Two weeks into my post-graduation vacation with mom and dad in Dubai, and I'm itching to update.
Oh Dubai. I don't know where to begin.
My accommodations:
I've been staying with my parents at their lovely rental villa on Palm Jumeira (Those sweet man made islands that look like a giant palm tree? Yep, that's where you can find me.) The back yard is the ocean.
My activities:
Well, I've been working on my tan (read: sunburn).
I've also gone out to eat, had some great food (read: way too much food), experienced the insane local driving, and failed repeatedly in trying to navigate anywhere.
I've visited souqs (but need to go back to stock up on pashminas and shisha pipes), malls, and paint stores. Mom and I have spent hours buying couches, beds, sheets, picking paint and wandering aimlessly around Ikea in the hopes of transforming the villa from an empty shell into someplace a little cozier. We still haven't decided on a paint color, but the current curdled milk yellow has got to go. Curtain installation is also on the list.
I have, of course, started the obligatory sports car checklist -- in order of occurrence from most to least:
-Porsche (very emphatic check)
-Jaguar (check)
-Corvette (check)
-Bentley (check)
-Ferrari (check)
-Maserati (check)
-Rolls Royce (check) -- sidenote: this is parked, covered, on the street. which elicits the question: what on earth is in the garage?
-Aston Martin (check)
-Lambo (check)
Future plans:
Seeing Amy Winehouse (if she makes it past customs..) on the 11th.
Heading to the top of Burj Khalifa, the worlds's tallest building.
Mall of the Emirates -- indoor skiing maybe?
Getting my fill of shawarma, hummus and everything else (well, maybe that isn't possible).
Oh yeah and studying for the GRE, FSOT and practicing Chinese.
Downsides:
A painful lack of any American sports. That's right. As of yet, I haven't found a place playing the superbowl, and I don't get the channel. The fact that kickoff is 3:30am doesn't help. I haven't seen an NBA game, a college game or a single episode of sports center in weeks. Tragic, I know.
And even worse, I miss Carson and Loki. =[
