Abu Dhabi Is

BY ALYA OSMAN

Photograph courtesy of Alya Osman.

Abu Dhabi is

two Shami women power walking in sync in matching tracksuits

a couple sitting 3 feet apart on a bench looking at their phones 

a glitzy mall surrounded by darkness

anxious blonde women crossing the street

a woman with a braid and a fuchsia fleece jogging in place

restaurants I can’t afford

shady salon ladies and a Papa Roti honey bun

men who do squats in the middle of the corniche

shirtless kids playing volleyball at sundown

“for rent” signs

the echoes of the athan downtown

helpful strangers.

two little Egyptian girls chasing each other in laughter as their tired mother watches on.

love and loneliness.

it’s two men in kurtas cycling together

loud phone calls

wide, red and white crosswalks

a family of tourists walking on the cycling track all holding hands

kandouras and galaleeb and nikes

a group of construction workers digging in the cold on the side of the road

Arab kids and after-school manakeesh,

people trying their best,

engine-revving assholes.

those who live in the shadows.

hurried delivery men,

a taxi driver furiously yelling at the man who our car and asking me, “you see?”,

powerlessness.

Abu Dhabi is a man jogging in a t-shirt, jeans, and a taqiya. just him.

two middle-aged Arab men walking along the beach at sunset,

a dingy restaurant whose menu was definitely compiled through google photos,

a man sitting on a bench in a neon construction vest at 8 pm, facing the now-dark sea.

heartbreak,

a lot of strange looks,

and me.

Born in Cairo and raised in Kuwait, Alya is an aspiring cinematographer and occasional writer. She currently studies Film & New Media and Social Research & Public Policy at NYU Abu Dhabi. Her work explores themes of aspiration, women’s issues in the MENA, and the sense of placelessness associated with living in the GCC as a non-citizen.