Mackel Journeys Blog 2023: December 27 through Dubai (January 5)
Mackel Journeys 2023
Romel W. Mackelprang
Ahoy World. On January 2, 2023 Susan and I boarded the World Odyssey to embark on our spring 23 Semester at Sea journey. Over the next four months, we will visit a dozen countries, most of them new to us. While at sea, I will be teaching about 80 students in three classes. An exciting, yet daunting four months lie ahead.
Boarding the World Odyssey
January 2, 2023
Traveling to Dubai: December 27-29
Twenty-four hours ago, Sue and I left our home in Salt Lake City and embarked on a journey for which we have prepared for nearly two years. After a short layover in London, a long layover in Paris, we are finishing the third leg of our journey and will arrive in Dubai, UAE in a few hours. We will be halfway round the world and after just a few hours’ sleep the last couple of days we will have a few days to decompress before boarding the World Odyssey for the spring 2023 Semester at Sea voyage with 550-600 college students. We board January 2, the students on January 5 and embark for our first stop in Mumbai, India.
This voyage is substantially different from spring 2016 focusing on the near East and Mediterranean vs. far East and South Asia.
Spring 2023 | Spring 2016 |
Dubai, UAE, Board Jan 2-embark Jan 5 | San Diego, CA (and Ensenada, Mexico) Jan 5 |
Mumbai, India. 1/12-1/18 | Refuel/ restock in Hawaii |
Mombasa, Kenya 1/26-1/31 | Yokohama & Kobe, Japan |
Aqaba, Jordan 2/12-2/16 | Shanghai & Hong Kong China |
Suez Canal Transit 2/18 | Vietnam |
Limasol, Cyprus 2/21-2/24 | Yangon, Myanmar |
Piraeus, Greece 3/2-3/6 | Refuel in Mauritius |
Dubrovnik, Croatia 3/11-3/15 | Cape Town, South Africa |
Barcelona, Spain 3/22-3/26 | Accra, Ghana |
Casablanca, Morocco 4/1-4/6 | Casablanca, Morocco |
Lisbon, Portugal 4/9-4/13 | Southampton, England |
Bremerhaven, Germany 4/20 | Tour Stonehenge and London |
Tour Germany on our own 4/20-4/24 | Return to Spokane, WA |
Fly to and tour Warsaw, Poland 4/24-4/27 | |
Return to Salt Lake City, April 27 |
I was originally scheduled to sail Fall 2021 but COVID-19 led to trip cancellations mid journey Spring 2020 with trips resuming Spring 2022 albeit because of COVID-19 leaving east Asia off the itinerary. For personal reasons, I am excited to see countries in Europe, having been in far more African countries that European. Either way, the students from most states and many countries will be in for a journey of a lifetime. The 40 of so faculty and staff will benefit similarly. The learning community on the journey with “staculty” (faculty & staff) as well as companions and lifelong learners from all around the globe-combined with students- living and working in close proximity creates an intense and powerful experience. Equally exciting are the world historic sites; some of them dating to antiquity.
Students enroll in four, three credit courses; faculty teach three. Onboard, we teach 7 days/ week in 1:20 minute class sessions every other day. My three courses are a basic Sociology 102 Social Problems course—a freshman and sophomore level class that fulfills a general education requirement. Given that most of our students are freshman and sophomores, I am surprisingly teaching a 300 (junior) level course focusing on global health and medicine. Finally, a 400 (senior) level course in global social welfare policy and practice. Contrasts between the US and other developed countries and between developed and developing countries provide stark comparisons to analyze and evaluate policies and practices globally.
It is often when classes are not in session—at meals, seminars, on the aft deck, by the pool, and recreation rooms where strong bonds form and profound learning occurs. Of course, there is lots of time for play as well. I need to have my head examined but I brought a full pickleball setup—mostly for in port by the ship—as a means for recreation, exercise, and relationship building. We will see how it works.
Having taught at the college level for more than 40 years, I am convinced that course content—facts and figures are often soon forgotten but if I can help students learn to “think how to think” critically they have a life foundation far beyond course content. This comports nicely with a belief from my spiritual tradition that, “The glory of God is intelligence,” recognizing that intelligence is comprised of cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and social intelligences. And for those who may be agnostic, atheist, or other persuasion, I believe there is universal transcendent value in critical thinking and multiple intelligences. So, as we embark, I hope these approaches will contribute to student learning and the culture of the shipboard community. But for now, I am ready to be a bit of a tourist.
We had a layover in Paris but, with a delayed flight out of London and other troubles, we were not able to see all we wanted. We took the train from the airport to the Louvre, walked around the outside and over to the Musee de Orsey but could not go in; so we headed down to the Eiffel tower in the rain, took some photos, then headed back to DeGaul airport in time for some light refreshments before heading our to Dubai.
Dubai: December 29-January 5
What a whirlwind of a few days. Our time in Dubai has not started smoothly with the loss of one of Susan’s bags with her pants and carefully planned outfits—not to mention contact lenses. Probably lost in either London or Paris. We have spent several hours per day on the phone—mostly on hold. Don’t know if we will ever get them back. It certainly limited some of our excursions and activities, but we did take the opportunity to experience some of UAE.
Some interesting things we learned about UAE and Dubai. UAE is comprised of seven autonomous states led by royal families that came together to confederate around the time oil became important and as a hedge against British colonialism. Each of the seven emirates is independent but tied to the others. Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest with an abundance of oil. Dubai does not have the oil wealth so the royals decided that tourism and international trade would be their focus—and it has been wildly successful. People who have lived for decades chronicle how the growth and development has been exponential. We see cranes all over and the day we took a trip to the desert, our driver related the residential and commercial growth over the last 5 years. As we passed through an area, he related how three years ago when they started building residences, people would ask why because, “no one will move all the way out here.” The area is completely occupied with more building adding on. An interesting fact is that of the more than 3 million people, only about 300,000 are Emirati. I think the only Emiratis we say may have been when we went to the Dubai city mall—reputably the largest in the world—and certainly very affluent. Seemingly, one could walk for hours and not backtrack. We had to ask for directions to find the exit when we left.
So, who did we meet and who are the other 90%? With taxi and uber rides, our drivers hailed from India and Pakistan mostly. We stayed at an Airbnb away from the big tourist areas and found that a high percentage there are from Afghanistan. We were struck by the fact that, in our area, there were almost no females in the streets or even shopping in the supermarket/ grocery store. Our nearby grocery store did have a female worker who wore a hajib but I do not recall women shopping there. There is an Afghan restaurant across the street so we went to eat there one evening. The reaction as we walked in was shock and we were ushered into the back corner and a curtain was drawn around us. The food was great but we wondered; did they not want us there? We inquired subsequently with our Airbnb host Razim, and he told us the cultural custom was to give families privacy. Again though, Susan was the only female there during our dinner. I think the shock was likely a mix of a woman and two white westerners entering to dine in that restaurant that caters primarily to male Afghan natives. With the recent Taliban takeover of the country and new sanctions forbidding women’s education, I would have loved to speak with people in the community about their thoughts. I would surmise from the predominance of male presence that they hold traditional conservative gender beliefs but live in a land with more gender freedom of expression. Certainly women socialize and have strong bonds and friendships but they are not visible to outsiders? So many questions.
Our first night in Dubai, we walked a couple of miles, going down the diamond souk and general highly commercial shopping are with hundreds of shops and, in part of it, only foot traffic. There, women and men alike were present. There were lots of spice shops, jewelry stores with lights that made diamonds on display sparkle brilliantly. Also, lots of clothing stores, restaurants, perfume stores, general merchandise etc. On one walk through the area the night before we boarded the ship, our Airbnb host Razim saw us pass by his shop, ran out of the store and invited us in wherein he had his employees mix up scents to give Sue. His store had dozens of large glass containers filled with scents lining the walls and he shared his love of perfumes and fragrances. He immigrated from Iraq many years ago and always loved scents. After working in a shop for several years he purchased his own perfume store and has now expanded 3 shops where they mix and sell scents. He has found UAE to be a great place to live and grow. I found it interesting that we never met his wife, though we saw her through the shared door where we stayed in the house they live in. We did meet, on the last day, his two young children.
Though most ex-pats are from Muslim countries, non-Muslims of various faiths are allowed into Dubai. There are large numbers of sub-Saharan Africans, Philippines people, Chinese and other countries. In Dubai, religions are also allowed to practice openly.
Dubai’s immigration laws rarely allow for citizenship that I think the other emirates follow. We met several people who were born in Dubai after their parents came, yet they are not allowed citizenship because their origins are elsewhere. Some are third generation residents but not citizens. To be a citizen one must be Emirati by birth and ethnicity. No one else is allowed citizenship and the large economic benefits that are attached. Citizens are typically set for life of privilege and affluence. The 90% come for work but there is not nearly the safety net. If one does not work and becomes homeless, it is a crime and they will deported.
Each Emirate has its own sets of rules and laws. For example, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi alcohol is legal; Muslims are expected not to drink but alcohol is readily found in large measure probably because of Abu Dhabi’s international oil related interests and Dubai’s tourism and trade business. However, in Sharjah that borders Dubai, alcohol is forbidden. These laws and rules are driven by the royal ruling families of each Emirate. In Dubai, religions are also allowed to practice openly; including Hindu, Christianity; there is even a Latter-Day Saint ward in Dubai and there is a plan for an LDS temple.
Clearly, UAE has an Islamic government, laws, and policies. Officials are appointed/ determined by the ruling families. Campaigns and elections are not part of culture and society. As an American, I would bristle at their style of government and many policies. However, too often western countries like the US believe it is desirable to import our democratic style governments to countries like UAE. In my travels, I have come to disagree with this approach. Though I believe democracy provides the best opportunity for success for most, I do not think it fits for cultures like UAE. Imposing it, I believe, leads to chaos, confusion, and instability. For example, with Iraq, Hussein was toppled, and the US made a disaster in installing new leadership. Same thing with Afghanistan. Even if the US was justified in taking military action, we were clueless or ignored what the people were ready for and needed. We do not have the right to impose on them; their peoples, communities, and structures do not have the capacity—or desire to do so. Over time, they may choose to change, but that is their decision. Now that said, the conundrum is when people in countries are systematically disadvantaged, discriminated against, or worse. In some instances, actions from economic sanctions to direct actions may be warranted but not nation building.
Other fun stuff we did in Dubai. We booked a tour to the desert an hour or so outside the city. We had a guide plus a family of four from Brazil with us. We went dune riding in our 4x4; it was a blast going on the sides of dunes or to the top of a dune with a severe dropoff. We then sand surfed. People typically sat on the board; I tried it standing. I would have loved an hour or two to practice—but even though I fell a few times it was a lot of fun. We then went to a site where we saw a falcon show—at one point the falcon flew inches above my head—and then rode camels and petted them. Camels love their heads rubbed just like horses do. Finally, we went to a large dinner with a couple hundred people from several different affiliated tours. We were entertained with a fire show and a belly dancer. The food was plentiful and delicious and the show was a lot of fun. We were all pretty exhausted when we got back late in the evening.
On the spur of the moment, we also booked a tour of the old section of Dubai along with a riverboat ride. The guide was Algerian but lives in Dubai permanently. We saw the old Dubai fort, went through an area that was reconstructed and modeled after traditional Dubai, then went to a residential area of old Dubai. We had not thought ahead but we were then on Friday evening—their holy day—but were allowed to visit a traditional home (for the wealthy). Large center living area with rooms around. Pics of royalty on the walls. Women and men had separate entrances so women could avoid being seen without their head coverings. A man who was interested in marrying a woman could see her uncovered briefly; dating was always chaperoned, no physical contact allowed, all very controlled. He related the couple had a choice—they were not forced to marry. Women receive a large dowery that is supposed to be hers—not his. If she divorces, she can remarry but only gets a dowery once. Very interesting customs.
We spent New Years eve in Dubai, but the combination of Sue’s lost luggage and trying to find clothing, toiletries, and other supplies left us tired emotionally and physically. We spent a quiet evening at our place to welcome in the years. Finally, after a walk on the morning of the 2nd to a bakery, in the afternoon we packed up, got an uber to the port and boarded the World Odyssey for our 4 month journey.
We did do some fun stuff during our stay. We spent an entire day in the desert with a tour guide and a family from Brazil. We went dune riding/jumping in our 4 wheel drive, did some sand surfing, went on a camel ride and saw a hawk show, then finished the evening with a great dinner and fun entertainment. It was wonderful to get out and away. We were all pretty exhausted when we got back late in the evening.
A mosque a couple minutes walk from where we stayed. There were several mosques and Islamic schools within a few blocks of our Airbnb.
The Dubai Frame was built in 2018 for Expo 2020 held in the City. It is 190 x 150 meters and has a museum and offices. It represents the key to the future and past. I took this as we were traveling the highway heading to our desert adventure.
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These were certainly not racing camels but hey, riding camels in the UAE desert
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Our tour began near the old fort and ended as we crossed the river, entered the spice market and bought some jasmine. The woman with us was visiting Dubai on her own for a few days. A nice relaxed way to spend early New Years Day evening.
The ship' captain, a Greek addresses the ship. Seated are Executive Dean Dan, Academic Dean, Nancy, and Dean of Students, John. We are meeting in the large auditorium, the Union. (Last voyage it was the Kaissersal.
Selfie time. We thought of going up but tickets were very hight priced--with it being holiday season, there were no lower cost options--over $300 to the top. Our non-profit can feed a student in Ghana for nearly 2 semesters with that money.
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