Contact: Annette Barnette
Public Relations & Marketing Director
Glenville State College
Glenville, WV
(304) 462-4115

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates -- It’s been a few months since Glenville State College student Joshua James of Braxton County left West Virginia to study abroad for a full academic year at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. James said, “I wanted to go somewhere exotic and somewhere different. Studying in the Middle East is giving me a first-hand experience of the people there and their attitudes toward the United States.” James is continuing his marketing major studies at AUS while also studying Arabic. Although he will not be able to come home for the holidays, he did enjoy Thanksgiving with the McClain Family from Elkins, West Virginia. James will return home to Burnsville in May of 2008. Those who would like to drop him a line may do so at: joshj_2005@yahoo.com or Joshua James, Box 389, American University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 26666, Sharjah, UAE. First-class mail that costs 41 cents to mail to an address in the United States costs 90 cents to mail to the UAE. Below is an update from Josh himself.

“After a fourteen hour non-stop flight from Atlanta, Georgia, I was ready to land in Dubai. I was ready to land anywhere as long as I got off that plane! About two hours before landing, I flew over Iraq. We flew over the expansive oil-fields of Basra. A Blackhawk chopper flew below us. I have never seen anything so expansive as the oil fields. They go on for miles. When I got off the plane, instant culture shock! I have never seen anything like it! There were men in Kandooras with the traditional head scarves and women in Abayas and veils. It was really interesting. I, of course, stuck out in my Western dress! I knew I was in for a treat from the baggage claim onward. There were Porsches sitting by the baggage claim and Rolex wall clocks on every wall.

When I walked out the door of the airport, I thought I was going to faint! It was as if I walked into an oven at 7:30 p.m.! The driver from the American University of Sharjah, who picked me up, looked at me and said, "It's your first time in the Middle East isn't it??" I don't know if it was the look of confusion on my face or the fact that I was drenched from head to foot in sweat from being out in the heat for five minutes. I could not believe how hot it was especially for being night! The temperature was around 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit with very high humidity.

When I got to the AUS, I thought I was in a royal compound rather than a university. The buildings, all crisp and clean, glowed under the bright lamp-posts, which are adorned with golden accents. The buildings were reflecting into the polished pink and grey granite sidewalks. My dorm was yet another surprise. The entrance was made of pink granite, and the floors inside were made of marble. My kitchenette in my room is granite. A dorm with granite counter tops…isn't that crazy?! There is also a cleaning service in the dorms. A crew comes to your room every Tuesday and cleans your room for you. You NEVER empty your tray at restaurants or in the student center; someone does it for you.

I am still in culture shock but not as much as I when I first arrived. It is very different, but it is fun. I met a lot of people, but it is hard to have conversations. They speak English, but in conversations, they speak Arabic. It is hard to be a part of conversations and groups when you can't speak the language! It is so frustrating! This drives me more to learn the language! One of my friends, Hamad, came to AUS for the Intensive English Program. He knows very little English. We went bowling (the student center is AWESOME here!) and spent the afternoon together. Our conversations were not very good because of my lack of Arabic and his lack of English, but we had fun.

My perceptions of the Middle East are changing every day. I have also learned the importance of being different. I just noticed that people are always staring at me because I am different. It is strange at first and a little unsettling. I now understand what it is like to be different in society from what is considered normal. I now know what Muslims feel like in America in a post-911 world, always being stared at. I now understand why women wear the hijab, that it is a choice, and I respect their choice. Modesty is a beautiful concept in this part of the world.

One evening before classes started, students took a bus to Dubai to Ibn Battutta mall. Ibn Battutta (1304-1369) was a famous Arabian explorer who explored Asia, every Muslim country at that time, and southern Russia. His travels lasted for thirty years and expanded some 75,000 miles. This mall is a marketer’s dream! It is a mall designed with a section for every major part of the world Ibn Battutta explored. You, the shopper, follow in the footsteps of the famous Arab explorer on a shopping experience of discovery.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very wealthy country, and the Emirate of Sharjah, one of the largest Emirates in the UAE, is also the most conservative in the country. I am staying in Sharjah. One thing I enjoy most is hearing the call to prayer from the campus mosque. It is very beautiful to hear. Friday is the Sabbath here, and the call to prayer can be heard more often; excerpts from the Koran are recited over a loud speaker on Fridays as well. What can I say about the Middle East? If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. It is very different from the hills of West Virginia!”