Church + Friends = Awesome

Ok, a lot has been going on. I'll try to pick up where I left off. Keep in note when I mention times of day it'll be local time which is +9 hours from Central Time.

Thursday: After flying in, talking to the AUD people, and all that jazz, I decided to go to the mall to buy a cell phone and sheets. I got a taxi after walking a little distance away from AUD and the ride was uneventful. Getting the cell phone took a lot of steps but went fairly smoothly. I then bought some sheets and a mouse for my laptop. Took a taxi home then I realized that the mouse was the wrong connection (like ages old connection) and my fitted sheet wouldn't fit the bed. So slept through the night without any sheets or pillow cases.. just me, mattress, pillow, and a little fleece blanket (with soccer balls on it!!!) that I bought instead of a comforter.

*Interlude* I emailed this guy about going to their church that I had researched. He gave me some info and told me where to go if I wanted to attend. I set my alarm with enough time to decide if I wanted to go.

Friday: I woke up to the aforementioned alarm and began the inner monologue to decide if I should go to church or catch up on sleep and rest. I finally decided to go and see if I could meet anybody so that I would actually have friends or at least acquaintances in the area and wouldn't feel so alone. One of the best decisions ever. I took a taxi to the place hoping I would be able to get a ride from someone on the way back, or else find a magical taxi. I didn't meet anyone before the service so I had to sit through that wondering what was going to happen afterwards. The service itself was pretty good. Didn't know any of the songs except a hymn they played. Ther sermon was great.. talking about patience and instant gratification. Afterwards I wasn't really sure what to do but was determined to put myself out there and meet someone so I went up to some table and asked the lady if she knew who Joel (the guy I emailed) was. She said no but found me somebody who did know. He took me to meet him and in the process introduced me to another student attending AUD. This student, Dipak, is from India and one cool dude. He then took me around and introduced me to what seemed like a hundred people, many of whom I hope to develop friendships with. Everyone was really nice, friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. I was then invited to lunch with a group of them and was assured a ride there (as well as a ride to church, much to my wallet's relief). The lunch was good, consisting of pizza and pepsi. We chilled for a few hours then 4 of us decided to go to the Atlantis hotel which is on the tip of the Jumeirah palm tree island. The group was me, Dipak, Brinton (guy from Hawaii who just got a job here), and Paul (British guy who studies at the American University in Sharjah). We had ice cream at the hotel then made our way to a sketchy Indian food place. I think it was my first time and the food was pretty good! I had a great time hanging out with everyone and was really glad I made some good friends already. They dropped me off and I spent the rest of the night/morning trying to post my London pictures on facebook.

Today: Woke up for my housing orientation. It was pretty lame but I was able to make some more friends in some of the study abroad students. They're from all over the USA and elsewhere, including some Swiss! We ate lunch at the cafeteria then some of us decided to go to the mall. Some had to get phones and I had a few things I needed to exchange. Upon returning I put my fitted sheet on my bed. The sheet is too large (imagine that) but I would rather have too much than too little. I opened the other sheet and pillow cases only to discover that they smelled horrible. I decided to see if they would air out and went to our study abroad orientation. They had free food and more chances to develop relationships, so I was happy. I returned to my room then went to the lobby to watch the Manchester United - Arsenal game. United won in a lucky game (yay!) and I returned to my room to find out that it stunk of my sheets. I put them through the laundry which kinda helped but they still smell a little so I will try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow: I'm not sure what all is going on, but I'm pretty sure I have more orientation stuff to sit through. Lame.

All in all, I feel much much better about studying abroad here in Dubai after making some friends. There's nothing like knowing people in a foreign country to help take the edge off. Hope things are going well back home. Feel free to comment, email, or facebook me. I love hearing from everyone back home. There's probably a lot more I could write about but this is enough for now and it is getting late here.. so good night and hope to hear from some of you!

May the purpose of this blog now be fulfilled.

Well hello everyone. Now I have something to actually write about on this blog. I made it to Dubai with no real setbacks or anything. My 10 hour (turned 9 hour cuz of a delay) layover in London was interesting, but I left somewhat disappointed. It's not that London isn't cool.. It totally is.. I just left frustrated because I didn't get to see what was on the top of my list to see. St. Paul's crypt was closed by the time I got there so I didn't get to see Duke Wellington's grave (hero of mine since forever) or Admiral Nelson's grave either. On top of that it was dreary with some rain and, initially, I got lost. So, interesting times indeed.

Quick note: They expect you to keep left when walking but they want you to keep right while going up escalators. Pick a side and keep with it! I stuck it to the man and kept right.. that'll show 'em. Oh, and the whole driving on the wrong side of the road freaked me out, even though I was prepared for it. I dunno how many times I thought I was going to die before I realized the car coming towards me isn't driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

I was disappointed flying into Dubai today. I was on the wrong side of the plane coming in so I didn't get to see the palm or world islands from the sky. Sad day. The taxi ride to the university worked out well for the most part. I got to see the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world) and that thing is crazy. Crazy tall. Saw a few things I want to explore such as the Burj Arab (7 star hotel), indoor skiing at the mall, a hotel in the shape of a pyramid, and a few other interesting buildings. Spent most of my time so far unpacking and trying to wade through all the bureaucratic crap here at AUD (American University in Dubai). Only partial success though. I still need bedding and probably won't get some till tomorrow or Saturday. I did, however, find a pillow at the supermarket on campus. I also need to get a cell phone to use locally so that will be interesting. I feel like the money is going away too fast already.

It's Ramadan here so there may be something interesting happening when the sun goes down.. we'll see. I think I'm going to give in and take a short nap.. I'm exhausted with all the traveling and little sleep. I'm probably not supposed to sleep right now to help adjust my body to the time zone but I am at the point where I don't really care right now. I hope things are going well back in the states. Facebook me. Email me. Something. I would love to hear from you guys! I'll try to write again soon. Ciao.