Day one was awesome! Today was the opening ceremony at the Emirates Palace as well as the start of the roundtable discussions at the Abu Dhabi Women’s College, concluding with a huge gala dinner.The production was amazing — including one of the most incredible fireworks displays (out over the gulf) I have ever seen!
I was very impressed with Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Prize Winner for Peace, from Iran. She spoke about the importance of educating Muslim women and the importance of women in the Muslim world. I was surprised at how freely and confidently she spoke about women’s rights in the region.
Our topics of discussion today were the current economic crisis and sustainability in the world’s resources. I am part of a panel tomorrow entitled, “Future Role Models, Adventures in Adversity.” Time to sleep — I hope, as jet lag is no fun!
I also wanted to include this short video of my friends from the Abu Dhabi Women’s College. I was shocked on my trip to the region last March that a number of the girls play basketball!
I was so impressed as I didn’t realize they were “able” to play based on the cultural views of women. What’s great to see is that things are changing here and there are many more opportunities for women, most of which we Americans totally take for granted. I have a wonderful bond with the “team.” I love their spirit!
Here's a list of my blog posts from this trip!
1 comment:
Rest well, Jennifer. I can't imagine what it must be like to travel that far away.
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