Turning 16 is a milestone in life. It’s a time when you are in between the innocence of childhood and the responsibilities of being a fully grown adult. It’s when you have more issues to deal with, but you also get a few more privileges. So what is it like to turn 16 in the UAE? Friday meets a few youngsters who have reached this milestone age to ask them:
Anushka Gehani
Grade 11, Gems Modern Academy
Turning 16 does something to you. For one, you learn to be a little more mature, a little more responsible. At the same time you know that you ought not to take yourself too seriously. I’m definitely not ashamed to admit I still watch Tom and Jerry whenever I can and love the show as much as I did when I was five. Turning 16 in Dubai is exciting; in a city where change is a constant, you get to enjoy many more opportunities than you would if you were in say, India. There’s just so much happening here all the time. Turning 16 also gives your perspective of the world a little nudge. You learn that eventually you’re going to leave home, school and perhaps even the country to go to university or college. It could be unnerving, but it is also exciting. After all, we should go out and carve a niche
for ourselves.
Anwesha Sharma
Grade 11, Our Own High School, Sharjah
Like millions of girls, I’d spent a significant part of my teen and preteen ages looking forward to my sweet 16. I’d always hoped that my birthday would be like the ones in movies with a party that the entire city would remember for a long time. Instead I woke up with fear and trepidation. This isn’t how one ushers in their sweet 16, is it? There are a lot of bittersweet things to worry about – like acne, friends who move on, new friends you make – when you are at the threshold of this wonderful year. If turning 16 has made me apprehensive about the future, it has also brought me closer to adulthood, closer to finishing school and closer to being accountable for my actions.
Isaac Joy Solomon
Grade 11, Gems Modern Academy
Growing up in a nation that is constantly changing for the better is an amazing experience. I feel privileged to have turned 16 in this country.
Turning 16 here has brought about many changes in me. I have learnt more about myself and I’ve become more open-minded and receptive to the views and opinions of others (including my mom’s!). I’ve begun to absorb the values that will help me thrive and flourish; I’ve learnt the importance of dreaming big and the biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that if you work hard you can realise your dreams – just as the UAE has.
Anais Elena
Sixth form, Wellington International School
Turning 16 means different things to different people. For me, turning 16 meant that I am considered more mature by my parents and family. This is the age when you are no longer termed a kid, but you are not quite an adult. It’s really the cusp of adulthood. Turning 16 in a place like Dubai means that while I may not be able to drive a car yet (much as I would love to), I have still learnt a lot of things that will surely stand me in good stead in future. For one, the fact that I am growing up in a place that is so multicultural means that I am aware of people with different opinions. You get to be more open to accept other people’s points of view. You are also aware of the different cultures and learn to respect them all. Thanks to Dubai’s laws, rules and regulations I grew up more protected, which allowed me to be a child for longer. Being 16 in Dubai has given me the maturity to allow myself to be a kid.
Minxuan (John John) Guo
Year 11, Dubai English Speaking College
Turning 16 in a place like Dubai can be absolutely amazing. The city is evolving so rapidly that it is difficult to keep pace with it.
There are so many things that are just waiting to be done and experienced. To me being 16 is all about absorbing the excitement and positive energy all around. And I’m sure there are few better places to get one step closer to adulthood than Dubai.
Sherina Poyyail
Grade 11, Our Own English High School, Sharjah
To me, turning 16 is akin to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. When I was 10 I always dreamt about becoming a teenager, and then when I turned 13 I wondered what it would be like to turn sweet 16. I now realise being 16 means being saddled with the responsibility of making potentially life-changing decisions like choosing a career path. Making these crucial choices is especially tricky for someone like me, who finds it difficult to even choose between chocolate or caramel milkshakes. I feel it is special to turn 16 in a happening place like Dubai, especially when I look around and see millions of girls my age suffering around the globe and being less fortunate in life. Dubai has given me a comfortable habitat to expand my horizons to explore new frontiers and discover new opportunities every day.
Josh Mendoza
Grade 11, St Mary’s High School, Dubai
Turning 16 was a huge leap for me because of the expectations people had of me. Being 16 is like a roller-coaster ride. There are days of highs and lows (not to mention crazy loops!), but overall it is a fun ride to be a part of. A lot has changed since I hit 16. I now feel a little more mature in my thinking, but also more adventurous – which I think is the whole point! I find being 16 an adventure because it’s the age when you start to actually think for yourself, when you get to decide on your own goals, when you fall in love, when you get your first heartbreak, when you enter high school filled with it’s own road of pleasant and unpleasant memories...I feel it’s a new beginning with a new set of rules. So if there are other young teens out there turning 16 soon who are nervous, I’d advise them to not be afraid to admit it. That’s the entire point of being 16, it’s a crossed-finger’s, flip-a-coin kind of age where you have to jump into that roller-coaster ride whether you have cold feet or not, and just pray you don’t end up falling!
