If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’d have known by now that I traveled to Dubai. Yes, I’m finally beginning to fulfill my dreams of travelling, and even though Dubai didn’t make the cut in my top 5 dream destinations list, its somewhere I’d love to return to again and again. It didn’t strike me as a romantic city, but one that is inspiring. I could totally see myself marinating in creative juices simply by taking a walk or sitting in a park bench, watching people pass by.
What made this trip unique was that I went with the SoD fam (see posts on SoD here and here). We had our international conference and would be performing in two churches. About 40 delegates made it which was a large number, if you ask me. I took a camera and my two mobile phones so I definitely didn’t lack in the photos section, haha! They are actually a lot but lets break them down into subgroups, shall we?
FOOD: I was already warned that food in Dubai isn’t so spicy, so my palette was prepared but in the end I didn’t mind any of it. We ate mostly at the hotel where we had our conference sessions but also had opportunities to eat out. At every place we went we had friendly hosts with great customer service. I was able to eat the local meal during the buffet served at the Dubai Safari. The highlight of my food sessions was at a Japanese restaurant where we had lovely Asian cuisine. I finally saw a Bento Box as opposed to viewing variations on a BBM channel I’m subscribed to! I had Bibimbap and it was very delicious!
HOSPITALITY: Given that we were told to expect a little hostility towards us as Nigerians (as per our reputation) I found the people of Dubai to be hospitable and friendly for the most part. There were one or two people who weren’t very nice but I forgive them :D. The hotel staff, chefs, waiters and customer service personnel were extra nice too, and you’ll tell me it’s because they want my money, but you know there are many others who will still be rude or unfriendly to you no matter how much you spend. I think it all boils down to how happy you are doing your job.
SHOW DAY: I don’t have many pictures of the show, mainly because I was in all four dances to be presented that day. The up-side was that I actually made all four dances, whoop! The down side was that because of the rush to change into the costume for the next dance, there wasn’t a lot of time to take proper pictures. I’m sure most of my friends did, but for now please enjoy these random back stage shots! The audience enjoyed our presentations and we were also blessed by their service. Did you know church holds on Fridays in Dubai? Interesting!
THE TOUR: We went to the beach (one of my favourite places to be), on a desert safari, the Burj Khalifa and shopping at the mall. I got to pick shells and beach sand to form part of my beachsand collection, yay! A friend also remembered to get me some desert sand during the safari (I was having way too much fun to remember). The sight at the top of the B.K. was emotionally breathtaking. I enjoyed the belly dancing and fire displays at the dinner site :). Besides window and actual shopping at the mall and the safari, I was able to collect some mementos to remind me of the trip. 🙂 No one told me the safari involved speeding over sand dunes – I totally loved it! It was like a roller coaster 😀
I learned from Dubai and its sights that nothing is impossible, if you set your mind to it. I’ve learned that discipline, persistence and consistency are key to achieving excellence. I’ve learned that I must open my eyes to the gifts God has given me and use them to increase my territory. If these guys can make money from SAND, then I don’t have an excuse, and neither does my government which is blessed with even more natural resources. I am challenging myself to exist on a more creative, self disciplined and productive platform.
Dubai is beautiful. Thank you for being a great host, I shall be back again!
Writeforsanitysake 