Myriam's Take on Culture and Diversity: A Day of Multitude Perspectives

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Global Village. Prior to visiting it for the first time, the notion I had of it was that it was a large theme park for families- themed after the world’s well-known tourist destinations. Little did I know; I was to be proven wrong. Very wrong. Before you even reach the grand entrance of this majestic park, you are given the option to either walk or sit in ‘tuk-tuk’ rides. “What the heck are those?” I thought to myself. But being the person that I am, I knew I had to do the most during this trip. So, there I sat, in the man-operated bicycle with its authentic Indian exterior of red, orange and green, wondering about the history of these things and just how different a mode of transportation it was from what I was accustomed to. In Dubai, we’re spoiled with the access to taxi rides, the eminence of Lamborghinis and even speedy yet affordable metro rides. Back home, in Niger, motorcycles , and taxis was a common public mode of transportation. This was a delightful experience; it opened my sights to the vibrancy and kindness of the Indian people and their ability to create a sense of joy in everything that they do. Upon entering the entrance of Global Village, I was totally taken aback by the largeness of the place. Living in Dubai and seeing my friends posts on social media on the fascinating so-called 'Global Village.' I never got to my mind that such a place would have a grande theater, many food stores, a theme park area and stalls for the countries of the world too! As if that wasn't amazing enough, the place had fireworks at night! It was simply mesmerizing . Taking my friends with me on this adventurous day, we started this journey by walking around and exploring what seemed to be the largest 'building'. As one would expect, the UAE stand had their traditional Khaleeji music and dancers swarming the area, luxurious scent of the oud and endless mini stalls selling affordable abayas and bishts (garments that Arab women wear traditionally). I loved that the place gave me a feel of a Dubai I had never seen; I feel like the city has become so multicultural (over 80% of the residents are expats), that its culture could sometimes get overshadowed by all the others. I often heard people praise of an old Dubai- in Deira, the creek, Karama and the souks, simplicity, etc., but being in that UAE stall made me feel like I was living it. It’s a fascinating concept to be able to eat the luqaymat sweet, a dough ball that is honey-dipped, but then can walk out of there and end up in the India stall, trying out panni puri or karak tea (cardamom tea) to keep warm. My initial assumptions and expectations had been exceeded tremendously. After the UAE stall, a friend of mine mentioned a traditional African dance that was being performed by 7 pm outside the African booth, so a couple of us headed down there but not by walking- try guessing our mode of transportation this time. Anything? Nope? We took an abra ride through this man-made canal (with what seemed like an imitation of the Venice canals) and landed right outside the Egypt and Africa stall situated beside each other. If I could write a book about the place, it would probably have endless pages. It just seemed like there was so much more to do, and many places to see. Seeing the African dance had me nostalgic about home, and I loved that feeling. Walking inside made me remember all the things I missed about Tanzania and my hometown Niger; the energy, the music blasting through speakers and of course, the sight of animal figures and shea butter. It was even more astonishing to see Chinese, Filipinos, and Arabs coming together in one place to dance along with the Afrobeats music and engage in conversations. I can’t recall how many different types of food I had that night, but what I do know is that it has helped open my mind to things I would have otherwise been ignorant towards. Meeting the friendly Filipinos who lead me to the Japanese stall where I watched a Japanese woman in a kimono pour ginseng tea as elegantly as one could, My friends and I even had the chance to take a picture with them, making me feel like a 'Geisha Princess.' Being a passionate lover of traveling, all I could think of was, “This is so much cheaper than a plane ticket, and I almost get the same experience.” I took a photo by the “Eiffel Tower,” the mini Burj Khalifa and even the Big Ben all in a span of five minutes- wearing the same clothes, with the same dorky smirk on my face. With each country’s stall, I smelled the scents and felt the the factors that make their culture known to the rest of us. Bahrain’s bukhour, Turkey’s borek, Pakistan’s cashmere and silk, Iran’s grand history, and kababs and so much more. I felt connected with every one of them, and it only made me want to experience more. After that trip, I found myself more immersed and open to the idea of conversing with people of different cultures I don’t usually talk to. I felt like I knew them, in a weird sense. That trip put a lot of things in perspective but all in all made me realise that despite the differences in our cultures, traditions, food, clothing, interaction and languages- one thing is for sure, we are all one. We’re all from this beautiful planet, and we’ve created this segregation of cultures only to unite in times of hardships.