Meeting new people and animals

My first two full days here have been very, very busy. On Saturday we had the Visiting Students Orientation, where I met everyone who is in the CIEE program plus a few others who came here independently. So far it seams like a really great group and everyone gets along really well! Yesterday we went on a tour of the campus then went to our first Emirati mall. It was HUGE. For those of you in Eugene, to put it into perspective it seamed like it was Gateway and Valley River put together.... then times that by 5. Not only did they have shops here, but also a skydiving simulator and an obstacle course on the ceiling (where you are strapped in, of course).

Today I went with two other girls from the group to do practical things. Went to the bank for a girl to open an account, submitted our paperwork at the health center, ect. Then we met with the rest of the group to go the Arabian Wildlife Sanctuary. A zoo that has many animals that are native (or were once native but are now extinct in the wild) to the Arabian Peninsula. Lots of snakes, lizards, and bugs, but also wolves, cheetahs (which are now extinct in the Gulf), leopards, mongooses, jackles, caracals, a HUGE hyena, small wild cats that looked like kittens, bats, Arabian Oryxs, ostiches, baboons, antelope, rabbits, and many types of birds. I had a little moment with a leopard when he stopped in front of me on he other side of the glass. I put my hand flat up to the glass and he leaned it and tried to rub his head into my hand (like how pet cats do). I wish I had had my camera ready!!!

We then went to a children's petting zoo nearby and got to pet some camels and goats. Camels are quite intimidating when you are on the ground while they are standing.

We had such a deep connection

                                              

After getting back to campus one of the girls, Kayla, and I went to the student center to hang out. We started a rowdy game of "Kerplunk" and were joined by 2 other freshman students, Omar and Abdullah, for a game of Monopoly. The new student dinner was tonight. It was buffet style with lots of Arabic dishes (finally had my first Arabic food of the trip! Yay!). We met two Palestinian American girls from Chicago as well as two Saudi American girls from Houston and one local Emirati girl. 

I feel like I don't really have much to report today, but if I wait one more day I might have TOO much to write about. We are taking our first outing on tuesday to Sharjah to see museums and souqs, so things will get more interesting. Not all my classes are finalized (still waiting on my Arabic Placement Test) but I'll post all my classes as soon as I get the final word on that!

Miss you all and hope the Northwest is treating you well! The sun is just FABULOUS here :)

(left to right) Redwan, Ernest, Gabriel, Lucas, Max, Kayla, and me (missing Layal and Kusum)