Forty years later, Abu Dhabi feels like itвЂ™s in a state of вЂњIf you build it, they will come.вЂќ They have spectacular, opulent and modern architecture, gorgeous beaches, a state-of-the-art waterpark, and a theme park run by Ferrari, but everything feels and looks empty. ThereвЂ™s a gravitational pull between older and younger generations in Abu Dhabi-something that exists everywhere, but that feels more obviously pointed there. Women accessorize their full-body-covering jibabs with Apple Watches. Generosity and inclusion were virtues extolled to me by local residents at every turn, Westernization being something they look forward to, and yet the shroud of traditional Islam culture remains prevalent as well-a loudspeaker still blares morning prayer across the city at 4 a.m. ItвЂ™s a city clearly entranced by modern pop culture, and yet its legal system is still largely influenced by Sharia law. PeterвЂ™s Basilica-are the cityвЂ™s two defining structures, and neither existed before 2007. The Etihad Towers-five shimmering, sailboat-shaped skyscrapers-and the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque-a true marvel of religious architecture, a Muslim, modern equivalent to St. Imagine the United States coming out of the Revolutionary War, already one of the wealthiest countries in an already advanced modern civilization. To put that in perspective, while Abu Dhabi was becoming a capital city everyone in America was listening to вЂњMaggie MayвЂќ by Rod Stewart. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a visionary whose face is still emblazoned on street corners and hotel lobbies across Abu Dhabi, understood the peril his region-and by extension, his city-faced, and so formed a union, first with Dubai, and then with the other five emirates to establish the UAE. It hardly took any time for Iran to invade and lay claim to an island off the Persian Gulf coast. When the British government, logistically and financially no longer able to oversee the seven emirates, announced that they would be withdrawing from the region, the UAE was left vulnerable, sitting on a ton of oil without an army to protect it, or any governmental infrastructure for that matter. Before establishing itself as an independent country, the UAE was merely a leftover territory from British imperialism-with a ton of oil reserves. ItвЂ™s a country born (just over 40 years ago) out of necessity. Should I be this scared? Is this a fear-for-your-life situation, or am I overreacting out of obliviousness? It really doesnвЂ™t help that no one else at Gate A3 looks like me, a feeling that I, a white 26-year-old male, donвЂ™t experience often.ДЄbu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, a collection of seven city states (or, emirates) spread across the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula. I think it really has to do with the notion that I really donвЂ™t know anything about Abu Dhabi, and my imagination is being mostly informed with an ingrained preconception of the Middle East. But I donвЂ™t know if itвЂ™s totally that, just those nerves. I donвЂ™t sleep well on planes so this is basically a guarantee that IвЂ™m going to be awake for more than 24 hours straight. It is 14 hours or so to Abu Dhabi, a fact thatвЂ™s definitely hanging over me. ItвЂ™s not like IвЂ™ve never traveled before-IвЂ™ve been around, big time-but this time it feels different. IвЂ™m about to go to a city-no, a country, wait no, an entire region of the world-that IвЂ™ve never been to for the sole purpose of riding in fast cars and spending six days like IвЂ™m Brian OвЂ™Connor or Dom Toretto while hanging out with Roman Pierce. On the one hand, I did agree to go on this trip to Abu Dhabi months ago-someone said вЂњ Fast and FuriousвЂќ or maybe just вЂњTyreseвЂќ and I blurted out, вЂњIвЂ™ll do it.вЂќ But on the other hand, I am just sitting here, and the minutes keep ticking by, and something that once seemed so far away is now just moments from happening. IвЂ™m sitting at Gate A3 in the International Terminal of JFK Airport on maybe the hottest afternoon of the summer, doing a little bit of both. You either swim with it or let it wash over you completely.

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