Emirati student hopes to become volunteer at Milan Expo and tell her country’s story

The Milan Expo expects to draw an estimated 21 million visitors, with more than 120 countries participating.

Student Sara Al Boom hopes to be at the Expo in Milan next year. Sarah Dea / The National

DUBAI // Stories of yesteryear and a people’s struggle for survival can be part of an Emirati narrative at the Milan Expo, says a university student Sara Al Boom.

Aiming to be among a core group of 300 Emirati volunteers at the UAE pavilion in Italy next year, she said volunteers would also have personal accounts for visitors.

“The UAE is just four decades old and people tend to forget that. It’s important for people to realise how far we have come and how we started out,” said Ms Al Boom, 21, a student at the American University of Dubai. “My grandfather was a pearl diver and I have heard so many stories about how he dedicated his life to searching for fish and pearls.

“He did this because he wanted his children and his family to survive. We hear the older generation speak about their experiences, how people relied on dates and palm trees.

“There is also the Emirati hospitality – when you enter someone’s home you are offered food, beverage and even a place to stay. Stories like this connect to our culture.”

The Milan Expo expects to draw about 21 million visitors with more than 120 countries participating.

Emiratis can apply to be part of the UAE pavilion via the website www.expo2015uae.com.

Applications will be sent to Takatof, the voluntary social programme that aims to encourage public service among the nation’s youth.

Absorbing new cultures and spreading the word about the Emirates at the Milan Expo is Ms Al Boom’s dream. She will also encourage her friends to sign up.

“I would be privileged to be a volunteer,” said Ms Al Boom, who was chosen in 2012 as one of a select band of eight ambassadors to promote awareness about the UAE’s Expo 2020 bid among the public and in the corporate world.

She filmed a video capturing the diverse languages spoken by nearly 200 nationalities in the Emirates and it won her a spot as an Expo 2020 ambassador. Ms Al Boom’s film showed residents writing out the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” in languages including Urdu, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish and Sinhalese.

“The whole notion of travelling, engaging with people, exchanging cultural information, helping people understand how the UAE and Dubai are moving forward is a passion of mine,” she said.

“I will also be very excited to liaise with visitors in our pavilion in Italy. Young people can learn a lot by being exposed to different groups of people and gaining knowledge of other countries. It will also be good preparation for the young when we host the Expo in 2020.”

Italy and the UAE have a lot in common, said Ms Al Boom. “We share a lot with the Italians, like their love for family, religion and food,” she said.