Traditional Emirati Games

The non-native students have had a wonderful time learning how to play traditional Emirati games. What fun we have had! Here we can see the students playing the 'Al Ma'okazi' game where a group of boys would traditionally walk on tip toes to see who could walk the fastest for the longest distance. We can also see the students playing 'Al Laqfa' where, traditionally, the girls would sit in a circle with 10 pebbles or sea shells laid on the floor; they would throw a bigger pebble in the air and, with the same hand, pebbles would be collected from the floor before they caught the bigger pebble. The final game we can see is the 'Al Ghomaid' game - this is a game played by boys and girls where one of the children is blindfolded then he or she must try to catch one of the other children; the whole group makes sounds to confuse the catcher and when the "blind" child catches one of the other players, it is that child's turn to be blindfolded. 

Changes in the UAE

We were so fortunate to kick off our new topic, Changes in the UAE, with a visit from two of the Emirati mums, Mahra and Ayesha. They regaled the students and teachers with tales of how life used to be in the UAE when they were children and when their parents were children. The students and teachers were both engrossed and grateful for the wealth of information they imparted on us all. Some students had come prepared with questions to ask Mahra and Ayesha and they answered them in such a way that engaged and informed us all. What a wonderful start to term 3; thank you ladies!