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Clearwater youth reports on year in Abu Dhabi

I’m optimistic about what the future will bring for me, and for the UAE as a whole
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Robson Beaudry looks out over the city of Abu Dhabi from a high vantage point. The Clearwater youth is studying there at a campus of New York University.

Robson Beaudry

Abu Dhabi lies in the heart of the Middle East – South Asia region and is the capital of the gulf state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is here that I have spent the last year studying at New York University’s newest, and some would say most ambitious, school.

Living in the UAE has been a challenging experience, but also a very rewarding one.

Let’s start with the UAE itself. The first thing I had to realize about the Middle East was that it is not a homogenous body. The gulf states (a group of six countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait) are uniquely separate from the Middle East and, indeed, serve as an anomaly within the world at large.

These states are oil rich, which has made them incredibly wealthy.

Clearwater is quite an egalitarian place. Growing up here, you go to the same high school as everyone else, get the same medical care as everyone else, and face many of the same problems as everyone else.

Within the UAE though, there is a huge inequality between the “citizens” (who have access to the benefits of living in the UAE), and the migrant workers (who make up 90 per cent of the population).

As someone who grew up in Clearwater, it’s troubling to live in a place where who your parents are and how much money you have are the defining factors in your life.

Some would question why I would study in society that I find with so many problems.

What I’ve found however, is that change can be better made on the inside than on the outside.

In its three years of existence, I’ve already seen firsthand the positive change that New York University has had in Abu Dhabi.

It’s easy to criticize from a distance, but without actually experiencing the people, places and culture of a region, it’s difficult to make make any meaningful impact.

Ultimately, I’ve found that it’s always better to engage with what we want to change, and this has informed my decision to study in the Middle East.

What I’ve found is that the UAE has many problems, but also many good things going for it.

The people are kind and hospitable, a moderate version of Islam is practiced that gives depth and uniqueness to the culture and, unlike most states, the UAE has done a good job of managing its oil wealth.

After spending the summer between Clearwater and New York, I’m heading back for another year in Abu Dhabi.

 

Despite some trepidation, I’m optimistic about what the future will bring for me, and for the UAE as a whole.