thankful thursday: congratulations dubai!

Yes, you guessed it…Dubai will be hosting Expo 2020! Yaaaay! And since it’s the country’s 42nd National Day on the 2nd of December, it’s a double celebration for the Emiratis and expats here.

I love that the nation celebrates all of its achievements, and always in a big way. Like last night, as soon as Dubai was declared as the winning bidder, Burj Khalifa lit up with colorful fireworks. 

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This was shortly followed by an announcement that all schools and educational institutions would be closed today. 

Then to begin the day this morning, Sheikh Hamdan went up to the top of the tallest building in the world to wave the UAE flag.  You can see the video here. 

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And early this afternoon for 2 hours, Baskin Robbins outlets shared the sweet victory by giving away free ice-cream. 

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No matter who you are or where you go, you can’t miss the cheerful mood in the atmosphere. Even if you’re not that into it, the thrill and excitement will eventually rub on you as you go around the city and look at all the festivities.

Truly, it’s a great time to be in Dubai now. And I, for one, am proud that I’m here. I sure hope my family and I will still be in the emirate to witness and experience Expo 2020. Because knowing Dubai, it won’t be anything less than amazing.

Well done to the government and people for winning the Expo 2020 bid!

And Happy 42nd National Day to the entire UAE!