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