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!