Submitted by Erin Potter on the 2022 winter session program in the United Arab Emirates sponsored by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering…
Over the past week in Dubai I have been exposed to so many different cultures; what makes Dubai so unique is that it is home to people from all over the world. Only 20% of the population in Dubai are Emiratis, which means that most of the population is made of expatriates (people residing in their non-native country). I was surprised to see the amount of international food in Dubai; it is not uncommon to see Mexican restaurants located next to Chinese restaurants with Arabic restaurants across the street. I have enjoyed getting to talk to people from around the world from countries like Syria, Italy, Great Britain, and many others.
Another amazing part of this experience has been going to the World Expo. The World Expo is a large event held every five years that showcases various countries’ accomplishments and cultures around the world. This year it is being held in Dubai, so we are lucky to be able to attend this amazing event; the next World Expo is in Japan in 2025. I have been stopping in the exhibits of many different countries and have gotten the opportunity to talk to people around the world and learn about their lives. For instance, we went to Nauru which is the smallest island nation in the world. While in their exhibit, I learned a lot about their culture; before attending Expo, I had never even heard of Nauru, but now I know so much about it. I have visited over 25 different countries so far and I look forward to attending even more! I am so excited to see where the rest of this journey will take me and to learn more about Dubai and the rest of the world!
