School and classes

Firstly, this school is still very very new. They don't have much of a clue as to what is going on. That being said, they are very open to new ideas and change since they haven't gotten stuck in their ways yet. The first day on campus I met with the Chancellor and provost. Very nice people, they wanted us to have a great time here and want us to feel welcomed. Since exchange is new for them, the want the exchange students to have as good a time as possible so that future exchanges can happen between schools.  This has worked in my advantage several times, it definitely outweighs the unorganized newness of the school.

At first when signing up for classes, they said they offered classes that they don't actually offer and those happened to be the classes I wanted to take. First they put me into other classes, then they asked  me to pick other classes, then the Dean of the Arts and Humanities department asked the international office to move me into one of his classes, Introduction to Islam. After the first class, he asked me how classes were going and if it was all going okay. I expressed that he had put me into advanced Arabic for native speakers rather than for non-Arabs. Also, Arabic literature class that I was already in only had me signed up so they were thinking to cancel it. The dean Decided to open up a new class for me, solely me. He got me a private class with an Arabic teacher, so that I learn what I want to learn, rather than what the teacher wants to teach. Arabic literature became a one on one class as well, focusing on Arab- American conflicts as well as other conflicts Arabs face in different areas. Very interesting class. Islam class with the Dean could not be better either. He is a Brit who learned Arabic and then brought his family to live here. He wanted me in his class to act as a guinea pig. As the only non-Muslim in the class, he wanted me to question the things that Muslims wouldn't think to question. He is also basing the class on group work, which is wonderful because it turns out that a friend I've been hanging with in my friend group is in the class, and it so happens that he knows ore about Islam than anyone else in the class and he also speaks the clearest Arabic I have heard since being here. When working together, I tell him what the English means, he tells me the answer, then I write it in English. A perfect team.

 I'm taking a communication class too, based on social media. I am taking this with Tatiana, the other American, Yasi, my roomie, Denisa, a Romanian friend, and a few others. Basically it is a class with all wonderful people that I can work with. While I know more about cameras, lighting, sound, and other things that these people know less about, they know about social media which I don't at all. Also, finally the communications department is big enough to have a small basic studio, which they just opened a few days ago. While being minimal, it is something and  it is nice. 

Jebel Jais

Mountains here are the biggest reminder that I'm not at home. Mountains at home are blue at a distance, full of trees and in the fall the leaves change into a beautiful array of colors. Looking out from my room, I see sandy gray layers of sharp edges coming up from nothing. There are no rolling foothills leading to the mountains, it is completely flat land and then suddenly, there is randomly a mountain. It takes maybe 15 minutes to get into the mountain area, and even between mountains the land is flat, dusty, and lacking foliage. The air is heavy and the sun scorches everything.

But then seeing beyond that, it is striking. The details of each bend and twist of rock, the caves, the layers of rock, the magnificent cliffs and faces are unlike anywhere else. As someone who enjoys mountain and rock climbing, it is a treasure trove. Each direction shows something beautiful, each bend brings an air of mystery beyond it. Then I reached Jebel Jais. Jais is the tallest mountain in the UAE, with views of the gulf and Oman. The temperature dropped as some friends and I drove up to the top on a precarious, half finished dirt road. So far that has been my only trip actually going up in elevation because we drove up the mountain, usually we just went in between mountains, Jais is far away, it took us an hour and a half to reach the top, they said usually it takes longer. Tonight we will go again with my main friend group here. It will be camping out with a BBQ (which to people here just means a cook out). I'm imagining a bonfire half way up the mountain overlooking a vast landscape void of any life. While the air has lots of dust, making it hard to see stars, the stars in the mountains are much more clear, and apparently in the winter the milky way is visible.

Dorms

As an American, I really can just flash my passport and get away with much. The International office at school here convinced the dorm supervisor to allow the Americans to stay out later than the other girls, who usually have curfew at 10. I have it at 12 (and all boys have it at 12). Weekends people can check out and go places, everyone else needs parental permission while I just sign out. Also, with having guests come into the dorms, usually they can only stay for half an hour and they must stay in the lounges, I can bring girls into my room and can have them over as long as I want, as long as they leave before night. All our friends in the dorm come to our room constantly to laugh, do yoga, and act crazy. Just last night we had 7 girls in the room from 11 till 3 am doing partner yoga, making a video, and playing games. I thought having a 12pm curfew would be hard, and sometimes it is, but really, we have so much fun in the dorms that it isn't so bad. Also, every restaurant delivers so it's nice and easy to get food, and that tends to be what most people do here. There are restaurants ranging from hardees, KFC, subway, to local shops with Mediterranean or local foods and they send delivery boys on mopeds to the gate at the girl dorms.

Our room is pretty nice. Marble floors, lounging chairs, desks with comfy chairs, a small kitchen with cabnets, a sink, microwave, and fridge. Everyone here has a portable stove too. The bathroom is just for my roommate and I, unlike how it usually is in the states, and while being small, is good. The beds are really comfortable and the balcony overlooks a beautiful view of the mountains (that is, when it isn't a sandy dusty day). I have my hammock hung up on the balcony and while it is hot during the day, the nights are pretty nice so being out there is very relaxing.

This was before we moved the furniture around, now it's better and different and more homey.

RAK city overview

Initially, Ras Al Khaimah looks as barren as a city could look. The main roads into town are through the desert, with absolutely nothing around except a few camels and trees. It is a pretty spectacular site, and sometimes, when looking closely at the top of the sand mounds, a view of the Arabian gulf opens up. Once in the city, so much is modern because RAK only became a popular destination for tourism about two years ago. It went from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. There are still historical sites, like the ghost village that I was driven through that is supposedly haunted by the people who lived there before the Portuguese invaded. This is a city and emirate of wealth. The cars are pricey, everyone just drives up to a store, honks, then people come out to serve them. For such a dusty, dry environment, people really care about looks. Local men dress in crisp white in a Kandoora showing their money through clothing as well as cars. 

Take off

Stepping off the plane at the Dubai airport was a step into a whole new world that is suddenly now my life. Now home is my dorm room in RAK for the next year, I can no longer just run home to my family whenever I feel like it. I thought that the transition would be harder than it is, but right away everyone here is so welcoming. Since I landed here 2 weeks ago, I have only been faced with open arms and generosity. While my family and friends back home I miss incredibly, people here have tried their best to make me feel like I have a family here as well. As I continue being here, living this life, and going to school, I'm going to attempt to share what I can about each new thing I face.