Every week, Gulf News will give voice to stakeholders of Dubai to hear their thoughts on what makes Dubai special and why the emirate should host the 2020 World Expo. This week, we bring you the Expo through the eyes of a seven-year-old Emirati, Maryam Al Khayyat, who aspires to become a veterinarian and a violinist.
“Dubai is special to me because it’s my home country where I have all my friends and family. I like how I can find anything I want here – like we can ski even if we’re in the desert. I like that we have lots of malls and that we have the tallest building in the world. I like that in Dubai I can have friends from everywhere. My friends are from America and my best friend is from France. I can now speak French because of her.
“I remember seeing the picture of the Expo 2020 one time and I asked my mum about it. She said it’s a big business event, a place where people can meet. I look forward to go to the Expo, to see how it is. I will meet other people and learn other languages. I already know Arabic, English and French, and I can learn more.
“After the Expo, they said it will become a school. By 2020, I’ll be 14 years old, I’ll be in grade 9. But the Expo place is gonna be my university in the future. And maybe I can work there also.”
