Home...

Abu Dhabi is great it really is, but sometimes I can't help but miss home. I am several thousand miles away from all of the people and things I love most and sometimes it is hard to be away from everything. I miss the little things that I took for granted and may make absolutely no sense to some people. Like I miss Kroger (yes I miss a grocery store- but mostly because everything is in English there), lunch dates with my mom, hockey games with my dad, fun times with friends, my dog, and the familiarity of things. I love being here most of the time, but some days are harder than others and it makes me miss home. So I know that whenever I am finished with this journey and I am back home I will appreciate these things even more than I did before. So today I want all of my family and friends to know that I love you all and I really miss you guys. Thank you for supporting me on this journey and for always being there for me.

Dubai and Sharjah day trip

The Burj Al Arab hotel



Water and light show in Sharjah



This weekend I went and explored the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah. Dubai is very modern and full of ex-pats and tourists, so you tend to forget that you are in the middle east. And Sharjah is way more traditional and conservative. You can't even purchase alcohol in the emirate of Sharjah whether you have an alcohol license or not. It was really interesting to see the difference between the emirates though. In Dubai we went and did a little shopping for spring break at Dubai Mall. After that we went and saw the magnificent Burj Khalifa again. It still amazed me that it is so tall and it seems to go on forever. Also in Dubai we walked around the Madinat Jumeriah Souk and shopping area. This area is for sure one of the big tourist areas of Dubai, but it was so pretty. It is this shopping area that is right near all of the nice hotels in Dubai including the Burj Al Arab which I will never be able to afford to stay in. The souk had all kinds of different shops to UAE souvenirs to a fur coat shop (not sure why you would need a fur coat in the desert). I am also pretty sure that this was the area in Dubai where they filmed some of the scenes for Sex and the city 2, because it totally looked the same. After Dubai we ventured up to Sharjah which is only a few exits away from Dubai, but it took awhile to get there because there was so much traffic for no real apparent reason. We decided to walk along the corniche (beach) area of Sharjah and take in some of the sights. At this point it was night time, but the corniche was so busy because most people come out at night to spend time together. While we were walking along the corniche there was a water and light show going on and so we stopped to watch that. It was pretty cool the way they had the water going with music and all the different lights. It was kind of like watching the water show in Vegas only in the middle east with a lot of people in abayas and kandouras around. It still amazes me that this is my life right now and that one day out of the weekend I can just drive to Dubai and experience all of this. I am making memories that will last a lifetime and I will for sure remember this past weekend.

The Madinat Jumeriah Souk