IWD 2025

(9/3/25)

Happy International Women's Day!

We decided to take Costa up on their "free coffee for the ladies for IWD" today. The girls at the Al Seef branch were happy to see us two days in a row and G got some excellent photographs of fully laden dhows starting their journey to wherever. I discovered that undisclosed T&Cs were in force, and the offer only applied to anyone who had been using the local Costa app for more than three months. No problem; it was still good to be there.

We did a quick shop at Carrefour in Wafi before coming home. Lunch was off the cards as "breakfast" was so late, so we cruised into the afternoon and got ourselves ready to drive to Expo City with my colleague, Shveta, and her husband (see my extra).

The Women's Pavilion at Expo City arranged two fireside chats about women's impact on the environment and their communities. The second half of the evening (the community chat) was very engaging and inspiring. We were also fed and watered—for free! I've never been to a Suhoor before, so it was great to experience that.

My main image is of the Al Wasl Dome which is displaying a Ramadan-based theme. Expo City has an experience called "Hai Ramadan" which showcases Emirati culture. The patterns being projected are of colourful handmade palm leaf baskets. I could have stayed and watched for hours.

The day was noticeably hot (35+ deg C) as was the evening, but there was a breeze that was just right - not hot, not cold either. Again, I could have happily stayed out for hours just to enjoy it, but it was past midnight and I needed to sleep! We did well to be at an event that started at 8:45 and finished at 10:30 PM!