At school today there was an event called “International Day.” Kids dressed in their countries’ traditional garb. They all looked amazing. It was a half-day in the city today, so I heard many of the fun activities planned were cut short. This was disappointing. Anyway, events like today were a large part of why I wanted my children to have some experience living abroad. Gems American Academy has 162 nationalities represented in its diverse student body, which made for a very colorful and interesting International Day.
I got surprisingly lousy photos though. The lighting was all wrong, and everyone was in various states of leave-taking. I did get this one shot that was passable, although it’s a tad too busy for my liking. I have no idea what country this little girl represented, but I loved the contrast of traditional and modern. Abu Dhabi itself is a mix of tradition and modernity–I love this aspect of living here. I longed for tradition in America. Our lack of tradition was readily apparent in the manner that American kids chose to dress to represent their country: Brands, USA shirts and Red, White & Blue. We have no real traditional dress. I’m sure many other countries do not either, but it made me sort of sad. It is, of course, because we are such a young country with the most heterogeneous population imaginable. It’s probably wonderful in a way. It shows how people really do assimilate in America and begin to view themselves as “Americans,” as opposed to something like “Ethnic Greeks living in the USA.”
Anyway, here is your Daily Photo. International Day at GAA:
International Day at GAA