The calm before the storm

It's pretty much impossible to feel like you're being original with any blog title that you come up with, since there are something like (insert number here) million blogs created every month, but I gave it a shot. I thought of superlatives since everything in Dubai is about being the biggest, the tallest, the most expensive, the most luxurious--not to mention the fact that I wouldn't doubt that Dubai is one of the sunniest, hottest, fastest-growing, and most intriguing places on this planet right about now. So, let's hope that some of my stories and observations about Dubai happen to go along with that theme, or else I made myself look really stupid by choosing that moniker.

I don't know if it's just me, but the idea of writing a blog implies that you think people want to or should read your stuff, for whatever reason. Granted, I am part of the Millenial generation; therefore, by definition, I should think very highly of myself and my beliefs/thoughts/opinions and expect others to do the same. Maybe it's because I've seen so many trainwrecks paraded around the internet as "personal blogs" that I'm still wary of believing that what I'm writing about is worthy of such a potentially large, diverse, and ever-increasing audience.

Nonetheless, while I'm not that politically minded, I am aware, through my own increasing interest in world current events (and my good friend who works as an online editor at a large international newspaper), that information about the Middle East (and Africa for that matter) often times reaches the US public in the form of a story or other material gathered and/or written by a US reporter. While this might seem perfectly correct and logical, I believe that our country's leadership and international activities in the last decade or so have not helped any in the campaign against ignorance. What I'm trying to say is, many times, the USA tends to get on its high horse, and not always cut the MEA (that's Middle East & Africa) some slack. I'm not denying that there are terrorists, etc. coming out of the region, and that sometimes, US journalists do in fact get it right; rather, I just think that sometimes it's worth holding off on that snap judgment for just a bit longer (and I'm a pretty judgmental person, so it's not that easy for me, either).

I think this could be fun to write for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm pretty young and think having an online record of the ensuing mayhem will be as fun to keep as a traditional journal (yes, I have one--I'm an old school soul) and 2) there seem to be too many lingering myths and misconceptions about the Middle East and much of the world outside of the USA for too many people, so I can only hope that hearing some anecdotes from another American will help you to have a better idea of a culture that, while not necessarily ideal by Western standards, has a right to be explored rather than constantly slandered.

Now that all my boring rants are over, time to get to the juicy stuff. I am moving to Dubai in approximately 1 month, and the process has already thrown me for a bit of a loop.

Like, they need my original college diploma in order to get my employment visa--excuse me, what? You want me to give you my ONLY copy of a piece of high-quality, cream-colored paper with a pretty gold seal and a few signatures of people I don't even know on it, which basically represents my entire academic life (slash non-academic life) up until graduation, so that you can get a special stamp in my passport? Why the hell do you need the original?

Oooohh, that's right, those weird bureaucratic processes that make no sense whatsoever. The woman helping me with my immigration papers assured me it would not be harmed or marked in any way (it better not be), and that they merely needed the original in order to get a copy of it stamped and authenticated and all that nonsense--but I just don't get why they wouldn't ask for a transcript instead. In this day and age, anyone can make anything look real--I wouldn't be surprised if some expats in Dubai weren't college graduates, na mean? (Na mean is my abbreviation for know what I mean--for future reference, b/c I'm too lazy to write that out every time).

So lots more fun tidbits to come. And pictures. Photography is a hobby of mine (I like to think), so be ready for some snapshots--the ones I've seen so far have blown me away. Remember when people started imagining what the world would look like in the future, a la Minority Report, etc.? Well, Dubai definitely embodies that in some areas, but with pretty beach and ocean landscape, instead of concrete and grey nothingness as far as the eye can see.

Promise to not be as long winded next time. Except when describing the good stuff, like prostitutes walking around in broad daylight next to women in niqabs that cover everything except their eyes and the bridge of their nose--just sayin', that's what I heard.