Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Right after finals in December, I went on to visit the INSEAD campus in Abu Dhabi for a special module/class on doing business in the Middle East. There was a group of 40 students and we learned about different industries in the region and made various company visits. Read my posts from the module on my professional blog, Nuclear Undone, about Wealth Before Development, Beyond the Oil Era, Masdar: The Sustainable City, and Sustainable Urbanization.

We did get to do some fun stuff, besides class and company visits, on our day off. We took a ride through the desert dunes and met some camels. Then, we had team building activities and a BBQ at night, when we could see the stars clearly over the desert darkness.

I also spent a couple of days in Dubai before heading on my next trip to Singapore. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and quite stunning. I'm used to tall building in Chicago but this was something else.

The malls are quite an attraction in Dubai and remind of the ones in the U.S., but more like Mall of America on steroids. The Mall of Emirates a ski hill within a tube (above). So, you can go skiing anytime of the year! The Dubai Mall contains just about any North American store and restaurant you can think of, including Garrett's Popcorn!! I was walking by and thought I recognized the smell and then I couldn't believe my eyes! After being in the French countryside for a few months it was nice to get a dose of home and my favorite Chicago staple.

After an intense four months of class, it was nice to spend a day at the Palm relaxing on the beach. You can see the famous Burj Al Arab in the distance below.