It's the third week of the semester, but although schoolwork has become a large part of my daily routine, I've still been able to take part in some pretty awesome activities both on and off campus. Yesterday, I attended AUS's annual club fair and signed up for Finance Club, Entrepreneurship Club, Photography Club, and--most excitingly--Gastronomy Club! Like club fairs at US universities, AUS showcased a wide range of interest-themed as well as academically-focused student organizations. The main difference, though, was that AUS hosts an astounding number of cultural clubs, a testament to the highly diverse nature of the university as well as the UAE as a whole. I saw clubs for Emiratis, Saudis, Yemenis, Omanis, Nigerians, Syrians, Palestinians, Pakistanis, Russians, Egyptians, Iranians and many, many more. One cool fact about the UAE is that it it comprised of at least 200 distinct nationalities. That's quite a large figure when you consider its small geographic size and its young age as a sovereign state.
Earlier this week, I also had the unique opportunity to spend a fun-filled evening at a luxurious retreat in Al Dhaid, courtesy of some awesome Emirati students and their friends. As the sun set behind the Sharjah skyline, we loaded into cars and drove out to their "farm," which just happened to include such amenities as a blue tiled swimming pool and hot tub in addition to beautiful landscaping complete with water features and fruit trees. The picture below shows the edible fruit--called Nakh, a type of pear--that grew on their trees. They were very sweet and delicious, with a texture more akin to a crisp apple than the pears we are used to in America.
After touring the complex, myself and around 20 other IXO students were treated to a meal of grilled fish, squid, and shrimp that had been purchased fresh from the fish souk that day. Our hosts also provided some top notch sheesha (or "hookah" as we call it in the States), which made a perfect companion to our conversations. As we passed around the pipes and finished off the food, we swapped stories, talked football (soccer, not NFL), and learned some "choice" phrases in Arabic with our local hosts. The weather was just right to sit outside under the stars, and all in all, it was a perfect evening. Our hosts must have enjoyed the night as well, 'cause they're planning to invite us back for a pool party with dancing and refreshments that will likely go on into the early hours of the morning. I'll keep you guys posted on how that turns out :)
Until next time, thanks for reading! مع السلامة (Ma' as-salaama--meaning "goodbye")
~MH
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