Shukran - Thank You

Burj Al-Arab from Al Qasr Hotel

Burj Al-Khalifa, tallest building in the world

I've been back home for a few days and I think I'm ready to finally close this blog and give my final thoughts about Dubai. This entire experience has been a whirlwind of adjustments and my mind has been on fire with observing different policy questions and observations about a lifestyle other than one I'm accustomed to.

Burka or bikini, everyone enjoys the sea the same way

Initially, I didn't know anything concrete about Dubai. All I knew was that they had really tall buildings, amazing hotels, and was a hot spot for business and tourism in the world. I remember trying to pack for Dubai and while I knew it'd be weather in the 100+ range, I was still concerned as to the style of clothes that I should pack. I didn't want to pack too many short sleeves or skinny jeans if the people there would find that offensive (I don't really wear sleeveless, skirts or shorts anyways). After my experience there I can confidently say that no one really cares. There are men who dress in their traditional Emirati style clothes and women in burkas but just as equally there are people dressed in shorts and tank tops and women in skirts and halter tops. I saw both styles during Ramadan which religiously and culturally a time of modesty and conservatism and I still saw such broad clothing styles so it really doesn't matter.

The language barrier was something I was worried about. I don't know a lick of Arabic but was told I could get by with English. The words 'get by' left room for some hesitation on my part. It turns out that mostly everyone speaks English and I never ran into any trouble communicating with anyone. I remember that a sales assistant tried to help me pick out a gift for my nephew and he kept talking to me in Arabic a few times but my back was turned so I didn't hear him until I heard him  say some words with "arabia" and an inquisitive connotation at the end. I realized that he was asking me if I spoke Arabic and then I politely said "english only" and he apologized and left me alone. Other than that everyone I communicated with spoke English or was able to transfer me to someone who did speak it.

Gold ATM anyone?

My internship was an excellent experience. I really appreciated learning all the labor laws in that region and I'm interested in learning how our labor laws are here and comparing/contrasting them. As a state and local and economics concentration in my program, labor laws is a huge component of our society. The laws make up the agreement between businesses and the work force and all of the policy changes running through legislation are important to keep up with since they affect that contract. I think the most interesting part of their labor laws was how they guarantee work for all of their nationals. For such a small country with the world's most competitive firms vying for a chance to do business in their cities, its important that the government looks out for its citizens. My host family's son was actually born in Dubai but he isn't an Emirati citizen since he isn't of the heritage. During the Olympics we kept asking him which country he'd compete for (he's 10 years old) and he couldn't decide. He's of Pakistani heritage, but his parent's have US Passports/naturalization while he was born in the UAE. Poor kid!

The internship also verified my interest in State and Local policy here in the United States. While I think it's important to always expand our perspectives and explore the world, I genuinely am interested in US issues. I've always had identity issues because I am of Pakistani heritage, a Muslim and a US born-citizen. Growing up I was confused as to which culture I belonged to but now as a young adult I am able to embrace all aspects of my background and confidently make decisions as an American Pakistani Muslim. I feel pride in being a US citizen and hope to dedicate my career and life towards defining what it means to be from my ethnicity and background. I want to be involved in decisions that effect our communities and integrate myself in order to create awareness for others who may have felt similar confusions.

Morning Shot from the freeway, the only time I saw blue sky!

I wasn't able to really identify much about State and Local policy there. It seemed as if the government made all the decisions and since things worked well and efficiently they were approved and appreciated by the residents. I had asked about taxes and found out that there was no such thing!! The government simply doesn't need it! Instead of taxing the people, the government charged fares through the services that people needed. For example, visas, driving licensees, permits and etc were where the government compensated itself in the place of taxes. It sort of makes sense that you pay the face value of whatever service you require such as a driving license. I also discovered that the government provided housing and gave subsidies to nationals trying to own property. This gave them less incentive to try and say something about the government since they were satisfied in their own lives.

After learning about the labor laws, I realized that all of the state and local policy related or government related positions are probably filled by Emiratis. This would make it difficult for me to try and get my foot in the door to try and do any comparative analysis between the US and the UAE. I recall trying to contact their version of the Department of Transportation for an internship however never got a response from their contact lines.

At the Top of the World - Burj Al-Khalifa

My experiences in Dubai have shown me what its like to be in a small country which was refreshing. Here in the States we sort of live like we are on a cruise liner. What happens in one section of the ship isn't really felt in another. Even the sea current has less of an impact unless its a storm. Whereas these smaller countries are smaller vessels and carefully guide themselves to avoid choppy waters and are more particular about what happens aboard their crafts. In the US, we take a lot of things for granted. We have access to all types of products and services while other countries may not have such access. For example, vanilla extract is very difficult to find in the UAE. Even Coca-cola is imported from a different manufacturer and specialized products like Coca-cola Cherry don't taste the same. This entire trip has been a real eye opener in terms of realizing that we have a lot we take for granted. I hope to use this experience in my future endeavors in order to appreciate what we do have and try to both enlighten others to appreciate it as well.

I'd like to thank the donors who made this voyage a practicality for me and for Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy faculty and administrators from providing me with the skills and opportunity to go to the United Arab Emirates and explore. I would've never imagined going to Dubai of all places for an internship and am very grateful that I had the chance to intern there. I'd also like to thank my host family in Dubai as well as Keller for providing me with the opportunity to work with them and learn about their company and labor policies.