Diving for Pearls
Memoirs of a family reunion in Dubai
The roots of my family tree lie in Syria. But over the past two generations, its branches have extended across the world, and outgrowths can now be found in corners as diverse as Germany, Los Angeles, and Quebec.
This makes family reunions a rare occasion. Like pearls in the ocean, they’re precious, but hard to come by. And their value, like that of pearls, is universally recognized: the chance to be surrounded by those who are bound to us by unconditional love.
Two years ago, we ventured on a ‘pearl-dive’ in the city of Dubai, where my parents, my sister, my uncle, my cousin, my aunt, and my grandma would be traveling, coming together as a group for the first time in our lives.
Our first destination was Paris, where our connecting flight to Dubai would be waiting. Stepping onto the plane, I got my first taste of a foreign culture: a soft-toned bonsoir, offered to me, like a gift, by a smiling flight attendant in a crimson scarf.
We landed in Dubai at sundown, and our drive to the hotel gave us our first glimpse of the city. In the distance loomed the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Ten minutes later, we spotted the Ain Dubai, a ferris wheel that also happens to be the largest in the world.
