If you can’t travel around the world, bring the world to you. Aiming to educate and entertain, Dar Al-Hekma College for Girls organized a one-day exhibition on Saturday that brought traditional customs, lively music, and beautiful scenery from around the world to its hall. The tour took visitors from the tranquil seashores of the Maldives to the bustle of the antique shops of Egypt, and from the magical attractions of such Asian countries as Singapore, Malaysia and China to the mysterious jungles of South Africa. Along the way, visitors appreciated the comfort and elegance of houses in Turkey and enjoyed the outdoor spirit of Greece. They also hung out in Mexico for nachos and stopped by Dubai for an update on its latest construction miracles before heading back home to Saudi Arabia for some warm traditional coffee and dates in an old tent. Artifacts, posters, stuffed animals, and live parrots decorated the eleven booths representing the eleven countries that were chosen by the college students for this tour around the world.
The exhibition is part of the ‘People and the Environment’ course offered by the college as part of general education. “The idea is to inform people about why they should visit these countries, learn about their cultures, and also encourage domestic tourism,” said Dr. Chaman Rahim, the course instructor. The theme was ‘Tourism around the Globe.’ Sixty students worked for a month doing the research, creating the displays and learning the importance of teamwork in the process. “The benefit is practical experience and not just theoretical knowledge, and the visitors get to learn about countries they haven’t visited,” said Dr. Rahim. The girls were certainly excited, eager to convey the information they had learned about the country they were representing and whose costumes they wore. They greeted guests in the local language, served traditional drinks and food and even played music and performed traditional dances from some of the countries. They received assistance from the consulates of the countries represented concerning the country’s customs, the items displayed and other required information. Women representatives from the consulates visited the exhibition later that evening and expressed satisfaction at the efforts made in making the atmosphere authentic and correct. A judging committee from the college evaluated the event booths for originality, creativity, layout, information and customs and presented the winning team with tickets to Cairo. The team of the South Africa booth — Asma Jathenan, Hala Attiyat, Eman Bahajry and Hudan Berri — received the highest combined score followed by the team of Emirates booth and tied for third place were the teams of China and Malaysia. Special prizes were given to the team of Maldives for creativity, the team of Egypt for food, the team of neatness for Singapore and Greece and the team of China for customs.