After a fairly quiet week of attending a friend’s performance of “The Little Shop Of Horrors” and making class presentations the last time we checked in with Jordan, he is back to adventurous times in United Arab Emirates.
This past weekend turned out to be one of Jordan’s favorite weekends. It started off with a trip to Doha, the site of the 2022 World Cup, with he and four other exchange students.
The skyline of Doha at night.
They arrived at night, only to find that almost everything was closed. The next day they stopped at the Pearl Qatar, a beachfront market with restaurants, designer stores, yachts, and Ferrari dealerships. In Qatar, Jordan reports experiencing a slight cultural difference between the people, environment and way of life compared to that of Dubai. And he was also able to see the world’s only seven-star hotel, the Burj Al-Arab in Dubai.
The Burj Al-Arab, World’s seven-star hotel.
Friday, like any tourists, the group woke up bright and early, ready to start the day; only to find out that Friday is the day of prayer in Doha, and nothing opens until around 2 P.M. But the group found a cheap boat cruise that took them to see the city skyline from the bay. After the cruise, and taking in beautiful views of another futuristic city in the Middle East, they went to the Torch Doha: the highest point in Doha. It is constructed into a torch with a big flickering light at the top that shines at night. Jordan was excited to learn that it was standing right next to one of the future World Cup stadiums being built, which was a spectacle in itself, seeing such a massive project in the works.
The Museum of Islamic Art was the next stop. “It was nice getting to see Islamic history, panning from Spain to India and stretching back hundreds of years,” Jordan says.
The outside of the Museum of Islamic Art.
One of the most advanced cities in the region, and the last stop of the day, was to the Souq Waqif, one of the largest, and most famous markets in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). This market, according to Jordan, has just about everything, including animals. His favorite part was getting to see the bird, rabbit and even the puppy section. It smelled like a zoo but he says it was nice seeing the animals. The group finished off the Souq by going to see the falcons at the famous “Falcon Souq” in Waqif.
Jordan’s new falcon friend at the Souq Waqif.
Early, at 3 A.M., the group boarded their plane back to the UAE because they had to be back at the exchange office for the tour of the Burj Al-Arab. On this tour is when Jordan got to see what the extremely wealthy were like when vacationing. They have an on-site staff to help each resident, and with their own floor butler. There was also a helicopter pad for guests who really wanted to show up “luxury style.”
The atrium of the Burk Al-Arab, the largest atrium in the world.
Jordan enjoyed getting to see another Gulf country, comparing it to what he’s been living for the past few months, as well as enjoying more sight-seeing before heading back to the US.
If you have been following the adventures of Jordan this semester, be sure and check back next week to see how things continue to wind down for this See the World, BE the Future scholarship recipient!
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