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76<br />
REGIS TODAY<br />
A New<br />
Perspective<br />
in Abu Dhabi<br />
bY HEIDI GoMEZ ’06<br />
I have been in Abu Dhabi for a year now,<br />
and I love every second of it. Well, all but the<br />
extreme heat.<br />
I am working with Muslim girls and boys<br />
ages 6 through 11 at the New England<br />
Center for Children–Abu Dhabi, a private<br />
school for students with autism. It’s an<br />
amazing experience, because you get to<br />
help kids practice traditional routines, and<br />
at the same time you learn so much about<br />
the Muslim culture. We help some children with<br />
mealtime prayers, wearing a shayla (the fabric that<br />
women cover<br />
their hair/face<br />
Most women hold on to their<br />
traditional family<br />
values and that is something<br />
I admire.<br />
with) bathroom<br />
routines, etc.<br />
Here in Abu<br />
Dhabi, the<br />
school has six<br />
classrooms right<br />
now. We all work<br />
in one-to-onebasedclass-<br />
rooms, however we are now grouping the children.<br />
This hopefully can prepare them to share their teacher’s<br />
attention, and interact with each other in a public<br />
school setting. We work on basic skills of identifying<br />
objects, multiplying, dividing, graphing, etc.<br />
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a Muslim<br />
country, so it is quite a culture shock. However,<br />
once you go to a restaurant, malls, or just out in the<br />
streets you realize that Abu Dhabi is full of people<br />
from different parts of the world (Australia, New<br />
Zealand, Canada, England, etc.). You see women in<br />
their abayas, men in their kandooras, and expats<br />
walking around in jeans, shorts, T-shirt, or tank top.<br />
The best part is that most people I have encountered<br />
are so respectful to each other.<br />
During Ramadan, we cannot eat or drink in public<br />
before the sun goes down. It’s a bit hard during<br />
the summers, when the temperature can reach<br />
118 degrees, but I respect their beliefs. And during<br />
December there are Christmas celebrations here.<br />
I think it’s a mutual respect.<br />
The only thing that has been put into perspective<br />
is that the UAE is a very traditional place … but not.<br />
You see women everywhere wearing abayas, but a lot<br />
of them have jobs or are going to school now. I know<br />
that at our school a number of our students’ moms are<br />
working hard. So, as much as people make it seem<br />
as though it is crazy that women still have to cover<br />
themselves up, women are working hard.<br />
Yes, most women hold on to their traditional family<br />
values, and that is something I admire.
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