Does your school have connections with Dubai? Via, exchange program? If so, that's probably why they encourage you to go overseas to Dubai. I know when I graduate with my M.A. History, I'm going to a either East Asian country (P.R.C., Taiwan or Japan) or Israel, haven't made up my mind where yet. I know my East Asian adviser is pushing me to go to either Shanghai or Beijing, since we have a strong Chinese program at my university.