Introducing Mystery Class #7
Dubai, UAE (25.300 N, 55.300 E)

Hello! We are the mystery class in Dubai! The sixth grade class from the Dubai American Academy.

We are 72 students from 28 different countries all currently living in the United Arab Emirates. Many of us have lived overseas for most if not all of our lives. We speak English as well as our native languages, and study together in an international school of over 800 students in grades preK-12. Our school participates in sports and arts conferences with other international schools in the Middle East, and sometimes we get to travel to visit them for the tournaments. Sometimes they come to our school, too.

Our school is in the desert. Many of us drive to school partly on paved roads and partly over the sand. It’s almost always sunny here, and even in the winter it never gets really cold. Dubai itself is a modern city with skyscrapers, traffic, and fast food, but if you drive just a few minutes outside of the city limits, you’ll find yourself on a highway in the middle of sand dunes with camels wandering alongside the road.

Historically, the UAE was inhabited by tribes of wandering Bedouin herders and traders. In the desert, hospitality to strangers was very important. Without it, a person wandering about in the harsh conditions could possibly die from exposure and thirst. Today, Emiratis hold onto this tradition and welcome lots of different people to their country. In Dubai, only 15% of the population is Emirati. The other 85% come from all over the world.

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