Jenny Hernandez

I’m a little devastated to say that our trip has come to an end and none of my peers nor I wanted to leave Dubai. However, after the long plane rides and delayed hours at the airport, all we were thinking about was still being able to make it home for Noche Buena/ Christmas Eve to be with our friends and family. Aside from the holidays, there is no doubt that we all intend to return to Dubai for the World Expo in 2020.

One of the presentations I really enjoyed while being in Dubai was the Kerzner Presentation and tour of Atlantis, The Palm. We were first greeted by three FIU alums, who gave us the tour around the property. They informed us that there are 1,539 rooms; 166 of them are suites and 7 are signature rooms. One of the signature rooms is the Royal Bridge Suite which we were able to go in and see! They also showed us around the many restaurants and shopping areas, the zero entry pool, and let us see a model for phase two which will be 800 hotel rooms and 250 apartments.

Next, we had a presentation by recruiters for their MIT program. Two of the FIU alums are currently in the program and the other graduated from the program and is now working there. Here, we were able to get a better understanding of the company’s culture and more information about the MIT program. Kerzner’s vision is to “create amazing experiences and everlasting memories”. From the experiences that the MIT students have had thus far, they said that they never say no to a guest, even if the request sounds impossible they always find a way to accommodate the guest.

Phase Two

Lobby

The Desert Safari was an experience like no other! The drive to the camp site was amazing! We had a crazy drive through the dunes, where we noted that several cars had to do minor stops due to motion sickness. We saw a falcon show where we learned how fast and smart they are, and I was able to hold one later. We even got to ride a camel and get henna tattoos done. As our tattoos were drying, the class decided to get together to smoke hookah and it was nice to see all of us spending time together before leaving. Soon after, we had dinner and enjoyed watching the stars together. The only disappointing thing about that night was that it was a holiday, so there was no drinking allowed.  There really was no partying either, so we missed out on the belly dancing show.

These experiences have enhanced my global citizenship because I’ve been able to see first hand the truth about who the Emirati people are. Before coming on this trip, I would mostly hear negative things about them due to them being in the Middle East. I’m definitely more interested in learning about different cultures and seeing other misconceptions throughout the world. Another person who influenced me was our tour guide; she was very informative and willing to help us with anything at any time. She always demonstrated her professionalism and anyone in the industry should have that drive to always be there for their guests.

Camels in the desert

I will definitely miss Dubai and all of the new friends I’ve acquired along the way. Hopefully, we’ll all be here again for 2020 and see what new things Dubai has to offer us.

Happy Holidays,
Jenny

Hello again! This is Jenny.

I’ve been in Dubai for a couple of days now, and it’s all been great! The plane ride had some turbulence, the flights were long hours, and we all were jet lagged, but we quickly forgot about everything once we started to see the skyscrapers throughout the city. Everyday we’ve been able to see various attractions and presentations that have allowed us to be more knowledgeable about the beautiful Dubai.

One presentation that we’ve seen so far that really caught my attention was the Nakheel presentation. They work with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to determine how many tourists come each year and how much they expect for the years to come. Currently, Dubai has 12 million tourists a year and they expect to have 20 million by the year 2020. Seeing such rapid growth happening in Dubai, Nakheel is constantly looking for new developments that will make a contribution to the improvement of people’s lives, therefore making them want to come to Dubai. They explained a little bit about their projects such as the “World Islands,” which part of is currently under construction. What interested me the most is that whoever wants to have a property has to present their plan/ motive for construction and must abide regulations which can be turned down by Nakheel. Their World Islands also vary by density; the lower the density the smaller the development has to be.

                                                                                      The World islands, view from Burj Khalifa

We were able to go to the Burj Al Arab which is not exactly how I imagined it to be. It’s known to be the world’s only seven-star hotel so I expected it to be extremely luxurious, but it wasn’t as I expected it to be. Yes, there was gold all over the hotel and inside the staterooms, and the amenities and view included in the room were amazing. However, to me it felt like we were in a cruise ship, I think this was mostly due to it being surrounded by water all around. A unique thing they had was that the check-in to your stateroom was in the same floor that you would be staying at, so you wouldn’t necessarily check-in at the lobby. Also, the stores inside the hotel were very luxurious and the customer service from the employees was exceptional.

Both of the activities I experienced will enhance my global citizenship altogether. In the Nakheel presentation I learned that you have to be smart when proposing a business plan; you want to be able to come up with a product that is new and exciting to people but at the same time abide by the regulations given. In the Burj Al Arab, I discovered not all things are what they seem and everyone views things differently.

No matter where you work, I would want for all of my guests/customers to be satisfied with the product given. These aspects will help me become a more successful industry professional because I would constantly be making sure that the customers’ needs always come first and that they are content with what they are receiving.

Until next time!

Hi! My name is Jenny, and I’m a grad student at FIU. It seems like such a long time when I first decided I wanted to go on this trip, and now I’m just a few days away!

Along with the rest of my classmates, I’ve never been to Dubai so I can’t wait to see many of their famous buildings such as the Burj Al Arab and the Burj Khalifa and be able to get a feel of their culture.

One of the activities I’m most excited about is the culinary experience at L’atelier des Chefs of Dubai. Last year, I went on a culinary tour in Italy and I loved being able to pick our foods from a fresh market and cook some of our meals from scratch. As this trip is not revolved around culinary, I’m still eager to learn how they cook and use the different spices/condiments that they have. I definitely hope I’m capable of recreating some of their dishes upon our arrival back home.

I’m also thrilled that we will be able to go to Ferrari World. This is known to be the largest indoor theme park in the world and it’s also the first and only Ferrari-branded theme park. The park is home to “Formula Rossa” which is currently the world’s fastest roller coaster. With such high speeds, all riders are required to wear protective glasses due to the risk of an impact with airborne particles or insects. I am not an adrenaline junkie, so I hope I have enough courage to go on this ride!

I believe these experiences will enhance my global citizenship because I will have the ability to understand and appreciate their culture better considering that I’ll actually be staying there. They will also help me become a more successful industry professional because, in any job, employers seek those who are comfortable in many cultures and are exposed to diversity.