Dedicated to my parents who put everything on the line to create a better life for themselves and more importantly their 5 children.
I congratulate my parents on their 20 wonderful years in Abu Dhabi. Before we arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) we had little to no knowledge about the heritage, culture or traditions, we had hardly even heard of the Middle East. Now we have a greater appreciation of the Middle East’s cultures and traditions. I think this was helped by us initially attending a very mixed school which catered to students from all over the world. Some of my best friends at infant school were from Sierra Leon, Spain, Kuwait and Lebanon. Although we the Holland children eventually ended up going to a British School we still remembered the Arabic we were taught in the class room and what we picked up in the play ground, like ‘Salam Alakum’ which means I come in peace – ‘Marhaba’ which is hello and of course ‘Shukran’ which means thank you and much more. I think my parents really appreciated the diversity of the place and the fact that the UAE in particular embraced all cultures and nationalities which helped to mould us the Holland children in the adults we are today, very appreciative and respectful of others no matter their colour or creed.
Thank you for opening our eyes to the diverse and beautiful country which is the United Arab Emirates.