Our trip to Dubai has been completed and we’ve safely returned back home to Finland. What a trip it was, full of great memories and new experiences!
Probably the most exciting day of our visit to Dubai was when we finally got to meet the GEMS students in person and go to Expo together for the Art of Learning event!
Early in the morning, we were picked up by the GEMS school bus which took us to GEMS Modern Academy. We were warmly welcomed by staff and students there. To welcome us, they painted the tilak symbol on our foreheads and we got to wear beautiful flower garlands.
From the yard, we moved to the auditorium for a welcoming programme. We listened to beautiful songs and a poem performed by GEMS students. Together, us primary students from Oulu and GEMS performed our fusion dance combining Finnish and Indian dance moves. We also took part in a talk show about our experiences in this learning project.
After the programme, we were divided into smaller groups and we got to know GEMS a bit better and meet together with the students that we’d already got to know a little bit in our online meetings. Some of us took part in 3D printing classes and some went to the PE class.
For lunch, there was a delicious combination of Indian and Finnish foods that the students had prepared. It was so tasty! After lunch, we all went to the Expo together to perform in the Art of Learning event hosted by ISKU at the Finland pavilion.
The event was a big success even though at first we were a bit excited and nervous to perform for the audience there. We performed our fusion dance again and talked about our experiences in the learning project.
We also took part in a 3D Design challenge, where we were tasked to design a new innovative product using the Nook material made of recycled PET bottles. It was a challenging but fun task and together we were able to create some really interesting and useful future innovations!
After the Art of Learning event we had a dinner together and took the metro back to the hotel. The day had been so long and exciting that one of us ended up accidentally boarding the wrong metro train! In the end, we all found our way back safe and sound. We were all so happy that the day had been so successful. These memories made will definitely stay with us forever.
Learning Together 