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Day 8 in Dubai:
Today’s post will have more photos than narrative, as there was so much to see and share, and it is late. This morning, we visited another mosque: The Jumeriah Mosque – a magnificent example of modern Islamic architecture. The reason for another visit to a mosque was the presentation of local culture and customs given by the CEO of an organization called Open Doors – Open Minds. We had another lively discussion of Islamic Culture.
We then went to the Gold and Spice Souk (Market) via an Abra Taxi (Water Taxi). Then visited the Sheikh Mohammed Cultural Center where we had another enlightening discussion of Arab Culture and an incredible meal, eating on the floor on pillows like local Dubaians.
After the cultural center the choir gave perhaps the most powerful performance to date for Morgan State University’s sister university, the American University in the Emirates. This was the last day of finals at the University, so students were not present; however, virtually every person on staff on this particular campus was present, and very much enjoyed our presentation. We sang Charles Dickerson’s “I Have a Dream” and saw many persons there in tears at the end our rendition of Dr. King’s speech! After the concert, Dr. Wilson spent significant time with the American University’s President and made progress toward additional agreements between the two institutions.
The evening was open for the choir to continue to explore Dubai. Several of us visited the world-famous Dubai Mall next to the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa, and #1 rated hotel in the world, the Burj Al Arab. One of the highlights of the evening was the fountain show, which is presented every half hour outside of the Dubai Mall.
