Study Break? Time to explore Dubai!
It’s the weekend and you finished all your work and have the whole weekend to yourself. You think to yourself, “What can I do?” But you remember that you’re literally in Dubai - so it’s time to go exploring!
You get up Friday morning (weekends in Dubai are Friday-Saturday) and head to Filli Cafe to get some breakfast. Before you finish, go on the Careem app (similar to Uber) and call a car to take you to the Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall is the largest mall in the world - you can literally shop until you drop! But I hope you saved some energy because there’s so much to do. My go-to stores are MissGuided, Forever 21, H&M, and Bershka. There are hundreds of stores so I’m sure you’ll find something! After you spent hours shopping, you’re probably hungry so head to the food court. There’s a lot to choose from - American, British, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and many more! There’s always something new to try.
You ate, you shopped, what’s next? Time to have some fun at the VR Park in the mall! It’s the world’s largest VR Park with more than 30 game-changing rides and experiences. You’ll be here for a bit but it’s definitely worth it! A couple of hours go by and it’s still pretty early, but in an hour it’s going to be dark so let’s go to the Burj Khalifa.
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building on Earth and it’s attached to the Dubai Mall. From the 124th and 125th floor, you’re going to be able to see panoramic views over Dubai from the observation deck. Woo, you made it right before the sunset! You were able to get pictures when it’s daytime and nighttime! These views are amazing!
Once you finished taking your pictures and taking in all these views, head to the Dubai Fountain - it’s right downstairs, next to the mall. The Dubai Fountain is the world’s largest musical fountain and the best way to enjoy it is while eating dinner. There are many restaurants on the outside of the mall with perfect views of the fountain.
Today was a long day! Catch a Careem back home because tomorrow is going to be another long day!
The day is Saturday and it’s back to the books tomorrow! It feels like it’s a beach and relax type of day so you head to the Dubai Marina - a place where many people hang out - from tourists, to Western ex-pats, to locals. Start off by relaxing at the beach and bring a good book to read – you’ll want to stay a while! Get lost in your book for a bit and enjoy the views. You have the option to rent some watersports equipment or just play in the water - there’s so much to explore! Take a stroll down the Jumeirah Beach Residence Walk with many boutiques and restaurants - you can do more shopping or grab some lunch! After exploring the beach, take a Careem down the street to the Mall of Emirates - and Ski Dubai! Ski Dubai is the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort and is amazing! Whether you’re speeding down the twin-track bobsled track or the world’s first indoor black diamond run, or rolling down the hills on a giant padded snowball, you’ll definitely find something to do! There are also laid-back things to do like the interactive activities and games at the snow cavern. Maybe you’ll even have the chance to see some penguins! After you tire yourself out with all the snow activities grab some hot chocolate and grab dinner in the mall.
Where has the time gone? It’s back to class tomorrow! I hope you enjoyed the weekend – there will be much more to explore next weekend!
Roxette Burgos is an Electrical Engineering major in the College of Engineering and studied at RIT Dubai during the spring 2019 semester.
Want to know more about Roxette's experience in Dubai? Check out this video on our YouTube page: Living & Studying in Dubai - A Discussion with RIT Global Ambassadors