Day 2 - Abu Dhabi

Just like Jennifer's last post said, we had no luggage for our first day. Today all of us were refreshed with our new clothes on and ready to check out Abu Dhabi.
First I'd like to note that breakfast has been good here at IMT - Eggs, Pancakes, Corn Flakes [even Cocoa Crisps if that is your thing]. Food has not been a shortage for us since we stepped onto the airplane, and I can appreciate that since I used to be a fat kid.
We had a class today titled "Culture and Religion in the Gulf" with Professor Mohammad Amin. Prof Amin is a retired Major General for the Bangladesh Armed Forces and is currently the Head of Counter Terrorism Bureau in Bangladesh, as well as a professor at the American University in the Emirates. We had a presentation about culture and religion among the Arabic Gulf Countries. The class evolved into a question and answer forum regarding the future state of business in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates] as well as religious influence in daily life. A few takeaways regarding current events and religion: 1) The GCC and Iran are at opposite ends, mostly due to the fact of different business interests and different types of Islam [Iran is Shia Muslim while the majority of GCC is Sunni], 2) Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was a Prophet, as well as Moses, Joseph and all other major Judeo-Christian figures, 3) Over the last 15 years, there has been a surge of women in the workplace in the Gulf States, which appears to be part of the Gulf's attempt at incorporating some Western ideals in its day-to-day life. Being a Christian myself from the US, I found the last 2 points to be welcoming news.
After class and some coffee, we had lunch- Hummus & Pita Bread, Chicken, Carrots and Potatoes. Then it was off to Abu Dhabi. The main event for us was the Grand Mosque. The picture you see included in my blog is of all the ladies in our group wearing the abayas, required wear to enter the Mosque grounds, which were provided to them by the Mosque's administration. The tour was interesting, and although it cost much money to create a 47-ton carpet or seven 20-ton chandeliers, what impressed me was the devoutness that Muslims have to their religion and the dedication to 5 times a day prayer. I even saw a construction worker in the middle of his work get down and start praying! Anyway, our tour guide was helpful and answered any questions the group had for her.
Then it was off to an art museum. I say this half-jokingly because although it was an art museum with plenty of Andy Warhol paintings, it was really a museum with floor plans inside of new museums that will be built by 2020. These will include the Guggenheim Museum and the Louvre Museum, among others, to be on an island in Abu Dhabi. This makes sense, since the Gulf States are moving away from just an oil-producing tract of land to one that will have a cohesive infrastructure including art and science.
Afterwards it was time to go out and eat, then go back to the dorms. Two brave souls made a journey tonight to test out the nightlife, and yet tomorrow should be fun with our New Year's Eve event at the Atlantis Palm. Having said that, I should get ready for it by now going to bed!

-Pete

Not Without Its (7) Challenges

It is with great pleasure that I write the initial posting to the VSB-Dubai blog.
Those of you who have been in contact with the staff and students know that our voyage to the UAE was a difficult one; here's a quick debrief of the 32-hour travel drama. Suffice it to say that the group has already bonded!

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #1: Snow storm

A nor'easter hit the entire east coast over the weekend, dumping 2 feet of snow in New York City. JFK Airport closed to all traffic as of 8pm on December 26th. Since our flight was originally scheduled for departure at 10:30pm on December 26th, Royal Jordanian rescheduled for the 27th at the same time.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #2: City under snow

I awoke to find my own car in a 3-foot snowbank, and my block (in the city) under 18 inches of the fluffy stuff. Getting onto Villanova campus to catch the bus up to JFK was easier said than done-- the parking lots and driveways weren't plowed, and several cars spun their wheels just trying to drop people off students.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #3: Snow drifts undo earlier plowing

Most of the highways up to New York were fine, but as we emerged from the Verrazano onto 287, all traffic stopped. An accident kept us there, virtually unmoved, for close to 2 hours. Although some segments of the BQE had been cleared earlier for driving, strong winds kicked up snow again causing congestion in the most inconvenient places.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #4: Stranded travelers

Arriving at JFK (4.5 hours later), the dropoff area was a parking lot. These roads may have been cleared away earlier, but they certainly weren't by the time we arrived. We waited for 30 minutes or so just so the bus driver could deposit us near a walkway. All the students teamed up to unload luggage from the bus, carrying in suitcases that didn't belong to them, just so we could all get out of the cold. Inside, a mad house. Aggravated travelers who spent the night on the floor, people with babies and elderly family members, everyone waiting around to find out whether or not their flight would depart on Monday. Imagine what it's like when you suddenly convert an airport to a campground- overflowing trashcans, filthy bathrooms, and limited food options-- JFK was the perfect storm.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #5: Will we or won't we get out of JFK?

Many flights continued to be delayed even after JFK officially opened to arriving flights. Loudspeaker announcements frequently included "Flight X has been diverted to Chicago" and "Qatar flight Y has been delayed until December 28th at 2 pm." On the board our 10:30 pm flight was listed as "On Time", we didn't actually board the plane until 12:30 am, Dec 28th. Then we sat at the gate for another hour for unknown reasons. By the time we left the runway, it was nearly 1:45 am, and we had no way of knowing whether or not we'd miss our connection in Amman.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #6: Will we or won't we make our connection?

Upon arriving in Amman, we were whisked through security again. They had held the plane for us (and for many other people including a Univedrsity of Hartford MBA group), but we were quickly rushed to get the Dubai flight. Kristy Irwin (Associate Director/All-things-Dubai Coordinator) requested assurance from the airline that our bags (some which had been mislabeled with Amman as the final destination) be put in the cargo hold before takeoff. She received a firm "NO," with the threat that if we didn't get on the plane at that moment, we try a different flight... tomorrow. All Villanova students boarded without incident.

TRAVEL CHALLENGE #7: So what about that luggage?

Once in Dubai, and after spending about 2 hours clearing customs, Kristy fiied claims for the missing bags. Unfortunately at that time, Royal Jordanian couldn't say exactly where the bags might be, or when they could deliver them to the campus. We left Dubai International, fingers crossed, and arrived at campus about 7 am. We did our best to refuel for our 10:30 "high tea", but those without luggage were at a disadvantage in this regard. So we pooled our resources to help each other out in the meantime-- students lent each other clothing, toiletries, hairdryers, and a sympathetic ear if one was needed.

P.S. As of this post, I hear that all luggage has been delivered to the campus and the rightful owners are happily sorting through their belongings.

Check back tomorrow for new updates.