Ellen Bouwhuis is a third-year student at CMD LWD. She is doing her internship in Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. This article is part 1 of a series about her experiences.

'I am going to do an internship in Sharjah.' I told the people around me. 'Are you kidding?' they asked. 'No I mean it!'. Yet it felt, in the weeks until my flight, a bit like a joke. I couldn't really realize yet that I was really going to step on the plane. On the way to my new home for the next 5 months. Doing an internship at a company 5000 kilometers from my trusted Friesland.

From AC to AC

It certainly takes some getting used to. Last time I was allowed to visit this emirate I was on vacation, now I live there. Life is different here. Because of the high temperatures outside, it is not self-evident to breathe 'fresh' air for a while. In the summer people live from air conditioning to air conditioning. It is now slowly starting to cool down, but for my Dutch self it is still very hot during the day. So I am also looking forward to the winter. In terms of temperature it will be 'a beautiful Dutch summer' here. The outdoor life will then flourish here. Parks, which are real here, are then full and people meet each other in the open air.

mensen ontmoeten

What is normal here?

Innovation Box, the company where I do my internship, is located in Sharjah. It is a small '360° agency' (as they call themselves). And I won't lie, it was certainly difficult to find my way here in the beginning. There is of course a large cultural gap between my colleagues and myself. You can see this clearly in communication, for example. Dutch people generally communicate very directly, here that is not self-evident. In a conversation you have to read between the lines a bit, you have to sense what they mean. They will never say that you did something wrong, or that they are not happy with something. It is sometimes difficult to estimate this correctly, but I can also appreciate it. It is very special to work and learn in such a different atmosphere, where the standards are very different.

I do feel safe here. It turns out that women in the United Arab Emirates feel safest in the whole world to walk on the street in the evening. I understand this. There is a huge respectful atmosphere, especially towards women. People help each other and are very hospitable. I think they embrace the saying 'what goes around comes around' with open arms here.

Where there aren't many women, is at the office. I am the only woman in the 'development department'. This doesn't mean they are unfriendly to women, but I think girls here aren't encouraged to follow a CMD-like education. That's simply less normal here. This also means my colleagues have to get used to me being at the office. They are waiting to see which way the cat jumps. They want to, regarding design, sense what I can and cannot do. That's okay for me, I also have to get used to the company and its habits and routines.

Sharjah

Now it is also a small challenge to find social contacts. Where in the Netherlands I could enjoy my football team for example, there is not really the possibility for that here. Not much is organized for women here. The neighboring emirate Dubai is much more advanced in this, but Sharjah has remained more traditional. For this reason I find meeting people here one of the difficult things. I have to approach people myself here, which is quite exciting. Yet it has slowly been getting started the last few weeks and I am getting to know more and more people.

I have been here for six weeks now and I am starting to find my way. I form routines and get to know the city. I recognize people standing in the elevator of my apartment building. Against all expectations I am even starting to get used to the heat. And my little apartment on the sixth floor is also starting to feel like a home.

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