At the end of this past fall semester 2023, I had the opportunity to visit the United Arab Emirates for a short-term study abroad program planned by the Lindner College of Business. Though the travel days were very exhausting as I took non-stop flights from Chicago totaling 15 hours of flight time each round, I am so grateful that I got to visit the UAE and I know I will go back there again. The first day of the trip in Dubai set the foundation for tourists like me as my classmates and I visited Old Dubai and were able to understand the core values of the city, and the UAE as a country, despite the luxurious lifestyle that is shown on social media. The following days impacted me the most because we visited some of Dubai’s most popular places such as the Burj Khalifa (the tallest Building in the world), Dubai Mall (one of the largest shopping centers), and the Palm Jumeirah (the world's largest man-made island). In addition, we met with local entrepreneurs in Dubai who shared about their professional journeys as well as the culture in the UAE. Visiting the UAE was one of the best experiential learning experiences I have ever had because it taught me how such a new country (founded in 1971) used its natural resources to quickly expand and become one of the most powerful countries in the world. I remember writing about wanting to visit the UAE in my UHP application essay and I’m extremely happy that I got to do it.