Katie Plas
klp002@marietta.edu
At the end of September, the Petroleum Department took a group of Petroleum students to the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition that was hosted in Dubai this year. Katie Plas, a senior Petroleum Engineer major who is also Vice President of both the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers and captain of the PetroBowl Team, reflects on her time spent in Dubai.
After returning from Dubai, people kept asking us, “How was it?” I could not find the right words to possibly describe the wide scope of things we did. We spent time shopping, snorkeling, sand surfing, studying oilfield knowledge, and so much more! After hearing the question for a few days, I finally figured it out. It was the trip of a life- time. The eight hour bus ride and thirteen hour flight were completely worth it! The time difference made adjusting a little rough. However, I can now say I have traveled to a couple states in the United Arab Emirates and Oman!
Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building. I had the opportunity to go part of the way up (125 floors) and look at the amazing views during both day and at night. It was spectacular! Most of the places we went offered a date and a small cup of coffee out of hospitality. Many places also offered a cool towel to refresh and wash off. Our trip also included a visit through a massive mosque. Many of us dressed in tradition Arabian outfits, especially the women, to show respect. The world’s largest carpet and chandelier were inside. The entire mosque was very ornate and breathtaking.
The souks, which are local markets, were so cool! Everything we bought needed to be bartered over. We had a blast arguing over prices! These little shops sold trinkets, food, and clothing, but the prices were very high until you negotiated. Our guide for the week even took us through souks that just sold gold, textiles, or spices. The sights, smells, and sounds were overwhelming!
The first portion of our trip was spent at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition where we could look at new technology, network, listen to paper talks, or watch PetroBowl, an international quiz bowl based on all aspects of the oilfield. Marietta has a PetroBowl team that hopes to compete in San Antonio at next year’s conference! The official language of the oilfield is English so there was not a language barrier, making networking much easier. Meeting other petroleum engineering students reminds me how thankful I am for choosing Marietta College. Our liberal arts education definitely makes a difference regarding soft skills! The opening ceremony included speeches from CEO’s, the president of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), and an appearance from the king of Dubai – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Companies from around the globe set up booths and distributed information and trinkets to promote their goods and services. Many of the companies were taking resumes for potential internships and full time jobs. I enjoyed listening to companies like Saudi Aramco, Kuwaiti Oil, and ADNOC, because normally we don’t see their representatives in the United States.
The rest of the trip was spent sightseeing. One night we went dune running in jeeps in the desert and rode camels! We must have looked like such tourists taking videos of a pack of camels. These were both new experiences for me! A belly dancer was the entertainment for the night. She pulled a few of people out of our group to dance on stage! At the end of the night, they turned all the lights out in the camp for us to stargaze. I had never seen a more beautiful sky.
Another day was spent snorkeling off the coast of Oman. We dove off of dhows, which were the old wooden pearl boats. Of course, we had to try our luck and find a few pearls for ourselves. Sadly, no one found any pearls and a few came back with sea urchin stings. However, we pulled a few oysters off the bottom and added them to our lunch! We had VERY fresh seafood. Amazing food abounded each day! Personally, all the fresh fruit was my favorite, especially the ones I did not recognize.
We had an amazing trip to the Middle East! I would love to go back in 2020 when they are hosting the World Expo. It was the trip of a lifetime.
