After years of anticipation and planning and six months of hard work on the ground, thousands of staff at Expo 2020 Dubai are preparing for life once the world’s fair ends.
While some will stay in Dubai, many will return home to the nations whose pavilions they have represented since the exhibition opened its gates on October 1.
Most have collected souvenirs to remind them of their time in Dubai, while others have made new connections and found job opportunities in the months ahead.
Glen Grixti at the Malta pavilion worked with Emirates for 16 years before joining the exhibition, and will take a government role developing new businesses when he returns home next month.
Expo has helped establish an amazing network for people like me, from all over the world
Tuzcu Munirgalip,
UK Pavilion
“I will make a map with all the badges I have collected at Expo when I go home to Malta,” said Mr Grixti, 40.
“Dubai is like my second home, I’ve lived here for 16 years, so Expo was a great opportunity for me to come back but now I am looking forward to going home to Malta.
“I have missed the food, and my family, of course.”
Pastizzi, a pastry filled with ricotta and peas, is a traditional snack in Malta that Mr Grixti has missed most of all.
As a kitesurfer who has competed around the world, he is also looking forward to the reliable Mediterranean Gregale winds to resume his sporting passion.
Visitors to his pavilion have been most surprised by the Maltese language, he said, with its Semitic origin written in the Latin script.
“Malta has a great history going back 8,000 years, so we have a lot to offer and people are fascinated by our language,” he said.
“Our dishes are mainly Sicilian based, with a little Arabic fusion, so I have missed our food.
“Anyone coming for the first time to Expo this month should try to visit in the evening to see the Al Wasl dome. It is special at night.
“The Saudi Arabia, UAE, German and Japanese pavilions are all really worth queuing for too.”
At the UK Pavilion, Turkish national Tuzcu Munirgalip has been serving fish and chips to visitors since October.
Mr Munirgalip has carved a career for himself around Expo events around the world, and hopes that can continue.
Contacts and future job prospects
“I have worked at other Expos since 2013 and it was through those contacts that helped get me this position in Dubai,” he said.
“It has helped establish an amazing network for people like me, from all over the world.
“So far, I have been to more than 70 per cent of the pavilions. Japan, Germany and South Korea were the highlights.
“There were great interactions inside, and they each told the story of how they were created.
“It felt like you were living the culture while learning about the building itself.”
Interest remains strong in visiting the exhibition, with more than a million visits registered in the last week of February, and 16 million in total.
Mr Munirgalip said there was still time for first-time visitors to make the most of the events and live music concerts still to come before March 31.
“There are more than a hundred events taking place most days, so if people still haven’t been and want to come, they need to plan ahead,” said Mr Munirgalip.
“Music events and smaller concerts have been great, and there is still plenty to catch.”
At the Samoan Pavilion, volunteer Satheesh Kuttan has taken days off work to give up his time for free during the exhibition and will miss the hustle and bustle of everyday life on site.
“The last six months have gone by so quickly,” said Mr Kuttan, from India.
“If anyone wants to come in the last few weeks, I would suggest coming early in the morning before the crowds get too busy.
“I will be going back to my administration and accounting job, and I will miss coming here.
“I have taken annual leave from my job to work.
“I’ve collected 127 badges so far from the different pavilions — I have just three weeks to collect the rest.”
Expo 2020 Dubai passports – in pictures
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
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SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
65
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
