Day 8- DIFC and DUBAL site visits, Manvaar and Chi

Day 8 began with a visit to another free zone, the Dubai International Financial Center. Nasser Saidi (Chief Economist of Dubai International Financial Centre Authority) spoke to us about the strategic importance of Dubai as a financial center. The DIFC is considered by many to be the financial hub of the middle east. Dubai's location means that it can interact during business hours with markets in New York, London, and Hong Kong. NASDAQ Dubai (rebranded from Dubai International Financial Exchange, DIFX, in 2008) has been in existence since 2005 and operates under regulation of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. After Mr. Saidi's talk, we had the opportunity to walk around the grounds of the DIFC and see all of the construction underway in this area.  

From there, we visited DUBAL (Dubai Aluminum). Hitching a ride on the Fancy bus, we toured much of the company grounds including the living quarters (complete with on-site mosque and gym) as well as the smelting operations.

In the evening, several of us went to visit the Global Village. Much like a theme park, Global Village hosts shows, amusement rides, international fare, and the kind of amalgamated shopping experience that could only be found in Dubai. According to Global Village's website, 45 countries are represented in the shopping pavillions (although I only managed to make it through about 7 countries). Here you can find spices, furniture, pashiminas, jewelry, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Afterwards, most of the class met up in Bur Dubai to celebrate the birthday of our classmate, Tess (Happy Birthday, Tess!) An excellent Indian dinner at Manvaar followed by dancing and carousing at Chi topped off a full day. What could have made the evening any better? Just one thing: Chi's DJ could have played the Barbra Streisand song.