Field trips – everyone loves them. They are unarguably one of the most exciting days for all students. From rushing to call “dibs” on the backseat and the school bus being filled with loud chatter to exploring new places with your friends, it is always a memorable experience. Moreover, if your school is taking you to EXPO 2020, how could it be anything but exciting?
Expo 2020 was the most sought after event in Dubai last year and when the school informed us that we would be going as well, we were all thrilled! The moment we reached there, I could not take my eyes off the phenomenal structure. My mind was blown when I thought about how this exact region was a desert about 5 years ago. We first arrived at the Mission Possible – Opportunity Pavilion that is entirely based on positive change and creating unique opportunities to benefit the society without a lot of resources or money. We were all shown the story of Abel Cruz, Mariam Al Juneibi and Fatma Juma Haji and how they created sustainable methods to solve their problems, which was incredibly inspiring.
As we wandered about this massive place, we noticed robots that helped deliver food, give directions and even click pictures. My teacher in charge told me that they were multi-screen robots powered with 5G capabilities. Another robot in the Opportunity Pavilion was called ‘Opti’ who guarded the pavilion. The innovative technology here continued to surprise me.
We then visited the country pavilion of China, which was a beautiful blend of traditional Chinese ideologies and modern architecture. China’s developments in the area of information, science and technology, and transportation, Adding the FAST, Beidou Satellite, 5G technology and artificial intelligence was portrayed.
The Saudi Arabia Pavilion was the last one we visited but it was the most beautiful. It is a dazzling building rising six stories above the ground, and it is slanted! It is an Eco-friendly structure and boasts 650 solar panels. As we entered, there was a water feature installed and my friends and I took some cool pictures with it. Inside there were various exhibits and we learnt about the arts and culture of the place.
As we were walking, my friends and I discussed with our teachers the various new things we saw. We understood that one person can make a big difference and contribute to the society. We also learned about the various rich cultures and heritages projected by each country pavilion. The whole Expo site was so well developed and each place had so many things to do. There were also various performances put up by different countries. An entertaining site indeed!
This was probably one of the most incredible learning experiences for us. I look forward to filling up the Expo passport the school provided to us by visiting all the pavilions. I am so grateful to our teachers and school for making this a fun yet informative field trip. I am sure it led to many minds being inspired, including mine.
– Saanvi Masalia, 9F