International Relations Blog

Somers, New York vs. Sharjah, UAE

While Somers cannot compare to the economic power of Sharjah, both places have links to cultural diversity, with Somers being so close to Manhattan. At school in both Somers and Sharjah, students exercise their freedom to study what they please, whether they may be on trajectory towards pursuing an academic career or education, or a trade career or education. While schooling is relatively similar, schools in Sharjah often have a religious subtext, with Islamic studies being common. One unfortunate similarity between Somers and Sharjah is in the unwillingness to accept differing lifestyles. While in my hometown you may be heckled, criticized, or ostracized for being part of the LGBTQ+ community, in Sharjah it is banned by law. Similarly, in Somers it was common to hear people around town proudly express their close-mindedness, like how anti-homosexuality laws are commonplace in the UAE. This does not mean at all that every individual supports these ideas, but rather they are not free to express that they oppose them. On a much more lighthearted note, Somers and Sharjah have drastically different geographical settings. Somers is largely forested, with a few lakes, reservoirs and rivers around town. In Somers, it is extremely common to see deer on your property, or to have your backyard be a part of the woods, free to explore. For many living in Sharjah, this is not the case. Being located in the Middle East on the Persian Gulf, temperatures in the UAE frequently would break the record highs in New York. To contrast, it is frequent at home to be snowed in for days at a time during the winter, as frigid weather dumps feet of snow at a time. Students in Sharjah often live in apartments, as city life causes residents to be more densely packed. While in Sharjah you may be able to walk from one place to another, that just isn’t the case in Somers. Both Somers and Sharjah, though, experience high prices for common goods like groceries. Along the same logic, cost of living in the city of Sharjah and the town of Somers is higher than many other places. All in all, Somers and Sharjah have many similarities than may have appeared at face value, yet still contrast greatly, allowing for much open discussion and learning between cultures.