Above is a picture of Dubai taken from the wonderful 12 hr plane ride. It is one of the longest flights I've taken but their was great service. Emirates really has great customer service: hot towels, great meals, endless list of music and movies. Plus they provided passengers with over night flights with a free hotel room and meal for the night.
Dubai is a very interesting city, however the bright lights and numerous stores in the air port remind me of las vegas. But when looking outside at the "non flashy" areas, I really feel like I am in other area in the world (perhaps because I am :) ). It's a wonderful 37 C right now but really is not too bad... it feels like a heater is on 24/7 but it's a nice change from the constant snow!
Being in the UAE, has really gotten me excited for Cote d'Ivoire. Right before my flight to dubai I was very scared... not knowing what to expect. But although it is true I am still scared I am also very grateful and excited for this wonderful opportunity. While talking to two airplane companions on the flight to Dubai, we had talked about how the world is quite small and that you never know what will really happen unless you communicate with people and discover/explore different cultures and parts of the world. The wonderful 61 year old lady I met informed me that she tries to instill 3 main characteristics in her children - Ambition (reach for the skies... never limit yourself), hard work and exploration (go and discover the world). If we all kept those 3 things in mind, imagine what we can each accomplish.
Going to cote d'ivoire, helping with HIV/AIDS is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am excited to learn not only about the culture of cote d'Ivoire but about HIV/AIDS itself and see first hand it's impact on individuals and communities. I sat in my hotel room yesterday reflecting on why I was doing this internship. I see this opportunity as an eye opener and that first step in "saving the world"... yes it sounds fluffy but helping (even just a little) such a huge cause as this is extremely soul fulfilling. I am not going to Cote d'Ivoire to instill my thoughts on how things should be done, I am going to learn about and engage in their culture. Obviously HIV/AIDS will not be fully prevented from the three months I am in Cote d'Ivoire... but getting this experience and bringing it back to Calgary will help towards this step. This really is the only thing individuals can do on short term developmental internships. We need to absorb in the culture, cherish the opportunity and bring back what we learned home.
I am off to my flight to Abidjan... cheers to 10 hours from ABJ!
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