Greetings fron Munich

I got back from Abu Dhabi this past Saturday. I spent a couple days in Salzburg and now I am visiting my host family in Munich for a week.

More about Abu Dhabi:

That first Thursday Kerstin's friends took us out to a hookah bar on top of a large building, where we drank mint tea and enjoyed a view of the city. After that we all went to a jazz bar where they sang well known hits. It was really cool. The room was filled with people all over the world, and yet everyone new the American songs and sang along. On Friday Kerstin, her friend, and I went to a hotel on an island. There we had brunch and also had use of the pool all day. Luxury. ;) That evening went to a hookah bar with her parents (hookah bars are a big thing there, can you tell?) On Saturday Kerstin's parents took us to the desert, where we dug our feet in the sand and took pictures of camels. Then we went to tour a palace, followed by eating at a traditional restaurant. My eyes got big when we walked in and I saw a fish with its eyes still intact, but didn't end up being bad. On Sunday and Monday we went shopping. On Tuesday Kerstin and I met up with her friend, a native Emirati. She was really nice and explained a lot about her culture to me. After that Kerstin and I went to the movies to see the film No Strings Attached. They sold American candy at the movies, and FROZEN COKE! I had my first frozen coke in 7 months. It felt like home... I felt a little homesick at that point. On Wednesday we went on a day trip with Kerstin's mother and her German women's group. It was fun, we went to a traditional market where bargaining is the norm, and the salespeople are pushy. On Thursday we went out for a nice Italian dinner, and on Friday we said goodbye and flew home


Abu Dhabi was an amazing experience. I honestly had pictured people living in modest homes in the desert. It's not like that at all. It is a vibrant, beautiful, city with a lot to offer.

At least, that's the side that the tourists see. I also had the opportunity to see Abu Dhabi's dark side. Although people claim that the guest workers are earning more in Abu Dhabi than they would earn in their home countries, I still felt for them every time I looked at the emotionless looks on their faces. Those guest workers, mostly from India and Pakistan, work long, hard hours, often sleep in disgusting, run down apartments shared with an obscene amount of people, and don't spend any of the little money they earn: they send it all home.

Seeing this has made me appreciate where I was born, the family I was born into, and the opportunities that I have had. To be able to go to college, to study abroad, it's amazing. And I see that now more than ever.

Greetings from Munich, Molly