DUBAI ? After months of classes and exams, students in Dubai are excited to indulge in a daily dose of fun activities as schools and universities go into hibernation for the next two months of summer. While some are scheduled to jet off on a trip abroad with family, others hope to either relax with friends or get themselves busy with a temporary job to gain work experience. Two friends, Hanna Gail Emia and Maegan Valentino, both Filipinas studying at United International Private School, have been spending most of their time together ever since their classes ended last week (June 23).
“We want to do summer jobs, I guess you can say that we want to sneak a peek on the ‘adult life’ and try being independent along the way. And considering I am an anime lover, I’m also planning to make my costumes this summer,” said 15-year-old Valentino. She said she plans to roleplay a character in an upcoming convention and is set on using her time off school to concentrate on making the outfit. “Moreover I’m planning to adopt kittens too,” she said, adding that she had been researching facts about felines to be better informed. Emia has similar interests in mind but would like to focus more on her studies in time for the next academic year.“I’d like to get a part time job to at least be a little productive this summer. I want to prepare for college entrance exams for the next school year and have a lot of fun with friends by probably hanging out and watching anime all day,” she said.Rather than letting laziness take over, many hope to pursue a temporary position to earn allowances and add skills to their resume. “My summer plans are to get a summer job, take some summer courses, travel, hang out with friends and spend more time with my family,” said 18-year-old Emirati, Majid Al Muhairy, student at Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah. Some others are more progressive as they have started to build up a professional base. “I’m currently working at my university’s call centre, where I call up students who are interested in joining the university, answer their questions and give them advice,” said 18-year-old Iranian, Sam Jamjoo, who studies in Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T), Dubai.“I play football with friends, go swimming, hang out in Mirdiff City Centre and have gatherings. I might be going on vacations, most probably to Germany or Amsterdam with family,” he said.Bhagyalakshmi Muthukumar, a 19-year-old university student from India, had recently returned from vacations and is currently catching up with friends. She is also working part-time as a student representative. “I’m gaining a lot of experience, will get credited for it and am also getting paid for it. I think this is a good way to spend my summer. I’ll be doing this for the next two months,” she said. Mahdiyah Ali said that while there is a rush among students to nab a summer job, the best thing to do in the meantime is to learn as many technical skills as possible that may come in handy in the future.“I have planned to learn Photoshop from a friend of mine. Every time I’m off university, I get lazy and do nothing but sit at home. And it’s too hot to do anything outside. I think I’ll learn something so it can come in handy and add it as technical skill. I’m sure I’ll be able to get creative once I learn it. Other things I want to do is catch up on some reading. I really like to read classic novels and detective stories,” said the 18-year-old from Pakistan. Looking at things from a parent’s perspective, Fatima Hussain, a mother of two sons and a daughter, said that students have a variety of options to choose from during the hot holiday season.“Teenagers have their own lives going on. They know how to keep themselves busy when they have free time because there are so many activities to do in this generation. My children have been on vacation since middle of June. They play games on the computer or outside, visit friends’ places or go to the mall,” said the Dubai-resident who had moved from India to Dubai about 19 years ago. Her son Faisal Hussain agreed adding that him and his siblings are barely home once the school gates closed for the summer.“I’m catching up on things I couldn’t do when school was still going on. I come home from school at 3pm, so I feel too tired to do anything. I have many plans for this summer — play cricket with friends, go to gaming networks and play games, and maybe also try for a summer job,” said the 17-year-old. farhana@khaleejtimes.comView the original article here
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