Dubai

Hi everyone! I got to Dubai yesterday afternoon and Dominic picked me up. The traffic here is awful, so we didn't even try to head back to where he lives in the University compound. We stopped by a mall -- apparently everyone hangs out at malls here -- and then went out to a restaurant. Dubai is interesting. All the buildings are huge and impressive, but things here seem like they're just for show. For example, the restaurants are beautiful and the presentation is good, but the actual food isn't that great. And everywhere the service industry workers are foreign laborers, often from the Philippines. Apparently, you won't find sommeliers or excellent service anywhere. They are sweet, but its not the excellent service you would expect in a "nice" restaurant.

Hanging out with Dominic is so fun! I've missed him. For those of you who don't know, Dominic is a friend of mine from Berkeley who is living here in Dubai on a Fulbright fellowship. He's researching the UAE court system. He seems to think its not a big deal (charming), but I'm pretty impressed. And we've gotten to gripe a LOT about annoying/horrible things we've experienced recently, particularly the law school admissions process.

We're off to get something to eat! I'll try to post again tomorrow.