Saturday Night Special: Dubai's Architecture

I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this experience become a reality. 

Saturday Night Special: Pictures-Only Post

New idea: I'll periodically post blogs that are pictures-only (with captions/descriptions). Please let me know what you think!

Dubai Mall. 

One of the views from our apartment at night. The street structure is very well designed. 

The building I work in. Armada (Medical) Tower 2, cluster P. Locations are identified more in relation to what's around them rather than a numerical physical address. 

The office where I work in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). Our boss is very kind and understanding, providing us with snacks, drinks, and half-days on Thursdays.

Ravi restaurant in Al Satwa: Salad (mostly eaten), large bottle of water (not pictured), 2 entrees, 2 sides of naan bread, and 1 after-dinner dessert (not pictured) for the equivalent of US $15.

Mini architectural design located inside Dubai Mall depicting how Dubai will look like in the future. Is it still appropriate to call it the Eiffel Tower if it's in Dubai?

LAX --> DXB

We've arrived! A 15 hour plane ride later, my boyfriend and I made it to Dubai from Los Angeles in one piece. Well, technically two pieces. 

There were plenty of services offered to keep me entertained (+2 to Modern Family and +1 to Two Broke Girls) but I didn't get much sleep; I always have trouble sleeping on airplanes. At least our Indian flight mate (BA in civil engineering & MA in mechanical engineering... Of course) kept us company. It got awkward though when I realized I had preselected a kosher meal for an airline (Emirates) that primarily services Muslims. 

First impressions: it's hot. And quiet. And beautiful. I was wracked with nerves when our plane first took off but upon landing, I fell in love with the elegant layout of the city and the glittering lights. The architecture is unlike anything I've ever seen and to think everything that stands before me was only developed in the last 10-30 years? Astounding. 

I used to think Los Angeles was a melting pot with all its Americans, Middle Easterners, African Americans, Latinos, etc. Dubai's population consists of Emiratis, Americans, Brits, Sri Lankans, Indians, Persians, Bangladeshis, and African-Americans (-Emiratis?). My bf works for a larger company than me: within a 120 person team, 70 countries are represented. That's diversity. 

While it has only been three days so far, I am happy with my new job. The work environment is great, my coworkers are lovely, and my boss approaches me for ideas. I feel like a valued contributor already and as such, I feel invested in and committed to the company. Apparently open communication, feedback, and respect make for a happy employee. Go figure. 

There is much more to say but it's past midnight here and I have to be out of the hotel by 8:30am to get to work on time. Sorry for the picture formatting as I'm using my iPad. Thanks for accompanying me on my journey thus far! I hope you decide to keep going :)