Middle East Trip Recap: Dubai v. Abu Dhabi v. Istanbul

Well, I've been at home for a week now and have been getting a lot of questions about my trip, of course. It's so fun to tell everyone about it, and I thought it might be a nice way to round out my blog posts if I did a recap, answering a lot of the questions I've received. Plus it will help me officially end my trip, because I keep reliving it every day through blog posts and pictures, not wanting to admit that it's over!

First off, the trip was absolutely incredible and to everyone who's asked: Yes, I am so happy I decided to go to Dubai/Abu Dhabi/Istanbul rather than the China or South America AGI (academic global immersion) trips. When I learned about the three AGI options, I couldn't decide which would be best for me. I'm sure those would have been incredible as well, but I never would have chosen to visit the Middle East had the opportunity not presented itself to me through my USF MBA program. It was truly an eye opening experience to see the "real Dubai" from a business perspective as opposed to just the beaches and shopping that tourists flock there to see, and it was amazing to soak in the ancient culture in Istanbul and be at the crossroads of east and west.

Other frequent questions have been: Which place did you like the most? Would you go back? Where would you recommend I visit? This is tricky because there was the business experience and the personal experience. So if you're asking in order to find out if you should visit for a vacation, my Dubai experience may not be relevant because it was very much focused on business.

Dubai
I definitely learned more from a business and economic perspective in Dubai, as compared to Abu Dhabi or Istanbul, because it is just so completely devoid of culture there that the focus was really on business. Plus, Dubai is obviously an emerging market and people from all over the world move there for the amazing business opportunities. Dubai was only just established in 1971 though, and with time comes culture so it will likely be vastly different in say, ten years. For those who think that Dubai's economy is still largely based on oil, it isn't, as there is an intentional emphasis on diversification. In the 1970's the majority of the economy was based on oil, but as of 2008, only 2.1% of it's GDP was a result of oil output. Dubai has successfully diversified into other markets, most notably hospitality/tourism, real estate and financial services. Additionally, they are making it easier than ever for foreign companies to do business in Dubai, when it used to be painfully difficult to do so. The ruler of Dubai had a vision to build a bustling city in the desert, and that's exactly what he's done. It is this oasis of luxury and business and opportunity for many, yet still a place of struggling to make ends meet and suffering for others.

The economy is certainly innovative, like nothing I've ever seen, where nothing is impossible and they are breaking all boundaries that have currently existed in the Middle East. For example, Dubai is a huge trading capital due to its location, and in order to attract even more trading in the existing port, they are just building more land out into the water to maximize capacity. Similarly, in order to create more ocean front property, the palm islands were built, and now The World is being developed. I was blown away by this, because generally if there isn't land to build on, then there isn't land to build on. But in Dubai, they just build more land.

As I mentioned in previous posts, there's a point where innovation is threatening the environment, and I was really turned away by that. There's a lot of contradiction in Dubai on this topic. Dubai has the highest carbon footprint in the world, yet they are touting their green initiatives and hosting green conferences to act as if they care, when all the while they're building the city with the "whatever it takes" mentality which is most certainly having an affect on the environment.

Despite this negative environmental impact which isn't quite talked about, there is so much to learn about innovation and diversification from Dubai's strategic business initiatives such as the Free Zone, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Academic City. So despite the real estate boom, and contrary to what I thought about Dubai's fluctuating economy before I visited, I now feel that Dubai will most certainly continue in its growth as an emerging market. The mentality is "bigger and better" and through that, they're putting themselves on the map over and over again, with things like "the most luxurious hotel in the world" and the "tallest building" and most recently, "the world's highest restaurant in the sky." The innovative marketing of Dubai as a tourist destination seems endless, and people all over the globe want to see what this unique place is all about. It's kind of an enigma, I think, to people who haven't there, because it just seems so unreal and different and truly intriguing as a result. And that's what Dubai wants.

So again, if you want my opinion about Dubai, it's very business focused. We did have some free time, and we'd go to the malls, the palm islands, the beaches...and the beaches were beautiful. If you want to spend your vacation at a place with beautiful beaches, world class shopping and a fun night life (you can drink at hotels which house all the bars and clubs), you'd probably love it. One thing to keep in mind though, is that for most people who visit Dubai, including me, it feels like Vegas. So I'm not sure it's worth traveling half way around the world to experience Vegas. If you're looking to really experience the Middle East, Dubai may not be the place to be. It's incredibly westernized, only 20% of the population is comprised of UAE nationals, and although I haven't been to Saudi or Iran, I'm sure those countries would present a much more realistic view of the traditional Middle East. If I were to sum up Dubai in one word, it would probably be "artificial." That said, I don't think there's any other place in the world quite like Dubai and it was truly amazing to experience something so unique, where there's this very interesting mix of east and west, old and new, desert and city, business and leisure.

Abu Dhabi
To present a completely opposite view of Dubai's neighboring emirate, I absolutely loved Abu Dhabi. We were only there for one day, but immediately upon entering Abu Dhabi, it just seemed real. We drove along the coastline for miles, and there was a never-ending "boardwalk" right on the beach where people were walking and running and riding bikes. As we drove closer to the city itself, there were parks and palm trees and ampitheatres. I love being outside so this balance of nature and business was really nice. We just visited one business, and learned about the cultural centers planned for Abu Dhabi including world class museums such as the Louvre and Guggenheim. It was plainly obvious to see the differences between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that Abu Dhabi is being marketed as more of a family destination, perhaps for those needing a break from the bustling business of Dubai. So if you were to ask, I'd say absolutely visit Abu Dhabi, maybe around 2013 when most of the museums and parks are supposed to be completed. I would go back to Abu Dhabi. I wouldn't learn nearly as much as I did in Dubai, but I would most certainly go back there for a well-rounded vacation.

Istanbul
I would tell everyone to visit Istanbul and I would certainly go back. In fact, if I'd had more time, I would have loved to have toured the rest of Turkey because I hear it's beautiful. Turkey is interesting because the majority of the country is on the Asia side, and Istanbul is mainly on the European side. It was pretty cool to be able to be in Asia one minute and Europe the next! :) Regardless, I don't have a complete view of Turkey as a whole, given that we only just barely explored Istanbul.

From a business perspective, Turkey is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and the country is working hard to make this known around the world so that foreign businesses want to do business there. Compared to Dubai where we met with mainly expats, everyone we met with during company meetings, for the most part, was Turkish. Overall, I was much more engaged with the culture in Istanbul than with the business, maybe because I was oversaturated with business knowledge after leaving Dubai...

The culture in Istanbul is amazing. It's one of the oldest cities in the world, and has such an interesting history as a once Roman empire and now a primarily Muslim city. In fact, Turkey is now 97% Muslim and 3% "other." There are ancient buildings, mosques, old cobblestone streets, local music, traditional Turkish food, and everything you would expect from an old city. Additionally, we met up with local MBA students in Istanbul, so we got a good sense of the local restaurants and nightlife in Taksim Square. I'd say Istanbul isn't as glamourous as Dubai, but if you want to visit a European city with a good mix of history, business, urban life and amazing food, Istanbul is definfitely worth a trip. Plus, the flight isn't as long. ;)



Well I wasn't planning on writing such an essay about this, but there you go! Too bad this post can't double count as the required paper I have for the class trip. If you want to learn about "The Role of Education in Dubai's Diversification" though, let me know ;) Seriously though, if you have any questions I didn't answer, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer them!

Next Stop: Istanbul (Part 3)

Day 15: Friday, 1/21/11

Two days left in Istanbul, and we are done with company meetings. Cultural activities...here I come! I slept in since I was still recovering from a cold, and then went with the group to the world reknowned Grand Bazaar. This place is HUGE!!! And old - it was built in the 1400's! There were all kinds of vendors, one after another, selling jewelery, handmade pottery, leather, glassware, souvenirs, spices, tea, gold, etc. So much to choose from! I went with a group of about six people and we'd all go into a "store" (they were more like tiny kiosks that you could just barely walk into) and negotiate together. I think the best deal I got was 15 TL for a pashmina that the guy originally said was 35 TL. I learned never to accept the first offer, and left with a pashmina, a small jewelry box, a beautiful ceramic dish for my kitchen, Turkish tea, and probably more that I'm not remembering right now. What a fun experience!

Next up was dinner in Taksim with the Sabanci students we'd met up with the other night. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was all family style, and of course, amazing! We all sat around these huge, rectangular tables with chairs on one side and cushioned benches on the other. The meal started with fresh fruit juices and I chose cherry, just because it's so different. I mean, really, have you ever had cherry juice?! Then we had salad, thank goodness, because I've been eating way too much meat, cheese and bread and not enough veggies! Then they served some warm tortilla like deliciousness, filled with potatoes and cheese. Yum. And then the mother of all main courses came out...

I don't even know what half of it was, but it was all delicious, of course. I think there was a tray like the one shown for every four people, but it could've definitley fed more than that. Once we were good and stuffed with kebabs, grape leaves, potatoes, dumplings, rice, spinach pie, and more, they served Turkish tea and then we were on our way to a bar/club. The club was on the top floor of a building overlooking the main street in Taksim. We mainly stayed outside, having our own little dance party on the heated patio, and it was the most perfect way to spend our last night in Istanbul!! Not wanting to leave but realizing I had to wake up in a few hours, we finally left the club. Our gracious host, Mustafa, walked us out to get a cab, making sure we experienced the famous Wet Burger first. It's basically a beef patty stuffed in a hamburger bun, soaked in some special sauce that tasted amazing and yet I don't have the slightest clue what was in it, other than salt and oil and all things unhealthy that taste like heaven at 3am!

And that was our last night...ahhh goodnight, Istanbul!

Day 16: Saturday, 1/22/11
It was our last day, and we certainly made the most of it! We started out with a tour of the Cistern, which is this beautiful underground structure that was a water filtration system back in the day. And when I say back in the day, I mean the 6th century! Unfortunately I didn't bring my good camera with me, so my pictures are all really dark.

From there I grabbed a quick shawerma for lunch, which really hit the spot since I'd missed breakfast that morning in a flurry of packing and checking out of the hotel. Oh and I stopped to exchange cash, and found these beauties lounging in the sun in front of the exchange place. They don't even look homeless and yet they're street cats! Either that or the store owners plant them out front to encourage customers...lol...it's possible...

Then we arrived at the Turkish Baths. Unbelievable and perhaps the best experience of the trip. Well, at least tied with the dinner/dancing night we had our first night with the Sabanci students. Oh and the camel ride in Dubai. Ok it was definitely in the top three :) I couldn't take any pictures so I'll try to describe it the best I can. There's a good picture here that I'm pretty sure is the one we were in, except the girls side. We walked in and picked what services we wanted. I paid for the traditional scrub and bath, plus a facial and manicure. Immediately after paying, the girls and boys were split up.

The six of us girls were taken to a big indoor courtyard area, then upstairs to some fancy locker rooms where we were given a thin towel, a mesh bag with granny panties, and spa sandals. We got changed and then entered the spa. During all of this, there were half naked older women walking around, speaking Turkish that we obviously couldn't understand. Wow. So we walk into the bath itself, and it's this beautiful, big circular steam room with a large, heated marble stone in the middle and girls are laying on it, topless, just hanging out. So we do the same and wait for our attendant (I believe that's what the women are called) to scrub and bathe us. Now when was the last time you were bathed by someone else?! What a trip back in time!! It was kind of weird at first being with all of our friends, just laying around topless, but then it was kind of like, ok we're soaking in the ancient, Turkish bath culture, how cool!

So the attendant came over to me and scrubbed my entire body, then covered me in this warm, silky bubble bath from head to toe and literally bathed me like I was incapable of doing it myself. Ha. Then she walked me over to the side where there were ancient, marble sinks, washed my hair with a mini head massage, and rinsed me off. I felt cleaner and softer than ever! Then she motioned for me to go into an adjacent room but wouldn't give me my towel back! I didn't know why she was forcing me to walk around topless, but then I discovered a tiny pool and spa. We all soaked in there for a bit, in our granny panties that looked ridiculous. Lol.

After the pool, spa, and soaking in the steam room on the heated marble a bit longer, it was time for facials. We walked out and into another room and couldn't take our towels with us. So much walking around topless! :/ But when we got in, we understood there were private showers and bigger towels that actually covered us. So after a quick, cool, refreshing rinse, a Turkish lady sat us all on a cushioned bench and painted our faces with a clay mask. Then we were walked out into a lounge area where we sat on more plush, cushioned benches and drank fresh squeezed orange juice that we watched them make. Nothing had ever tasted so refreshing! And then it was time to go back in, rinse off the mask, and lay down for a face massage. I had gotten so used to the old ladies taking my towel, that I just assumed I had to take my towel off for the facial. So I took it off and the lady said quickly in broken English, "No, no. Just massage for your face!" Haha oops! I quickly covered myself up again and got the rest of the facial and face massage. Ahhh bliss!

As if I hadn't been pampered enough by this point, next up was a manicure. It wasn't as luxurious as the rest of the treatments, but my nails were in awful shape after two weeks of traveling through the dry Middle East, so it was heaven to get them all cleaned up and polished just in time for the trip back home. Afterwards, we just got dressed and that was that. Such an incredible experience and glimpse back in time at how both men and women used to relax in public baths.

And then it was time to leave Istanbul :( But not before I got a box of baklava to bring home, and one last piece for the road, dripping with honey and as sweet and delicious as ever.

Next Stop: Istanbul! (Part 2)

Day 12: Tuesday, 1/18/11
A cold has been going around our group and today it finally got to me! :( I stayed back from the group and slept most of the morning, and took advantage of my down time to update my blog. I think everyone is starting to feel run down because we've been going nonstop for almost two weeks now and there's never any alone time, so it was nice to have an entire day where I didn't have to talk at all! I finally left the hotel late afternoon to get some air and walked a few blocks down to the water. It was cold! I walked for about an hour and saw tons of boats going through the Golden Horn, lots of cats playing on the rocks lining the water, and what looked like locals taking walks as well.

By the time I got back to the hotel, I was starving, so I went to the restaurant closest to our hotel for some Turkish takeout. I ordered a Mediterranean salad and sat down at an outside table to wait for it, and right away a cute little gray and black cat walked up to me. I barely looked at the cat when it jumped up into my lap, made itself comfortable and started purring. I didn't even have any food yet! I guess it just wanted company because it stayed there until the waiter came out with my food. I was kind of embarrassed that here I was, all of a sudden, with a cat on my lap. Lol.

So my salad was great, and not at all what I was expecting which was something like a Greek salad. Instead it was this colorful blend of fresh vegetables: shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrots, corn, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and shredded white cheese. It came with this round flat bread and yogurt dip. All for six Turkish Lira which is a bit less than $5!

I went up the roof of our hotel around sunset and it was gorgeous. Then shortly after that the group came back from the company visits and I left with some of them to get dinner. We also walked by the Grand Bazaar but it was just closing so we're going back on Friday, hopefully. We kept walking along and looking at the menus outside, and each time a man would come out immediately and try to convince us to come inside. They are so aggressive! We finally found a place that looked good and with a nice man who didn't scare us away. We sat on the second floor and had a nice view of the main street and the Blue Mosque. We ordered yogurt dip with garlic, olive oil, dill, peppermint, cheese and some other unique ingredients that I can't remember, and hummus. The hummus was served warm and was the best hummus I've had here! The hummus I make at home is good, but not that good! The dips were served with an assortment of delicious breads too. For my entree I finally had kebabs, which I thought meant shish-kebabs like in Dubai, but is thin strips of that lamb or beef meet off the "meat cone" like what you see at home when you get a gyro. So it was thin strips of deliciously seasoned meat on top of little squares of bread, covered in a light sauce and served with plain yogurt and tomatoes. It was so good! I decided it was the best meal I've had in Turkey so far.

And lastly, to round out our eating for the day, we stopped at Mado for goat's milk ice cream. A local had raved about it, so we got small cups of pistachio ice cream and it was ok, but nothing special. At least we tried it though. :)

Day 13: Wednesday, 1/19/11
Wednesday was a busy day! And, it marks the first day I'm writing more of a live blog, because Wednesday was yesterday! Haha. I woke up exhausted and not feeling 100% but didn't want to miss another day. We first went to ABFT - American Business Forum in Turkey and heard someone speak from a Turkish university, Merck and a bank. It was interesting to get their different perspectives on doing business in different industries within Turkey. They presented a very realistic view as compared to the day we went to ISPAT where they presented Turkey only in a positive light.

We had lunch at a French style restaurant and for the first day, I didn't have traditional Turkish food, but got a deliciously fresh Nicoise salad instead. The breads on the table were wonderful, as with everywhere we go! Then we went to Tuskon which is a nonprofit to promote business in Turkey. We drove though a really poor part of Istanbul to get there, with almost dilapidated buildings. We hadn't seen any poor parts until then. And the traffic has been horrible! It feels like LA with traffic no matter what time of day or what area you're in. Random side note, things seem to be spelled phonetically here, like instead of "taxi" it's "taksi" and instead of "police" it's "polis." The meeting was just ok and the girl next to me and I tried every last cookie on our plates just to keep ourselves entertained! The next meeting was with Korn Ferry International - the recruiting firm - and it was good but after two company visits already, I was so exhausted.

The night activity was a boat cruise. The food was awful, as you might expect from pre-prepared food on a small boat w/o a kitchen, but the entertainment made it worth it. There was belly dancing, Egyptian style dancing, and this crazy hilarious, traditional dancing that I can't even explain...

When the entertainment ended, the music continued and the boat turned into this huge dance party with Turkish and American dance music. We must have been on the boat for four hours, and went out toward the Black Sea, though I'm not entirely sure we ever got there. We went under two different bridges that were all it up, and there was a full moon, so it was just beautiful being out on the water at night.

Day 14: Thursday, 1/20/11
I still wasn't feeling well but wanted to go to the two company visits on Thursday: Efes Brewery and Coca Cola. I made it to the brewery presentation and tour and then had to be dropped off at the hotel and slept the afternoon away. I went to Taksim for dinner and then came back to the hotel and went back to sleep...not a very exciting day, unfortunately!

Next Stop: Istanbul! (Part 1)

Day 9: Saturday, 1/15/11
Off to Istanbul! After a four hour flight and a not-so-long line at customs, we made it from Dubai to Istanbul. It's colder here than in Dubai and felt like a nice, crisp, fall day. We took a shuttle to the Uyan Hotel, getting a nice view of outer Istanbul and the Bosphorus Strait. There was a path along the water with people walking leisurely, and apparently it extends for miles. It reminded me of Boston. I was barely at the hotel and yet was already falling in love with Istanbul. Our hotel is situated up on a small hill, overlooking the strait on one side, the Blue Mosque on another, and the Haggia Sophia on another. The neighborhood is incredibly European with narrow cobblestone streets, colorful buildings right up against each other, little markets with fresh fruit outside, and busy locals and tourists wandering around. The hotel itself is really cute with much more character and charm than the Marriott we'd stayed at in Dubai. There's no gym, but we're in a walkable area so I think I'll survive.

I drop my bags off and unpack a little, and then go out to explore. We were shocked at how close we are to "old Istanbul" near the Blue Mosque, the Haggia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, other smaller bazaars and hundreds of restaurants, Turkish bakeries and small shops. Again I'm reminded of Europe as there are narrow alleyways off the main street with restaurants with outdoor seating. Like Rome, there are cats everywhere! They look well fed so I assume they stay in this area because the tourists continually feed them. They are literally everywhere and are very friendly, jumping up in your lap when you're sitting down, even if you don't have food! So anyway, the sun was setting and we just wandered around taking pictures and buying street vendor food. We got roasted chestnuts which were surprisingly delicious, then some Turkish drink that was way too thick for me but smelled amazing. It was made with cream, honey, milk, cinnamon and other yummy spices. Later we had our first Turkish dinner. I had lentil soup and an eggplant stuffed with seasoned meat. Amazing!! Then we stopped at a bakery for the most fantastic piece of baklava I've ever tasted. It was dripping with honey and was so moist and delicious like nothing I've ever had before.

Day 10: Sunday, 1/16/11
Another day without company visits! Hooray! We all met in the hotel dining room for breakfast, which was really different than the one in Dubai. I had yogurt with granola, molasses and mulberries, a piece of amazing bread and dried apricots. Then we went to The Palace for a tour that took far too long considering it was outside most of the time and it was cold and rainy. Not my favorite morning. We did see the world's second largest diamond and some apparently impressive Muslim artifacts that I was a little too tired to care about though. Ha. From there we had lunch and I got rice and meat stuffed green peppers. I expected they'd serve lavash or pita bread everywhere but, same as dinner the night before, meals come with white bread. It's really soft French type white bread and really good, but I was just surprised.

Next we went to the Haggia Sophia which is just absolutely huge and incredible. It was a church during the Byzantine period but is now a mosque, so the Christian pictures of Jesus were all covered up, but  you can see them in the process of uncovering them now. It's pretty amazing that they can just "uncover" the images to a certain degree. There's also a hole in one of the columns and you're supposed to put your thumb in it and spin it around while making a wish. We'll see if my wish comes true... :)

Then we walked across the street to the Blue Mosque, where we had to talk our shoes off and put a scarf or hat over our heads. One girl in my group was wearing leggings and they made her wear a sheet around her because they felt leggings weren't appropriate. Ha. The mosque was similar to the one we saw in Abu Dhabi, except much, much older and more crowded. We walked around and admired all the ornate tiles, and then got some street vendor food on the way out - a "pancake" with cheese. It was kind of like a really big crepe with feta-like cheese. Delicious!

On our way back to the hotel we decided to visit a small bazaar nearby. I ended up buying a beautiful pashmina, after some negotiating, and we wondered around looking at different pottery, glass lamps, more pashminas and jewelry.

After all of our cultural excursions for the day, we had some free time, finally!! We rested up and then a small group of us went to the Taksim area to meet up with some MBA students from Sabanci University here in Istanbul. We walked through Taksim square where there's a wide cobblestone street, closed off from cars but there's a cable car like thing running through it, tons of shops, restaurants, hotels and lots and lots of people. We're staying in old Istanbul and this was certainly modern Istanbul where the locals hang out.

So we met up with the MBA students at a restaurant in Taksim, and, brace yourself: I'm about to talk about this dinner experience for the rest of the entry. This was my favorite night of the trip so far, hands down. When we got to our table, there were mezze (like tapas) in little dishes and a bottle of raki (a really sweet, anise-flavored alcohol). It's clear but when you add water, it turns cloudy. And it is strong. I opted for a sip and then switched to red wine for the night. There was also live Turkish music playing.

So we thought the whole dinner was the mezze...wow were we wrong! After sampling dolmas, yogurt dip, hummus, potato salad, sauteed something amazing (spinach?), and many other mezze that were amazing yet  unidentifiable, the music suddenly got louder and some people got up and started dancing. We thought they were just drunk. Then our group got up and started dancing and before you know it, we're all up dancing around together in this tiny, little restaurant and the energy level is unbelievable! We must have danced for half an hour to this energetic, authentic Turkish music, kind of like folk music, with instruments I'd never seen before. Then the music dies down, everyone goes back to their seats, and we get served more food. That's when we ask our friends if everyone at the restaurant is on the same schedule, and they tell us about this type of restaurant where Turkish people usually go for celebratory dinners. It's just course after course after course, with upbeat dancing between each course. So fun! So fun, in fact, that I want to bring this back to the states and make it my entrepreneurial project for my MBA program!! I just need to partner up with someone Turkish who can do the authentic Turkish cooking and play music...lol.

The next course was some amazing, perfectly fried pastry with melted, gooey cheese inside, and then a steaming hot fried vegetable dumpling. Then a little plate of bite-sized meat appeared in front of me, I assume it was pieces of beef or lamb like everything else here, and tried it. It was weird. I didn't like it. I couldn't figure out what type of animal I'd just eaten. Then I asked and was told, liver. Barf. I have never eaten liver because it just sounds so unappealing to me, even though I realize it's a delicacy in most parts of the world. So now I can confidently say, from first-hand experience, I don't like liver! Luckily I had some delicious red wine to wash it down with. Never again, liver, never again! :/

There was another round of dancing, getting more roudy with every round, and it was fantastic! We learned some Turkish dance and somehow all became best friends throughout the course of the night...dancing and laughing and having a grand 'ol time ;)

We never got full because we were sweating out most of our food in between courses. The main course was lamb and some fantastically seasoned rice with pine nuts. There was more dancing. More wine. Then dessert, perfect and light, consisted of fresh oranges, apples and pears, which were of course delectable and sweet and refreshing.

So...this whole dinner experience lasted about four hours, and it was certainly the best four hours of the trip! What a fun way to experience Turkish culture!

Day 11: Monday, 1/17/11
I was awakened at sunrise by broadcasted prayer from one of the nearby mosques. Fun way to start the day, and I think I get to look forward to it every morning ;) For those of us who went out the night before, this was a rough day, especially for a certain someone who was still drunk on the bus and made the long bus ride very entertaining...I won't mention names...lol. This was the first day of company visits in Istanbul and we had a packed day: Yogurt Technologies, Turkish Airlines and ISPAT. The first visit wasn't all that great, and they ordered Subway for us. Why would you order Subway for a bunch of American students trying to learn about Turkey?! Luckily it was better than the Subway sandwiches we'd had in Dubai.

Our visit to Turkish Airlines was pretty amazing. The CEO gave the entire presentation and stayed for a long Q&A session, and then gave us the biggest goody bag we've had to date! Included was a model airplane, a book on the history of Turkish Airlines which weighs close to 50 lbs. and will not be coming home with me, a notepad, calendar, and other random stuff. I still can't believe the CEO spent two hours of his afternoon with us, giving a really interesting, informative presentation. Lucky us!

Our last meeting of the day was with ISPAT: Istanbul Support & Promotional Agency of Turkey. The presenter was great and had hundreds of facts and figures about Turkey and Istanbul so it was a really nice introduction to learn about Turkey's growth and business opportunities. And of course there was Turkish tea and cookies which we're all getting used to (and spoiled by) by now. It's interesting that all of the people we met with today are native Turks, as compared to all the expats we met in Dubai.

We came back to the hotel and went to dinner around the corner for Turkish pizza. The owner is this total New York guy, Tony from Brooklyn, though he's Turkish. He was hilarious, telling us about life in Brooklyn and random things about the Istanbul party life. He wants to go out drinking with us this week...ha we'll see. He gave us what he called pita but it was this ginormous hollow loaf of flat bread with sesame seeds on it, served with rosemary butter. Pretty different. I promise I'll upload pictures! I had a bit of Turkish pizza but ended up getting the veggie casserole after seeing someone else order it. I am so obsessed with eggplant so I couldn't resist! It had eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and gooey cheese. Delish! Then we went to a little corner market to get bottled water and I got some Turkish chocolate with pistachios, which was of course, wonderful!

The Journey Continues: Dubai

Day 4: Monday, 1/10/11
The past few days were sunny and warm in the mid-70's, but Monday was cloudy. With 300+ days of sunshine, I can't believe we're lucky enough to experience a cloudy day. Haha. It was still warm though. Regardless, after another breakfast of deliciously juicy fresh fruit and hard boiled eggs, and some exotic dried fruit and nuts for the road, we were off to tour the Burj Al Arab, commonly referred to as "the sailboat hotel." I wish I had uploaded my pictures already for you to see because this place is incredible; truly incredible and like no other hotel I've ever seen before.

First off, the Burj Al Arab is built on one of Dubai's many man-made islands and you have to take a short bridge to get there. The lobby has a huge fountain which draws your eyes upward toward colorful balcony after balcony of hotel rooms looking out over the inside courtyard type layout. As you ride up the escalator past the lobby, you can watch colorful fish swim right next to you in a massive aquarium. Each floor has a security guard, the elevators are intricately decorated, and there is gold and crystal and expensive ornate detail everywhere. We toured one of the apartment rooms which I think goes for something ridiculous like $10,000 per night! It was two stories, with a living room, family room and bar on the first floor, then two gigantic rooms on the second floor with enormous, intricately decorated bathrooms, all overlooking the water and the Dubai skyline in the distance. We also toured one of the bars which had a ceiling-to-floor and wall-to-wall aquarium, and another bar with glass windows overlooking the water and the palm islands (more about them later). We were there for a couple hours, just touring and taking pictures. It is truly amazing and such an iconic symbol of Dubai's hospitality industry and the wealth that comes with it.

Very fitting after a visit to the Burj Al Arab, next we went across the street to the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. There we had a tour of the grounds and met with the Dean of the academy as well as the Digital Media Director from the Jumeirah Group (the group that owns the Burj Al Arab). It's interesting to learn how so many things feed into each other in Dubai, for example the Jumeirah Group works closely with the academy to hire high caliber employees to staff their hotels and resorts. The presentations were great and we learned all about tourism and hospitality in Dubai, which is of course a huge source of revenue. We had lunch at the academy which was a salad bar and variety of hot dishes. I don't think there's been a meal yet without hummus and flatbread. Yum! Oh, but the craziest part of this lunch...there were popovers!! To my mom: I did not have one. I felt like that would've been betraying you somehow. Lol

After lunch we drove to Dubai Media City and had a presentation and a tour of the grounds which included several news rooms. During the presentation we were served fresh fruit juices and muffins. Apparently it's rude to say no when offered homemade treats, so I was forced to drink some delicious pineapple juice. Haha. That was the first meeting with local Emirates. Until this meeting we'd met with a man from Kuwait who went to college in Toronto, a man from Canada and women from the U.S, someone from Australia, France, etc. As everyone told me before the trip, Dubai is filled with expats. We learned that local Emirates (pronounced em-ir-at-ees) make up only about 20% of the UAE population. So the men at Dubai Media City had on the full Arab uniform which includes a one-piece white dress and scarf that covers the head. Despite the foreign dress, they acted very western, not surprisingly considering many of them studied in the states. One of them even went to USD!

After another long day of meetings, we took the bus back to our hotel. Along the way it's hard not to notice all the construction and it's still interesting to drive down the freeway with high rises in the background and flat desert and sand in the foreground. Another interesting thing is all the American chain restaurants. I was really surprised to see Chili's, Applebees, KFC, Taco Bell and even a Johny Rockets. No, we did not eat at any of them, though a few people in my group went to McDonald's and said the McArabia was outstanding!

That night for dinner, I went with about seven others to the Wafi area for dinner. I don't know what that area is supposed to be, but it felt like Vegas. If there was a Vegas hotel with a D.C. theme, that's what it would have been. There was something that looked like the Washington Monument, and another building that looked like the White House. Everything is so fake but made to look old. Dubai is only 40 years old, but I still don't know why everything feels so fake, maybe just because of the lack of culture. So we went to a restaurant called Persia Persia, and of course had Persian food. We sat outside at this round table underneath a canopy, and the benches were covered with pillows and there was a two-man band playing Arabic music. It was a pretty cool atmosphere, but like I said before, I somehow felt that I could have been at a hotel in Vegas and had a similar experience. The food was, of course, incredible - more flat bread with hummus, feta cheese, warm eggplant and the most flavorful and tender shrimp, lamb, chicken and beef kebabs. Probably the best kebabs I've ever had, or at least tied with the kebabs I had the night before. So that I probably wouldn't find in Vegas. Although I just ate breakfast, I'm suddenly in the mood for kebabs...

Day 5: Tuesday, 1/11/11
Tuesday is my day as a "day lead" because we're going to Emirates Airlines which is the company visit I'd planned. So I basically just had to sit in the front of the bus and make sure the bus driver was going to the right place. We got to Emirates and I met Matthias, who I'd been emailing since October in preparation for the visit. He's Swiss and moved to Dubai 12 years ago. He gave us a wonderful presentation on the airline industry and basically a SWOT for Emirates Airlines. The board room looked like something out of Mad Men. We had a quick lunch in the cafe at Emirates - hummus and veggies and pita for me - and then we were off.

Next stop: DP World at the Jebel Ali port. We met with local Emirates again in the traditional dress. We were in a huge board room with dark wooden walls, thick wooden tables and expensive looking carpet. They gave us notepads and pens, similar to our other visits. We had a short presentation about the port - about how it's completely man made and they want to expand so they're just going to build more land and carve out a port. Almost every visit makes me realize how fake things are in Dubai. Innovative, but fake. We had a tour of the port and saw ships and containers being unloaded. Although it's man made, it's still a real working port and that was really fascinating to see.

From there we went to Nahkeel, the real estate developer who created the palm islands and what's referred to as "the world." I get that this is innovative and plays into Dubai's real estate and wealth, but it is just too fake for me. They say there's no negative environmental impact, but how could there not be when they are taking land from elsewhere and dumping it offshore in Dubai to make more land? I hate to be negative about it because it is certainly an innovative business model, but aren't they going too far? How can this be ok? It's eye opening to see what money can buy and that sometimes there really aren't any limits. What's even crazier is that there's actually demand for houses on these man made islands, indicating that people want to buy a vacation home where their only view is of the recirculated water against fake land. I'd much rather buy a vacation home on a real beach, but that's just me.

That said, we were certainly intrigued by the presentation at Nahkeel and felt a trip to Dubai wouldn't be complete without a visit to the palm islands. So we took the monorail up the base of the palm to the well-known Atlantis Hotel. The monorail ride was great because we got an elevated view of the palm islands and all the developments, and could see what it might be like to own a house there. Upon entering the Atlantis, we were faced with a Coldstone, and again I felt as if I were in Vegas. We walked through a never ending corridor of expensive shops and then finally found ourselves in front of another giant aquarium near the Lebanese restaurant we were looking for. We sat outside on these comfy pillows laid right on the rug-covered ground, overlooking the water and the Dubai skyline. That part was really nice because after spending all day inside, it was perfect just to sit and relax and watch the sunset outside. We ordered mezas and drinks and shisha (sometimes called hubbly bubbly, but what we Americans just call hookah). I finally had falafel and it was amazing! We must have been there for a few hours and it was so fun to hang out with everyone in our group.

Some people left to go explore the islands more after that, and I left with a few people to go home, but we decided to go on a detour to the beach for night pictures of the Burj Al Arab (sailboat hotel). I got some great shots! Then we finally went back to the hotel after an incredibly cheap cab ride considering our detour, and I was out for the night within seconds.

Day 6: Wednesday, 1/12/11
I started my day at 5:45am when I decided I must go to the gym. I had my usual breakfast and then we were off to the Dubai School of Government. We had a quick meeting there with some American men and women, and learned about gender differences and labor in the UAE. From there we went to Boeing and met with a man from Syria, then had Subway sandwiches that they'd ordered for us for lunch. Ick! It was really gross, which is quite a shame because there's so much other good food in Dubai. Then we went to UASC which is a shipping container company. We were seated in this amazing board room with wood paneling and heavy chairs, crystal glasses and tea and cookies served on what looked like fine china. The meeting was surprisingly interesting and the CEO even came in at the end to answer questions. He was Swedish though and I could barely understand him through his thick accent.

We were actually done early that day, around 3pm. We went back to the hotel and hung out in the pool, spa and sauna until it was time to leave for the Dubai Creek Cruise. It was your typical touristy boat cruise with music and a buffet (more hummus and tabouleh and kebabs!) and pretty views. The unexpected part was the Whirling Dervish; we'd been expecting to see belly dancing. It was this man all dressed up and spinning, or whirling, for at least 20 minutes. Unbelievable! Apparently it's like a spiritual, trance like event for them and entertainment for us. Pretty interesting!

Day 7: Thursday, 1/13/11
The best day yet! I went to the gym again and we had an early drive out to Abu Dhabi. After we drove through the desert for about an hour, we got to the Persian Gulf and it was absolutely gorgeous. Abu Dhabi has beautiful beaches and walking/running paths and parks along the water. I immediately liked it much better than Dubai because it's a city but also has an element of real nature. We had a quick meeting with ADIA, where they served us fancy cookies and tea, and gave us really nice leather portfolios to take with us.

Then we went to lunch. This wasn't any lunch. This lunch was probably the edible highlight of my entire trip, so far anyway. The restaurant was a local Emirates restaurant where the Sheikh himself typically eats, and it was incredible inside with ornate ceilings and walls, heavy wooden tables with chairs fit for a king! We got a tour of the restaurant and then took a million pictures of the food before we actually ate. There were dried fruits and nuts on our tables, then a buffet of cold dishes, an entire area with breads and rolls, then another buffet area with at least 20 hot dishes of lambs and beef and chicken and stews, what looked like a whole fish sitting on ice that I never tried, and of course, the largest spread of desserts I've ever seen. This was like my family's Mother's Day brunch on steroids and with an Arabic twist. There were slightly traditional desserts and then there was a set up for Arabic sweets and then another for Moroccan sweets. OMG. So the meal finally started when we were served "welcome drinks" which was this delicious lime and mint juice. And then the eating began. Everyone shared and the conversations mostly consisted of "what is that?" and "OMG you have to try this one!" I'd like to say what my favorites were, but I just can't! It was all too good. The first few things that come to mind though are the lamb byriani, the eggplant stuffed with minced meat, and something Moroccan that tasted like baklava but better. Oh and the bread with cheese baked on top. Then they served us mint tea, and then brought over these little pitchers that pump out rosewater and rosewater steam and you're supposed to kind of cleanse yourself with it. Wow. I will never forget this lunch. Truly amazing, delicious and utterly impressive!

Leaving the restaurant, my clothes were definitely tighter than they were when I'd walked in. Lol. Then we went to the Palace Hotel where someone from the Abu Dhabi tourism board gave us a tour of the hotel, the grounds and told us about all the museums they plan to build in Abu Dhabi including the Guggenheim, Louvre and a few others within the next ten years. It was shocking to see the cultural aspects being built up in Abu Dhabi, compared to just real estate and business in Dubai.

Next on the trip was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is absolutely beautiful! The girls had to wear abayas covering our entire bodies, and everyone had to take off their shoes, and then we met with our tour guide in the courtyard. He was like a comedian  - completely hilarious for the two hours we were there. We walked all around and then came back outside right around sunset. Unfortunately my camera battery died right before we got there so I just have a few pictures on my phone, including the two below. That was coincidentally nice though because I just got to take it all in. The mosque was huge inside and everything was beautifully designed, from the carpet to the walls to the chandeliers.

So that was the last stop on our Abu Dhabi trip. We took the bus back to Dubai and I quickly fell asleep after such a long day. I think that happened on most days of the trip!

Day 8: Friday, 1/14/11
Free day!! I went to the gym, had a leisurely breakfast, and then went with two others on a photo tour which was just us asking the cab driver to take us to a few scenic spots: the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; the Burj Al Arab, the sailboat hotel that we'd toured previously; and the Jumeirah beach. The beach was beautiful! We took tons of pictures and just frolicked around, and I got my first ever awesome picture of me in the air (below):

Then I went back to the hotel pool to relax before our desert safari. We got picked up in Land Cruisers and drove about an hour out to the sand dunes where we drove all around and got knocked around in the cars. It was scary but totally fun. There's a video but it didn't really pick up all the movement. It felt like a roller coaster in the sand. As you'll tell if you watch the video, our driver had an awesome soundtrack going the whole time, including "Blue" and "The Barbie Song" from like 1999. Lol.

After being somewhat sick from rolling around in the sand dunes, we drove to a flatter area of the desert and watched the sunset, then rode camels! I did it twice and the scariest part is getting on and off because they bend their front legs to get up/down so it feels like you're going to slide right off past their head. Lol. And then from there we walked over to the main area they had set up around a stage with tables and cushions on the ground, and we had Arabic food and watched the whirling dervish and belly dancers. During dinner the camels were walked up to the top of the sand dunes overlooking us, and it looked like Santa's reindeer up there. Ha pretty cool.

Ahhh another great day, but this time with no company visits! This was our last day in Dubai, and what a great way to end our stay! I don't know if I'd ever come back to Dubai, but I really liked Abu Dhabi given that it had more of a balance of culture and nature, and not just business and real estate. So it was a great experience and next we are off to Istanbul, Turkey!

The Journey Begins: Dubai

I was hoping to write in here every day while in Dubai, but that was a little ambitious. Really ambitious. We were so busy every day! So instead I'll just gradually write a recap of the past week, which was incredible, and hopefully I'll have better luck with this live blog thing while in Istanbul! :)

So the trip went something like this...

Day 1: Friday, 1/7/11
I met up with the 20 or so other students at the SFO airport for our 16 hour flight to Dubai. The flight was looooong, but there were a million free movies and an open bar to pass the time. Emirates Air is amazing! The plane was huge - 3-4-3 seating layout and business class had seats that completly fold down into little cots. Unfortunately we weren't in those seats. After a few glasses of wine, The Social Network and what felt like 20 Friends episodes, I realized we were flying over the North Pole. Pretty exciting until you realize it's just pitch black and there's not a whole lot going on. And that was only about six hours into the flight. That's when I decided the flight was truly painful and I might not survive, especially with a full bladder, a window seat and the two men next to me passed out and snoring, eye masks on and all :/ At one point I actually had to climb over the man in the middle seat to go to the bathroom! Lol. The Emirates bathrooms were so nice unlike most airplane bathrooms. It wasn't teeny-tiny and there was scented lotion and cologne in there. They really thought of everything.

So strange/funny thing happened during the flight...I had picked up a newspaper when getting on the plane, sat down, put it in the seat pocket in front of me. Then the Indian man I'd been talking to in the seat next to me just reached over, took it out and started reading it. Really?! I just stared at him, bug eyed, kind of humored, kind of wondering what else we would "share" during the flight. So, cultural lesson #1: personal space and belongings are different in other cultures. Lol

Day 2: Saturday, 1/8/11
We got into Dubai on Saturday night, and were picked up at the plane by a luxury shuttle. Not at at the airport...we were literally picked up just outside of the plane and taken to the Emirates VIP lounge where we were served fresh juices, fruits and Middle Eastern snacks. I felt like royalty! And although I was severly jet lagged and missed a night's sleep to the point where I may not have been thinking clearly, I'm pretty sure I ate the best pineapple I'd ever had. From there we were shuttled to the Renaissance Marriott, unpacked, ate a quick dinner at the hotel (Arabic Shwarma), and passed out.

Day 3: Sunday, 1/9/11
Dubai works a Sunday - Thursday week, so Sunday was our first day in Dubai and also our first day packed with company meetings. I woke up around 7am, which was 7pm at home. Very strange but I wasn't as tired as I thought. The hotel had this unbelievable continental breakfast buffet - fresh fruits, juices, pastries, veggies, cheeses, hummus, babaghanoush, cereal, dried fruits and nuts, made-to-order omelettes, random hot food that I didn't even try like baked beans, sausages, steamed tomatoes and other unappealing English-like breakfasts. Oh, and did I mention NUTELLA?? Yum! I somehow started a trend with everyone to take a banana and single serving package of Nutella each morning, and that would be our afternoon snack on the road. I didn't use mine every day though and ended up with a stockpile of like 10 packages. Definitely taking them home since I can't trust myself to have a jar of Nutella in the house. I'd eat it with anything - most likely a spoon - and it would be gone in a few days. The individual serving packages are much better for someone like me with no portion control when it comes to sweets!

Anyway, so we were picked up at our hotel by our tour guide, Muhommad Ali, and off to our first meeting at Price Waterhouse Coopers.  We drove past a million skyscrapers, half of them unfinished with cranes everywhere. The streets seemed really quiet without a lot of foot traffic like I'm used to seeing in San Francisco. We had a really interesting meeting and learned about PWC as well as the Gulf region in terms of business, culture and politics. It was a great introduction to the region. Then we stopped at the Dubai mall for lunch before our next meeting. At first I was thinking, what? I'm in the Middle East and I'm going to eat at the mall food court?!? But this place was incredible. Not incredible like I'd want to shop there, but like everything in Dubai: bigger and better and completely and ridiculously over the top. So we walked into the mall and what do we see? A three story aquarium with a tunnel so you can pay 20 dirham and walk through the aquarium. Unbelievable! There was also a sign for an Underwater Zoo on a different floor, but I don't even know what it was since we didn't have time to go there as well. So we grabbed some delicious Greek food and then were on our way to Jones Lang la Salle where we learned about real estate in the Middle East. They had a very optimistic view that Dubai has already bounced back from the 2008 crash, but from the looks of the land with unfinished buildings and construction sites that are incomplete and idle, I'm not so sure. Either way, it was really interesting to hear what they had to say, and we learned again about the culture and politics of the region which was very interesting.

After an exhausting day, I mustered up the energy to go to the hotel gym. It's crazy how we just sat all day from the bus to the board room to lunch to the bus to the board room. I miss city life. Dubai just isn't built up enough yet to be able to walk everywhere like you can in most big cities. There's a metro but unless you're in a very small area of Dubai, it's hard to walk places. So I had to work out just to get as much exercise as I'd normally get in San Francisco just from walking to and from my apartment and work on a non-gym day! I got on the treadmill, all set to run at my usual 6.5 MPH pace, and I realize it feels like I'm running really slow. At first I think the treadmill is broken, and then I realize it's in kilometers and I have absolutely no idea how fast, or slow, I'm really running. Rather than doing the math in my head, I increased the speed to what kind of felt like my pace, and decided I'd just run 5k since that's the only conversion I know at 3.1 miles. Lol.

The activity for the night was our first group dinner. We went to an amazing Lebanese restaurant in a little shopping area on the river. The meal started with "mezas" which are like tapas: hummus, pita, babaghanoush, tabouleh, cucumber salad, eggplant salad (like heaven in a bowl) fried cheese, fried balls of meaty goodness with the most amazing spices. There was so much that I can't even remember it all. I remember being surprised there wasn't any falafel though. We ate our way through tons of these mezas and then the waiter comes out and says it's time for the main course. Um, really?! More amazing food?? So then we were served lamb and chicken and meat kabobs, french fries which are apparently a global side dish, some Middle Eastern quesadilla. Everything was phenomenal! I know I'm forgetting some stuff but you get the point...I was in food heaven with samples of all things wonderful! We sat outside underneath an Arabic looking overhang, overlooking the creek and lit-up buildings. It felt like Vegas, which was a common feeling from everyone throughout the trip, like we could've just been hanging out at a Lebanese restaurant in a big Vegas hotel. Regardless, it was a fantastic dinner and a lot of fun just to hang out with the group all together to kick off the trip.



Day 3 will come eventually...off to dinner in  Istanbul! Oh and I'll upload pictures once I'm back in the states. To my readers (or should I say, to my two followers? lol), I hope you enjoy this and I'm sorry for taking so long to update you! :)

My Middle East Vacation!

Well, technically it's not quite a vacation, but more like an educational/cultural experience. But still, 2.5 weeks off from work...sounds like a vacation to me!

So what exactly am I talking about, you might ask? Through my MBA program at USF, I was presented with an amazing opportunity to travel to either the Middle East, South America or China for two weeks as part of an international business elective focusing on innovation in emerging markets. I decided I'd probably never get to the Middle East as it had never entered my mind as a place to visit, but the more I looked into, the more awesome it sounded.

So in a few hours I'll be flying to Dubai, then spending one day in Abu Dhabi, followed by a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!

While we're there, my class of 23 will be visiting local companies and going on some incredible cultural adventures.
Here's a list of some of the companies we'll be visiting in Dubai:

• Emirates Airlines (I organized this one...it better be good!)
• Boeing
• Dubai Media City
• CNN (I think this one's in Abu  Dhabi)

And Istanbul:

• Yogurt Technologies
• Honda Motors
• Anadolu Efes (a brewery!)

And then we have some pretty amazing cultural activities such as a desert safari and visit to the Burj Al Arab (voted the world's most luxurious hotel) in Dubai, and trips to the world reknowned bazaars and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

On top of all that, I am incredibly excited for the food! I LOVE Middle Eastern food and think I'm going to be in food heaven shortly after stepping off the plane.

Speaking of...it's a 16 hour non-stop flight from SFO to Dubai. Holy ****! I don't know how I'll survive such a long plane ride. The longest I've been on to date was the 11 hour flight from LAX to London. We're flying Emirates Air and did you know that Emirates' SFO-Dubai route is one of the world's top ten longest flights? Well now you do ;)

Hopefully in between company visits, exploring, eating and socializing, I'll have time to blog. If not, I'm sure I will have some spectacular pictures and stories to tell when I return!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

It is a Fields Family tradition to make pumpkin bread every year, with baking to begin after Thanksgiving, and not a day before. For any of you who know me, you've probably received a loaf of this delicious, aromatic pumpkin bread at some point around the holidays. You may have even consumed the whole thing in one sitting (I speak from experience..lol)! I think the best part is the sweet smell of fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin bread. The cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon seem to encompass the holiday aromas just perfectly.

For those of you who can't wait for me to bring you some, please request it in the comments :) These mini loaves make great holiday and host/hostess gifts, and travel well.

< Recipe Removed for Protection >

Ready. Set. Blog.

One of my 2011 New Year's resolutions was to start a blog. It is January 2, 2011. After a long morning of contemplating blog names, URLs, and design templates, I'm writing my first entry. Not too bad!

With this blog I hope to capture "The Adventures of Alison" including my travels within and beyond the country, my explorations in beautiful San Francisco, and my newfound love for cooking that has come as a result of growing up and realizing the joy and accomplishment that comes from creating something amazing on my own.