Expo 2020 Dubai: Meet the superfan who has been to six world expos


Nilanjana Gupta
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Expos are designed to bring the world together in one place, build bridges, forge connections and allow ideas to be shared. For some people, the experience can be life-changing.

Cesar Corona was studying electronics engineering at a university in Mexico City when he applied for a summer job at a Mexican restaurant at Expo 1998 Lisbon after reading a leaflet about the event.

I saw so many different cultures, built good relations with people from around the world and it convinced me that I like international affairs
Cesar Corona,
Expo Museum

“It piqued my interest because Expo 1992 Seville was very important in Mexico City, as Mexico had a very interesting pavilion there, and it was widely covered in the media,” he told The National.

Mr Corona, a Mexican-American, got the job and spent five months working at the world's fair. His experience in Portugal was life-changing.

The role opened his eyes to the value of expos and he was moved by the world's fair capacity to educate and inspire people to see beyond everyday life.

His interest in expos turned into a passion, and within months he started studying German in preparation for the next world's fair, Expo 2000 Hanover, where was hired to work at the Mexico pavilion.

“I saw so many different cultures, built good relations with people from around the world and it convinced me that I like international affairs," said Mr Corona, 47.

After his experience in Hanover, he quit engineering and began researching world expos, pursuing a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's degree in public diplomacy.

That was followed by an internship with the Bureau International des Expositions, which organises world expos.

Three more expos

Cesar Corona has collected several souvenirs from expos over the years. Antonie Robertson / The National
Cesar Corona has collected several souvenirs from expos over the years. Antonie Robertson / The National

Over the years, the Los Angeles resident attended three more expos: Expo 2010 Shanghai, Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea and Expo 2015 Milan.

He also started running the ExpoMuseum, an online resource dedicated to spreading awareness about world expos. The website was founded by world's fair historian Urso Chappell in 1998.

Mr Corona collects hundreds of items of expo memorabilia, from T-shirts to posters, badges and expo passports, including one from Expo 2010 Shanghai and another from Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea.

“These passports will tell you very different stories," said Mr Corona.

"The one from Shanghai is nearly empty as there were very long queues for passport stamping, whereas the one from Yeosu has most pages filled as I was working with the Bureau International des Expositions at that time and could easily get stamps.

"This T-shirt is one of my most precious treasures as it symbolises my introduction to world expos. It is from Expo 1998 Lisbon and it has stamps from all the participating countries.”

A trip to Dubai

Cesar Corona, an expo enthusiast, explores the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
Cesar Corona, an expo enthusiast, explores the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Last week, he travelled to the UAE to attend Expo 2020 Dubai – his first trip to the Middle East – and he said he was impressed with what he saw.

“I think something that makes the Dubai Expo very progressive in the history of world expos is that there's a plan to make this a smart city, and you can already see the urban design," he said.

"Another thing I loved is that there are no joint pavilions here. Each country has its own space. It doesn't matter if their economy is struggling, or if their size is small.

“The third thing that is also new for me is the monument for Expo workers. It’s a very beautiful way to acknowledge all the work that went into making this. It’s going to remain here as part of the legacy.

"If I had worked at the Expo, I would love to come here in 10 years and show my children my name. It’s like I'm part of this already."

Mr Corona said he planned to spend every day at the Expo speaking to staff and volunteers, taking pictures, exploring one pavilion after another, and sharing a laugh with visitors and families.

Along with his yellow Expo passport, Mr Corona also carried a Dubai Expo map.

"It is part of my tradition to collect stamps on maps or posters, because I want to frame and showcase them in my office. Passports are great but I can’t frame them," he said.

So far, Mr Corona's passport from Expo 2020 Dubai has two stamps, from the Mexico and US pavilions, but he said he was confident he would fill the pages during his two-week trip.

In the meantime, he is on a mission to learn more about the UAE and the Gulf.

“It's impossible to think that in the two weeks that I'm going to spend here I can understand the country and the region, but I can say the flame has been ignited inside me," he said.

Meet the pin-collecting Expo super fan

Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
TWISTERS

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos

Rating: 2.5/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

2019 Asian Cup final

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Nope'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet

Price, base: Dh429,090

Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Name: Colm McLoughlin

Country: Galway, Ireland

Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free

Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah

 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint

Greenheart Organic Farms 

This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.

www.greenheartuae.com

Modibodi  

Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.

www.modibodi.ae

The Good Karma Co

From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes. 

www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco

Re:told

One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.

www.shopretold.com

Lush

Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store. 

www.mena.lush.com

Bubble Bro 

Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.

www.bubble-bro.com

Coethical 

This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.

www.instagram.com/coethical

Eggs & Soldiers

This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.

www.eggsnsoldiers.com

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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
BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cylinder%20turbo%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E680hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C020Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEarly%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh530%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

EXPATS
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Updated: November 09, 2021, 5:20 AM`