Swimming With The Fishies

Yesterday we went snorkeling in what is supposed to be the most beautiful part of Mauritius, Blue Bay. I've never seen water so blue and clear in my life! You can see all the way to the bottom over 20 feet deep.  There are tons of coral and fish in this area and we even saw a squid.  We had a nice glass bottom boat. I've been on them before but not in a place where there is so much wildlife right underneath the boat! We got to snorkel around for a while, and the water was so salty that you could float very easily. So nice to get into the water.

Besides our snorkeling adventure, things are going really well in Mauritius.  We have been watching the Euro Cup which is awesome since soccer isn't big in the US.  It's fun to watch it with people who truly love soccer.  All of our interns are here and we are getting started with our project.  We went to one conference called Rio +20 where we discussed our visions of a sustainable future with many local Mauritians.  It was nice to meet people form Mauritius and hear what they had to say about the problems here such as lack of recycling and lack of available water.  

We also did presentations on Monday about all the countries we have interns from.  Each country did a presentation, and it was really interesting to see pictures of the local cultures, especially food! We are very lucky to have so many great interns from so many interesting places. 

First Days in Mauritius

I've never been to the Caribbean or Puerto Rico...but that's what I imagine Mauritius looks like. The landscape is so lush! Palm trees are very common, and there are sugar cane plants throughout most of the island.  Sugar cane is one of the main components of the Mauritian economy.  There are many open markets throughout the cities, especially in the capital city of Port Louis. Many of the large mansions remind me of New Orleans (even though I've never been there either...) but they look like classic French tropical houses.  Mauritius is a big blend of cultures, especially Indian and African.  A lot of the food here is based on Indian food and so far it has been delicious!

Here is a map of Mauritius:

We are living in Rose-Hill, a little west of center.  Our town is small, but there are many shops, an outdoor market, and ATMs within walking distance.  There are 22 of us total in this apartment, but not everyone has arrived yet. So many different nationalities! Germany, US, Canada, Slovakia, Singapore, China, just to name a few. We went into the capital city of Port Louis on Tuesday.

We checked out some shops, had lunch, and even went to the Natural History Museum. They have many species of animals found on Mauritius (some only found on Mauritius).  Lots of cool fish and reptiles! They have a dodo bird gallery in the Natural History Museum also.  Fun fact...Mauritius was the only home to this flightless gigantic pigeon.

Yesterday we took the bus out to the beach in Flic-en-Flac on the west coast of Mauritius. So beautiful! Nice white sand beaches and the water was sooo clear.  It was a little colder than I anticipated but nothing like the freeeeezing water in NorCal! The Indian Ocean is pristine.   

I cannot say enough good things about AIESEC here! They have been so amazing and so helpful about helping us get everything and taking us to do fun things. Can't wait to do all the other fun things they have planned over the next six weeks.  Thanks guys..you da best! 

Dubai!

Well first of all, for those of you who do not know, I am headed to Mauritius for a summer internship through AIESEC this summer (shout out to my girls Melissa Montgomery, Kelsey McFadyen, and Kristina Huhn for helping me along the way!).  It is focused on making the local people of Mauritius more aware of the causes of climate change and their effects.  Very few people know where Mauritius is (don't feel bad if you don't), so here is a beautiful map of the Indian Ocean:

So, on my way over here I had to fly through Dubai anyway so I convinced my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!) to let me stay two nights here. Technically I guess one since it's 1:30 AM. here in Dubai, and my flight to Mauritius is at 3 AM. First of all, Emirates is sooo awesome! They have free alcohol (besides champagne) and hundreds of movies and TV shows. It made the 15 hour flight go by fast! Also, they have their ceiling turn into stars when they are trying to get you to go to sleep during the flight. Would highly recommend it for long flights!

If you ever get the chance to go to Dubai, GO! The Emirates terminal here is crazy nice. Looks like an oasis.  They try and flood you with duty free items, even on the flight over.  There's basically an entire mall of duty free shops here.  They also have a post office (perfect for sending postcards!), a spa, fitness club, and showers. When I arrived and had to go through passport control, there was a different line for ladies.  Also, when I took a cab to the hotel there was a different line for ladies and children.  I didn't take the metro while I was here, but I read that there are different cars for women and children.  Stepping out of the airport...MAN is it hot out here! Feels like a steam room all day long.  Luckily the AC is literally blasting in all the buildings. I was freezing in the malls and my hotel room!

My nice taxi driver told me that only about 15% of the people living here in Dubai are locals.  It seems as though there are a lot of Middle Eastern people here, and they must come from other areas here in the Gulf.  Where I stayed there were tons of Europeans, but not as many Americans.  I even got asked a few times if I lived here in Dubai.  I wish...although I'd have to get my husband's permission to drive so maybe not.

I am a fan of any country where it is encouraged to visit the malls and go shopping. Thanks UAE! There are signs outside of the malls about dressing and acting respectfully. They say not to wear anything above your knees or show your shoulders (which I respected), but I saw many people not doing so.  The malls were the places where I saw the most women dressed in the full burqa.  It's a striking image, especially when you see a woman in a full burqa while her husband is in a tanktop and board shorts! It's very interesting though that the traditional Arab clothing for women is all black and all white for men.  I did see men in the traditional clothing (mainly workers at the airport) but not as much as the women in the burqa.  I also saw a lot of women with the black full burqa but with some colored fabric or rhinestones to spice it up. I did a research paper on the banning of the burqa in France, and I read that most women adopt the full burqa after marriage out of a sign of respect for their husband.  I mostly saw married women in the full burqa, although I did see some teenage and young girls.  I even saw a family fully in the traditional Muslim clothing all riding in their Chevy Tahoe. Oh the irony...I have to commend the women for wearing the full burqa in the heat. I don't know how they do it!  I never experienced any problems with being a woman here, although I would definitely advise not wearing revealing clothing as you will just draw more attention to yourself. 

In the mega malls I saw the Ski Dubai indoor resort...a stark contrast from the outside weather.  They even have ski clothes for sale outside.  The Dubai Mall was ridiculously nice.  Think of the highest high end fashion allllll in one place with huge stores! Heaven. And they have a La Duree! I obviously got myself a nice salted caramel macaron.  Apparently you can't take pictures in there? But the nice man working said "you can go ahead, they are just cookies".  Um, sir...they are definitely more than just cookies...Outside the Dubai Mall is the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. And boy is it tall! You have to crane your head all the way back to be able to see the entire thing up close.  That area of Dubai is extremely nice.  They have a nice lagoon with a huge fountain (think Bellagio) that goes off at night.  When you cross the creek, you get into the old part of Dubai-no lambos and gold ATMs in this part.  This is where the gold souk and the old souk are located.  This part of Dubai definitely resembles the Middle East much more than the rest of the city. 

Anyway...Dubai is awesome everyone should go!! In the words of the man at passport control "Please come visit us again soon"...yes, yes I will.

Now Mauritius here I come!

Dubai: