UK office who is originally from Cyprus tonight. Had this delcious Moroccan pork dish cooked with prunes, yumm!! Determined that she likes to party, she likes, she like to party. (anyone?) AND she has a friend that is a DJ here in Dubai - so I'm hoping that I'll have some 'fun' news this weekend.

Until then. Be good. I miss you all.

The First Day

Given the fact that I arrived at the hotel close to 4am, there wasn't much to see. The driver that collected me from the airport was very nice and took me around parts of Dubai on the way to the hotel, but really after close to 3o hours travelling, the last thing I wanted to do was learn and appear interested in things that I could barely see anyway! It begs to mention that the very first song on the radio when I got into the van was Kelly Clarkson 'Because of You'. My Kelly welcomed me to Dubai with open arms!!!

However, once I awoke this morning, I could fully appreciate the hotel and the view I had from my balcony. Dubai has several different areas, you could call them subdivisions. Much like how in Dallas we have Downtown, Uptown, Lakewood, etc. I am staying in Dubai Marina - any guess why? Yup, because it is a marina! Let me state that there is construction everywhere you turn around here. There are so many developments going up, new ground being broken and even new buildings being improved upon. It is exactly as you see on TV - a city of cranes and dust. Suffice to say that there is plenty of money here and people are not afraid to spend it. As I pulled in to the hotel this morning, the driveway of the garage had two Mercedes S class, a Hummer, two Porsches and a Lamborgini.

If you are familiar with the developments in Dubai, you know that they are creating man made islands in the shape of palm trees: Palm Deira, Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali.


This is a view from my balcony. Immeidately is the Dubai Marina and in the distance, you can see the Palm Jumeirah. If you can see the alleys of water between the houses, that is what creates the fronds of Palm Jumeirah.




In the far distance, you can see Atlantis. Which is the hotel/residences at the 'crown' of the Palm Jumeirah.





And this, of course, is probably the most recognizable structures in Dubai - The Burj Al Arab. It is the world's only 7 star hotel and the world's tallest hotel. I was able to drive by it last night, but unfortunately it was very late and all the lights were off. This image was taken with my camera from my balcony - it is magnified a bit. I'm not THAT close to it. :) I am looking forward to spending at least one night there.












I met up with colleagues today and walked around a bit and took a road trip about an hour or so North of Dubai. Dubai (and the UAE) has very strict laws about purchasing alcohol. You have to possess a permit in order to purchase and you essentially have to be a resident to attain a permit. However, there is a place just north of here that doesn't so much abide by those rules for some reason. We all went and stocked up on some wine and other fun libations.

Until the next time - take care of yourself and each other!

The Trip

I've always known that I was a procrastinator, but it was truly demonstrated while preparing for this trip. It wasn't until the night before and even the morning of my departure that I started packing. One might think that I was just leaving for a short vacation the way things were left....at least that is the way I was treating my departure. Thinking that I would be back in a week or two, not really letting the realization that it might be closer to 6 months sink in. That's how it is living in Denial, and sometimes, it is a great place to live. Honestly, it made leaving much easier.

A few friends offered to take me to the airport, but I graciously declined their offer. Having a car service drop me removed emotion from the equation. All this in a effort to make my leaving as smooth as it possibly could be. I remember when I first started working for Protiviti and was immediately traveling to Seattle - it was SO hard leaving every Sunday night. It was those memories that taught me how to minimize the difficulty of leaving familiar territory.

Here is how my itinerary broke down.

• Wednesday 23rd, 12:30pm - DFW to Chicago



• Wednesday 23rd, 9:10pm - Chicago to Amman, Jordan



• Thursday 24th, 8:30pm - Amman to Dubai, UAE



• Friday 25th 1:00am- Arrival in Dubai

Thanks to my frequent flyer miles I was able to fly First Class to Chicago and thanks to clients paying for airfare, I was able to fly Business Class from Chicago to Dubai. Let me tell you, after flying to Europe a few times in Coach - what a difference!!! If it can be at all afforded, you need to fly Business overseas.

Worried that a 15 hour flight was going to be absolute torture, I made sure I was fully equipped. I had packed a couple DVDs, a book and ensured that my earphones were ready to go for In-Flight entertainment. Thankfully, the book I bought at DFW was very interesting that I didn't really have the need for all the other things I brought along. 'The Footprints of God' by Greg Iles is in the same style as Dan Brown's books. If you don't know, Dan Brown is the author of DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. 'Footprints' combined science and techonology with religion and spirituality. It kept me up for a majority of the trip.

Arriving in Amman was an experience. I am a pretty well travelled guy, having been to Europe three times. What a difference it is, however, to see Arabic writing. There is no possible way to attempt to fake your way through reading those signs. And while everyone there was very helpful, I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated not being able to even try to discern the native tongue myself. Learning at least some of the basic phrases and writings will definitely be a goal.

Alas, after almost 30 hours traveling, I retrieved my bags and made my way out of the Dubai International Airport to find a driver from the hotel waiting for me with a placard reading my name. Awestruck with my hotel room and a quick shower and I was off to bed - for a couple hours anyway. It was 4am local time, and I wanted to wake up at 9am to start the process of acclimating to the new time zone.

If you are curious, Dubai is 10 hours ahead of Central time.

The Send off

Well, it has finally happened. After about five months of preparing, anticipating, getting let down and then getting the email last Monday morning, I am in Dubai, UAE!! I guess good things come to those who wait. We'll see if it is worth all the hype.

Before leaving though, some friends were nice enough to get together at the Foundation Room at the House of Blues to send me off. It was a good time, I really do enjoy that venue!!

Here are a couple pics from the evening

This is Angie, Aaron and Dennis hanging out. Aaron is a friend of mine who also happens to bar tend at the Foundation Room

From Left to Right - Brandon, Oscar and Sara. If all goes well, Brandon will be joining me in Dubai in a few weeks - he's excited to get on the engagement I'm working on.

These are my two partners in crime....clearly not happy about me leaving and men of few words - they express themselves through sign language.

As per usual, the night got interesting, and we ended up cutting a rug!! Which in the Foundation Room is quite literal as it is wall to wall Oriental rugs!!!

These are just a few of the pics from that evening. It was so great to see most of my friends before I left. Not exactly knowing when I'd return to Dallas, I needed to have some good memories to last me a while. The pictures that were taken as well as those pictures that friends brought for me to take are going to be like a warm hug while I'm out here in the Middle East!!