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This is my first year in the UAE. I have lived and worked only in Pakistan before coming to the UAE. I had no interaction with the outside world. I am surprised to see so many cultures here. The day I landed, I was told to meet my manager who was an Indian, while I was told to report to a Sri Lankan team leader. Then my colleagues were from Egypt, Syria, The Netherlands, Jordan, Bahrain and South Africa. I had never ever seen so many people of other nationalities before.  I felt enlightened after coming here. I knew about other cultures and traditions.

As we all know, people from more than 200 nationalities live and work in the UAE.  I was invited by my Indian friends on the festival of Onam recently at his home. I was extremely delighted to share lunch with them. I had never ever thought that a vegetarian food could be so rich and diverse. I did not know much about South India, I only knew about Mumbai and Bollywood, after interacting with my Indian friends I learnt about other Indian states and their cultures. I feel very happy to be here in Dubai. I am loving my time here. I am excited to bring my family here and I hope they can also enjoy multi-culturalism of the UAE.

Zameer Shah,

By email