So I went to Dubai
by Eman
I must state right up front that Dubai was a dazzling spectacle of sight, sound and fragrances. I have never been to Las Vegas but I cannot imagine that Vegas can hold a candle to Dubai. But I must go where work calls me to go and this time it was to this magical land. So after traveling 17 hours from Philadelphia to London to Dubai I was pleased to finally be free of the rigors of the trip. I must share with you that my trip was one blessed with good fortune. As I landed in London I had to get on a shuttle to the terminal. In the shuttle I found, caked in filth an 18 karat gold chain. It was caked in filth and had it not been for an odd sense of curiosity I might not have reached down and pulled it free. So, my prize was a 21 inch long exotic piece that I had cleaned and now wear as a charm. I am not superstitious but this seemed a good omen for my first trip to the UAE. I landed in Dubai and was whisked away to my hotel.
No not this one that is the Atlantic on the Palm shaped island you have seen all over the news. My driver was kind enough to give me a tour before dropping me at my hotel. The place where I stayed was very nice, don’t get me wrong, I was very happy with the accommodations.
I stayed in this one;
The Westin was not so bad and my view from the fourth floor was of that other hotel and the manmade island Palm Jumeirah. The view for a tourist like me was one I took in for a long time.
My trip was in support of the Cisco HR Partner Talent Forum and Job Fair held this past February 1st and 2nd. I was delighted to be included and to have members of my network attend. I let the CCIEs in my network know I was going to be in town and hosted a few for lunch. In fact I met for lunch with these guys;
All CCIEs with me at lunch (congrats to CCIE #23459) right after I left Dubai the gent all the way on the right scored after a Narbik class held in Dubai while I was there. Oh, that’s Narbik standing to my right (I am the guy in the hat). Narbik is one hard working dude. I am meeting his class in NYC and he is in Poland teaching at this writing. But hey I was thrilled to be discussing joining forces with Narbik to provide visits with his classes in person and virtually. He had a great idea that his classes could use the support of the CIE Agent. We both agreed that up and coming CCIEs should have the best opportunity to discuss their plans and careers with Eman. So I dropped by his class in Dubai where I was pleased to meet with these guys;
So in the March issue of the CCIE Flyer you will see forms to apply for training from Micronics featuring Narbik. There will also be a raffle for a free course from Narbik in the CCIE Flyer soon so keep an eye out for that if you are interested. So have a look and help support the CIE Flyer by registering for a class with Narbik through our link every penny helps keep my big brother Dan off of the street and out of traffic.
Dubai is one of those places I will be returning to. After the job fair the fifteen CCIEs that joined were invited to hang around and have food and drink with me. Of this group ten were able to stay a while and we had a great evening. Here’s a shot of some of the die hards that stuck it out the longest;
The meetings with Channel Partners from the region were fruitful and now we have many opportunities to place CCIEs in the region with Saudi, UAE, Pakistan, and Yemen channel partners asking for our help. This was very cool since my expectations were high and the folks at Cisco delivered again! So if you are interested in working in these regions let me know and I will have you screened by phone and submitted swiftly.
Thanks for reading and I will be in Egypt in March with even more news about roles and CCIEs I meet along the way. If you are in Egypt and have a few hours to spare while I am in Cairo, let me know!
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