From Dhaka to NYUAD, Abu Dhabi: A journey of Quantum (Part 1)
When I started my journey of learning quantum computing back in 2020 lockdown time, I never thought I will be able to fly abroad only to participate in a quantum computing event and meet people, collaborators, and friends I made since 2020. Thanks to Dr Sana Odeh, Professor, Department of Mathematics, New York University Abu Dhabi and NYUAD campus who invited me to participate in the event.
When I received the email from Dr Sana Odeh, I was busy with MIT iQuHACK 2022 hackathon. There were two roles to participate: mentors and hackers. I choose hackers. To complete the application form for NYUAD 2022 Hackathon, a recommendation letter from one of my professors was necessary. I would like to thank Md Mohsinur Rahman Adnan, who submitted the recommendation letter for me within a short period of time. After completing of application form, I was waiting for the decision notification.
In late February, I received an email with congratulations, you are selected for the NYUAD 2022 Hackathon. To initiate visa processing and buying tickets necessary forms are filled up. NYUAD Nirvana Travel Agent arranged everything for the visa procedure and all participants' arrival in UAE. I received my visa approval notification in mid-March. My arrival flight in Abu Dhabi was on 28th March, 18:30 from Dhaka Shahjalal International Airport. My aircraft was Airbus A320–174Y.
27th March 2022
This is going to be my first plane journey and first abroad tour. I was both nervous and excited. For the preparation, I printed my e-visa, flight booking and return flight sent by Nirvana. According to UAE health regulations, only booster dose vaccinated can be permitted to enter the UAE. And to left Shahjalal International Airport, Covid-19 negative report to be submitted to the airport authority. I took a booster dose on the 5th Jan 2022, so from the Bangladesh Health Ministry website ( surokkha.gov.bd) I downloaded my vaccine card and printed it out. I submitted my saliva sample before 24 hours of flight and received my covid negative report at 20:00 Dhaka standard time. I prepared my bag and baggage for the next day's flight.
28th March 2022
I woke up very early in the morning and take a fresh shower for the long journey. Dhaka is a city of traffic jams, and the distance between my home and to Airport is almost 16 Km distance. Due to traffic jams, this short distance takes typically 4–5 hours. My mother prepared breakfast for me. I left home around 9 AM in the morning. My father called a CNG autorickshaw and hired it. I reached the airport around 1 PM and found out Air Arabia counter. An incident happened during check-in.
Police Interrogation:
Around 15:00 I stood in a queue for check-in. When I reached in counter, I submitted my necessary documents to the officer. He was checking them and asked me for showing the return ticket. I showed him and he replied: I cant issue a ticket from Air Arabia as your return ticket is from Fly Dubai. I asked for a solution. He suggested informing Bangladesh Biman Authority This sudden refusal to issue a ticket made me worried and I was panicked. I started to look for a help desk at the airport. Air Arabia's help desk replied that they can issue a ticket if I book a return ticket in Air Arabia. Then someone at the counter said: This is insane, Air Arabia is trying to sell another ticket. You must protest it. With this suggestion, I once again came back to the Air Arabia counter. Meanwhile, I emailed to Nirvana travel agent about this issue and updated the information to Sana Odeh in slack. When I came back to the Air Arabia counter, I shouted: You can't force me to buy your ticket. This is wrong, I will make a formal complaint against you. When I was arguing at the counter, Airport Police came to the spot. Then they requested me to walk with them to a room, where they asked some basic introductory level questions. To them I passed my passport, visa, and all other necessary documents to them. They verified them and asked me why I am shouting. Then I said- Airarabia wasn’t issuing a ticket to me, even though everything was alright. The police officer then urged the counter to issue a ticket. When I was passing the boarding gate then Nirvana called me to get the update. I updated them that everything is alright. I am now ready to fly.
Fly in the sky
The aircraft was 1 hour late. It arrived around 19:30 and as soon as I was boarded and found my seat it landed. The first take-off emotion was crazy. It seems like the whole craft is running and I am floating. I have no control over what is going on. My heartbeats were pounding. The lights and neon light rays from Dhaka streets were fading away. My seat was just on the wing. When I looked outside through the window, I found that there was another aeroplane flying side by side. Funny thing is- later I realized that this is the image reflected from the window screen. Onboard I took my dinner with a bowl of steamed rice and a chicken. After taking the meal I also ordered a coffee. There were some fellow passengers from Dhaka, who was not that much fluent in English to communicate with the cabin crew, I helped them to order their meal. When I landed at Abu Dhabi airport it was 23:00 Local time. Delegates of Nirvana received me and they arranged a cab for me that will ride me to the NYUAD campus. In the cab, I met, Mr Abu. With a brief introduction when he came to know about my nationality, he asked if I follow IPL and cricket. Mr Abu follows some cricketers from Bangladesh, and his favourite player from Bangladesh is Sakib Al Hasan. As soon as we got some common ground to talk, then the whole journey in the cab was all about cricket. I asked where is the ICC head office. Does Mr Abu play cricket often etc? I was also enjoying the night view of the UAE. The streets in UAE is so big, so wide that I was amazed. It seems like I am in a desert with date trees and the car was driving through the desert.
When I reached the NYUAD campus gate, there was a welcome centre. Mr Ismail there welcomed me and checked my vaccine card and covid-19 report. Then he gave me my room key and he guided me to reach the dorm. During NYUAD gate to my welcome, he was describing the whole campus to me, where I will get necessary shopping things, like toothpaste, prayer rooms, gym, dining etc. The room was quite big for 2 people, and my roommate for the hackathon hasn’t arrived yet. There was a white bed sheet, NYUAD arranged a towel, bath gel, a bar of soap and shampoo for me to take a fresh shower. I felt that after this long journey I have to take a shower, but I was struggling to open the bathroom door. Then I once again contacted to Mr Ismail, he once again came back to me from the NYUAD gate to help me. As I never used that kind of door lock system that was confusing for me to open the door, when he showed me how to open the door I found that it was too easy. One another thing I was struggling is to charge my devices, the port wasn’t universal. Mr Ismail showed me a trick to use the universal port. Then I took a shower and prepared to asleep. The sleep was so good that I woke up the next day 29th March around 09:00 AM….(continue)
