Sara decided to bake Khanfarosh on her last day working for the National Pavilion of the UAE; delicate Emirati sweets made with saffron that she baked herself in her Venetian apartment that she shares with the other interns working in the Venice Biennale. She brought the sweets to the pavilion and distributed to the biennale employees that have become her friends during the course of a month she lived here in Venice.
This sums up the experience I personally had with the fourth batch; a group of intelligent young women and a man who knew how to not only manage the Emirati pavilion, but also make friends with almost all of the other employees at the biennale. They became friends with the biennale lot in no time, and ensured that their country was represented in the best way possible; through smiles and kindness, this batch made Venice their home.
In an absolutely non-exaggerated statement: the four interns made quite the impact on the biennale, to the extent that the different teams working in Arsenale found it very difficult to say goodbye to them. Their presence was felt everyday and the positivity they spread every morning echoed to even the furthest point in Arsenale.
Not only that, but they wrote and researched the pavilions very well. One look at Lorenzo’s posts on this very blog, you will find a detailed and thorough analysis of different pavilions and art representations. Munira also had her moments sitting on a red bench under my very own apartment thinking about Nationalism, Culture and the meanings of artistic expressions.
Khawla on the other hand engaged the visitors with facts and trivia about the UAE that impressed the biennale goers, and made sure to convince everyone that the UAE was indeed the perfect country to host Expo 2020.
Each one of the interns added something to this experience that I personally will forever cherish. The United Arab Emirates is fortunate to have such an intelligent young generation that promises even more prosperity and vitality for its future.
Proud to have been their supervisor, but most importantly, proud to be their friend.
Mariam Wissam Al Dabbagh
The Venice Internship Program 