Dubai man doesn’t know what to do after winning Canadian island
27-year-old who lives with parents in Karama will visit but may not live there
Dubai: A Dubai-man who won an island in Nova Scotia, Canada, last week, said he still hasn’t worked out what he’s going to do with it, and doesn’t know if he could live there.
Brendan Lopes, a 27-year-old filmmaker and DJ, who still lives with his parents in Karama, won Hollpoint Island and Dh100,000 in cash after entering a contest run by Emirates NBD’s digital-only lifestyle bank Liv, last Monday.
“I’ve not really made up my mind completely,” he said, when asked what he was going to do with the six acre island, which is the size of five football pitches and is said to be worth between US$50,000 to US$100,000.
“I’m the sort of person that can’t sit still without doing something, so I would need to be in vacation mood to go there.
“For peace of mind and some time away from Dubai however, I would definitely like to visit. My family and I are planning to at least see the place, but we’ve never been to the West and don’t even know what an island looks like,” added Lopes, who said that it would take almost 20 hours by plane, car and boat to get there.
Asked what it was like to win an island, he said, “I can’t find the words to explain. I know people have won money and cars but when you win an island it’s a bit more confusing. What do I do now? How do I stay there? It’s a mix of feelings from confusing, happy to scared.”