When the UAE announced it was going to close its borders last month, many international students in the country were faced with a dilemma: stay put or travel home.
As university campuses closed across the country to contain the spread of Covid-19, virtual classes became the new norm.
Days before flights were fully suspended, many students decided to pack up and head back to their families to continue e-learning remotely.
But despite the pandemic upending daily life, a number of foreign students opted to stay in the Emirates, either by choice or because they had no other option.
Some could not afford a last minute flight home, while others wanted to see out their final year with their peers, albeit virtually.
Bonded by the burden of a tough decision, those living thousands of miles from loved ones have had to navigate through the crises together.
I did not think the lockdown measures were going to go on as long as this and I do question if I made the right choice, many of my close friends have left for home already
Ali Muzaffar, 23, is one of hundreds of those still living in student accommodations in Dubai.
“The sudden change in routine has been hard to adapt to,” the Indian national said.
"I had the option to either go home to India and stay with my brother or head to Libya where my parents live, that’s where I grew up.
“I chose to stay in Dubai because the situation in Libya is not great right now and with all the disinfection precautions being carried out here, I felt safe."
Studying a one-year master’s degree in marketing at Middlesex University, he is a resident of Uninest student accommodation in Dubailand.
Since the outbreak, the UAE government has flown back more than 2,000 students from the UK, mostly Emirati, as their study abroad plans were cut short.
However, many foreign nationals enrolled at Dubai universities were forced to delay summer trips home because of the nationwide flight disruptions.
Mr Muzaffar had planned to travel home in April, but had to extend his rental agreement until June.
“I did have some concerns and frustrations at the beginning of all this,” he said.
“When everything stopped it was just such a big change and I felt very depressed not being able to exercise or go out and see friends.
“As students we are away from family so there is no one close by to console us, but I’m managing better now.”
Last year, the Dubai Higher Education Landscape report put the university student population in the emirate at 29,989 - more than 60 per cent of which were international students.
The study, which included more than 33 universities, was commissioned by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (Khda), Dubai’s educational regulatory body.
Since the outbreak, Sucharita Basu, general manager at the 424-bed Uninest residences, said "a good number" of their student tenants remained in the UAE. At another 432-bed facility managed by the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, a representative told The National "about 50 per cent" of its young tenants remained in the building too.
For second year student Manny Moid, the decision to isolate in Dubai rather than return home during the pandemic was not an easy one.
“My mum and siblings are in Saudi Arabia and my father is living in London,” the 22-year-old British national said.
“I had the option to go to either country but because I was in the middle of important university work, I decided to stay.
“I did not think the lockdown measures were going to go on as long as this and I do question if I made the right choice, many of my close friends have left for home already.
“For me, going out and socialising was a big thing so I just feel a bit hemmed in, but I do a lot of video calls with friends and family.”
Studying a bachelor’s degree in mass communications at Curtin University, Mr Moid has had to extend his rental contract at Uninest for another few weeks, as it expired on May 10.
Adjusting to the “quiet life” away from home has been challenging for 22-year-old Indian national Pallavi Verma. But for the most part it has given her time to "reflect" on life after university.
“Quiet is not a word I usually associate with our student accommodation, it’s always full of life, so that’s been odd to get used to,” said the Heriot-Watt University undergraduate.
“I chose to stay because I need to study for exams.
“I’m in my final year so it’s certainly not how I pictured celebrating my last few weeks but we just have to get used to it now, it is a bitter sweet ending.”
And for Pooja Nambiar, 21, the pandemic has given her more time to build independence.
“I actually made the decision to stay because I wanted to spend more time with my peers and friends,” she said.
“I knew we were not going to have the proper send off that you get at the end of a uni term so I wanted to make the most of my time here while I could.
"There’s still quite a lot of students in the residences but many tend to stick to social distancing rules and stay in their rooms, it’s not ideal as I'm very sociable."
Ms Nambiar, who is studying international business at Heriot-Watt University, said her rental contract ends on May 21.
Although she has signed up for a repatriation flight home to India, she said she will likely have to extend her tenancy.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The five pillars of Islam
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES
Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)
Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)
Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Tathoor, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: Aiz Alawda, Fernando Jara, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohammed Daggash
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More on animal trafficking
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
