Yup, got to meet a Sheik

Yesterday (October 16, 2012) I attended Najah, an annual education exhibition here in Abu Dhabi.  I'd say there were about a hundred different colleges, universities, academies, and institutes that were sharing information about their academic programs.

Schools from the Abu Dhabi area were well represented.  Employers who educate and train employees were there as well (military branches, Etihad airlines).  There are several universities  from around the world that have campuses in Abu Dhabi, and then there were clusters of institutions from the U.S. that were recruiting international students.  This included UC Irvine and Portland State University, to name a couple. What was missing were any community colleges ... I'll have to bring that notion back to OCC with the tag "opportunity" stamped on it.

Students, mostly from secondary schools, came with their schools or classes and families, to check out their future options. This is a three-day event, and one of the days, or at least part of one of the days (I know, I'm pushing it with my grammar), it's just female students visiting the exhibition.  (Remember, gender segregation is a cultural norm here, especially in the schools and in the mosques and prayer rooms.)

On the first day of the exhibition, for the opening there is a red-carpet ribbon cutting.  Sheik Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, is the one who cuts that ribbon.  He then takes the time to visit many of booths, and speak briefly with various representatives.

I've mentioned my marvelous associate director. And with her experience, she knows lots of people and is well connected in education.  And God bless her, she made sure he stopped at the Al Rowdah booth; she introduced me to him, we shook hands, and we spoke briefly with him about Al Rowdah Academy.

Now picture this ... and no pun is intended here ... like any political or national figure, he has a bit of an entourage.  Not huge, but noticeable.  And there are press to document that a Sheik, and in this case a Sheik who is a minister, is at an event. So as we were talking to His Excellency, cameras all around us taking a bunch of photos.  Kind of hoped we'd be in the paper and I could include a link, but no such luck :-)

What I did take was a photo of the red carpet.  They are into hospitality here.

If you have been to a conference or convention, you are familiar with the Exhibitors that are part of those events.  Most of the ones I have attended have very simple booths. Usually pvc pipe and curtains. Once in awhile something elaborate.  ACTVET, my parent organization so to speak (see one of my first blog posts), had a large area that included booths for all of its entities.  Those booths were on the outside rim (picture a big circle, maybe 25' across.  In the middle area behind the booths was a seating area. Four comfy white leather chairs and a coffee table. Arabic coffee, hot milk with saffron, and chocolate covered dates.  Tried a taste of all.  I'm not a coffee drinker, and probably never will be, but was fun to taste Arabic coffee.  Strong stuff.  And the hot milk with saffron was simply fun.  Chocolate covered dates is something I will need to bring home with me ... yummy.

And there was a second floor, with stairs leading up to it, in the ACTVET "booth", complete with another seating area.

Here is a photo of our booth; you can get a sense of the size of ACTVET's space, and see the 2nd floor to the right.

Well, must run.  I have a Skype date with Tim.  (Gotta love Skype ... it's allowing us to talk at the beginning and end of each day.)

PS -- sorry for some typos.  As I glance through some of the posts, I wince, because I realize I haven't used spell-check.  I can't blame it on the jet lag, because that is done (for now, until the next flight and get all wonky again).