Selfie overload as volunteers prove to be as popular as UAE pavilion itself

Emirati volunteers were treated like mini-celebrities in Milan, with visitors keen to have their photographs taken with them.

Shurouq Lashkri and female colleagues often reminded fans at the UAE’s pavilion not to get too close. Photo courtesy Shurouq Lashkri

DUBAI // Emiratis were treated like celebrities in Milan, with visitors keen to have their photographs taken with the volunteers. Obliging as they were, this created its own set of cultural issues.

When in Milan, the girls soon memorised “Non toccare per favore,” which means “Don’t touch please” in Italian to remind their new, and sometimes enthusiastic fans, not to come too close.

All of the volunteers attended Italian language courses in the UAE before they set out for their three-week stint in Milan.

Shurouq Lashkri said the girls soon found that, along with common phrases to communicate such as “grazie” and “arrivederci” for thanks and goodbye, they also had to frequently remind people to respect their personal space.

“We were like celebrities because everyone wanted to take a photo and selfies with us,” said Ms Lashkri, who works for a television station in Dubai.

“But they also like to hug and come close in photos. So this was the main sentence we started learning because they hug a lot in their culture and it is not part of ours when we don’t know the people. So we had to keep saying, ‘Don’t touch, please!’”

She also realised during the experience that the volunteers were not just ambassadors for their country but also represented the Arab Muslim world.

“The main thing I learnt is that it is really a big responsibility when you go abroad because then you are representing Arabs, Muslims and not just our own country,” said Ms Lashkri. “Some Italians told us that they thought they would not be able to talk to the women because we were wearing abayas, they thought we would be very traditional and unapproachable.”

The volunteers worked in three shifts, with days being the toughest since they handled the biggest crowds.

It was also enjoyable walking to work since they lived in the expo village that was a 15-minute walk through a garden, clearing security, over a bridge and into the UAE pavilion.

Volunteers were peppered with questions about their religion, fasting and Ramadan. “We were asked what kind of religion is this that you can’t eat or drink and you have to still work,” she said.

“I explained how I love Ramadan, why it is the most holy month, how it is about giving, charity, spending time with family. I told them, ‘When in the world would you get the time do be close to God, renew your vows and dig deep into yourself?”