odds and ends. dubai style.

welcome back, 51500 faithful. 

when i arrived in dubai, i was handed a wad of cash. literally. the equivalent of $1000 usd. it was over 3500 dirhams. this is the moving allowance provided by my new school. 

time to learn a new currency.

the apartment building i live in has a gym on the ground floor. it's decent. and there's a pool. unfortunately, it's the world's least exciting pool. maybe sometime i'll show you.

here is the view from my apartment. through the haze you might see motor city, a dubai suburb in the distance.

if you angle yourself the other way, this is the view. up front is my school, with our field and track in the distance.

my commute is horrible. view from my front door to the school.

talk about a time saver in comparison to milan.

there's starbucks here! lots of them, in fact!

i don't go all that often, but i just like knowing that i can.

some interesting things in the grocery store...the world's smelliest fruit: durian. #pass

in italy i was always amused that there was an entire aisle of pasta. here we have every variety of rice on the planet.

this cracked me up. no, it is not red WINE vinegar. it is red GRAPE vinegar.

i was also happy to find lots of american comforts available in dubai. spent the summer eating these with my mom and you would never find such a thing in milan, so to turn up here and find that almost everything you could want is available? amazing.

and they bag your groceries too! no more sheer panic that you won't be able to bag your own groceries fast enough to avoid the evil stares of the next person in the line.

i played with rearranging my furniture. because realistically, they bought too much furniture for the size of the apartment i was given.

i went out for ladies' night early on in my time in dubai. it was one million sweltering degrees but we chose to stand outside because smoking is still allowed indoors here. probably one of the big fails of this country.

marina views.

and if you remember back to the time i went skydiving.

oh wait, that was caitlin. she jumped out of a plane.

i went to one of the world's most beautiful starbucks tucked inside the ibn battuta mall. i made sure to come back here early in my time in dubai. it's so pretty!

the group of new teachers went to a karaoke bar. this is so terrifying for me.

but we had these private rooms and it ended up being a lot of fun.

more american goodies. seriously, i couldn't help myself when i saw this red velvet cupcake at magnolia bakery.

the newbie group also took a field trip to the dubai frame.

according to the website, "the uae’s latest cultural landmark, dubai frame is an iconic structure that ‘frames’ impressive views of old and new dubai, while serving as a metaphorical bridge connecting the emirate’s rich past with its magnificent present. offering spectacular panoramic views across the city, dubai frame celebrates the story of dubai from its early establishment to its ambitious plans for future development."

the floor was see-through, and terrifying.

danielle had to hold my hand to get me out on the glass.

but there were pretty cool views.

here's what the whole inside looks like.

and there's this shiny gold backdrop to pose in front of! meet my fun friend, lynn!

i would recommend a quick stop off at the frame when you're in dubai. it wasn't too expensive and was a fun, but quick experience!

until next time readers!