Dubai

The final 2 days of our Indian adventure were spent in Dubai. Dubai was very different than India in so many ways even though much of the population is from India originally. It felt like a cross between Las Vegas and LA. It has the feeling of a no rules place that is just operating in a state of equilibrium. It is "A petri dish of pure capitalism and large infusions of regional oil money..." as observed by one of Babson's finest students.

Dubai felt completely safe for westerners. Even walking around late in the morning after the bars have close we felt just as safe (or safer) than we would have in Boston, MA. It makes me wonder if the "social security" that residents are afforded due to the oil money is the primary driver of low crime rates. It was definitely better than I was expecting given that we were in the middle east just a boat ride away from Iran. The part that took me back a little was the reaction of fellow students being in Dubai. Many felt very insecure about being in a Muslum country and seeing people everywhere who have been vilified here in the US. I just had a hard time relating...maybe I don't watch TV enough!