After having spent an incredible eight months in the United States, time had come for some Middle-East training. While the airplane was preparing to land in Dubai, thoughts of cold wind, rain and snow quickly faded when I saw the palm trees, beaches and soaring skyscrapers. While exiting the airport through the revolving doors, I felt the burning heat of this desert city for the first time. It felt as a smack in the face. I immediately headed to the 413m tall skyscraper where I would live for the next month and I prepared for class.
The Dubai campus feels very different from Boston’s. The number of students is way smaller, which makes it so everyone knows each other. The rotators were welcomed with open arms by a group of Dubai-based Hult students. They were super friendly, open-minded and it felt as if we already knew
each other. Pro-
bably a result of
the Hult-DNA.
They taught us
how to survive the
heat, they immersed
us in the Arabic world
and we learned from
each other’s experiences
at Hult.
From an academic point of view, I’d describe the Dubai courses as intense but incredibly rewarding. There were a lot of MBA’s and alumni following the courses I took, which added a lot of value to class discussions. Aside from the learning materials, there is a lot to learn in a class full of Middle-East students. I was there during Ramadan and I learned to respect and cope with Islamic traditions in a business setting. Some of my team members often had to go pray or have Iftar (dinner after sunset) during team meetings.
I also
had one
female friend who
was not allowed to touch anyone. In fact, it’s during those late-night group assignments that you really get to understand how Muslim students deal with their religion on a personal level.
After Dubai, I immediately headed to Shanghai. The adventure began at the airport without internet due to the
My
otations
By: Tom Van den Broecke
R
Dubai & Shanghai rotation for Mod D & E