Global Village helps forge friendships
Workers of different cultures find something in common at annual fair
Just as the UAE is a melting pot of cultures, so is the Global Village. The annual fair, which draws millions of visitors from all over the world, has more than 75 cultures working at the village this year.
For six months, these people — be it performing artists or people manning kiosks or running food outlets — come here to work, leaving their families behind, just so they can earn enough money by the end of the season. As the 159-day season began on October 30, Gulf News spoke to people who forged friendships for life.
Daniel Kolar, 25, Czech, Amena, 21, Arnela Tutic, 27, Bosnian, Hossam Hassan, 28, Egypt
This quartet
Bosnia pavilion.
Daniel said that had it not been for his trip to the Village, he would never have been able to make friends from other countries. Arnela was his first “international friend”. Soon he met Amena and Hossam and they have become close friends.
“Having friends from other nationalities and cultures makes us truly global,” said Hossam. works at the
Nagham Okall, 25, Palestine, Nancy Ishaq, 20, Syria, Sandy Eshak, 23, Palestine, Leen Eisa, 22, Syrian
These four friends, performing artistes at the Palestine and Syria pavilions, live in Syria and cannot contain the excitement of being together at Global Village.
Ayman Ali, 32, Yemen
He has been selling honey at the Yemen pavilion for five years and has made a Sudanese friend, Shakir Nasser, who works at the Africa pavilion. Nasser sells traditional artefacts and souvenirs at the Sudanese stall. Every day, the duo have dinner together.
“We both miss our families. In Dubai, we have each other for support and care,” said Ali.
The two friends live in Ajman and travel the same bus to and from the village. “That gives us additional time to catch up with each other. On our weekly days off, we sometimes go to a park or a restaurant. Nasser is like a brother to me now,” said Ali.
“We love it here,” said Eshak.
“We are childhood friends from Syria. Our parents were particularly happy for us as they felt secure in the fact that we will all be together in Dubai,” she added. ■ ■