A Dubai athlete honored her 'second home' by surfing in traditional Emirati attire. Manal Rostom, an Egyptian expat, proudly displayed a UAE flag while wearing a teal jalabiya, a long necklace, a gold headpiece called tasa, and a sheer sheila while wakeboarding. 'It was a gesture of gratitude to this country that I hold so dear,' she shared with Khaleej Times. 'I have resided in this country for nearly 14 years and can confidently say that no other nation welcomes us like the UAE. I have lived in other countries before, but the UAE is truly unique. There is no other place I would rather be. I filmed this video from the heart.'

The video of Manal's daring feat has garnered widespread attention on social media, with over 400,000 views across various platforms. 'Some believe it's artificial intelligence,' she laughed. 'But I assure them it was entirely real and a truly distinct experience. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I've received for this video. People seem to have thoroughly enjoyed it.'

Watch the video, shared by Manal on her social media account, here: Despite having performed several stunts before, including surfing in an abaya, the idea to honor UAE's National Day with this particular stunt was a last-minute decision. 'I was at the Dubai Ladies Club, where I coach, when I saw a woman wearing a similarly colored jalabiya and playing the violin,' she recounted. 'She looked stunning. She was performing for a national day event, and I was captivated by the color of her jalabiya.'

This sighting occurred around 10 AM, and Manal had a wakeboarding session booked at 2:45 PM. She thought it would be fantastic to wakeboard in traditional Emirati clothing. She inquired about where she could find these clothes and jewelry on short notice. She was directed to Global Village but lacked the time to go there.

Despite the tight schedule, Manal ventured to two different areas of Dubai and managed to assemble a complete traditional outfit, including the clothes and jewelry, spending roughly Dh1,500 to execute the stunt. 'I purchased the clothes from a shop in Al Quoz and the jewelry from Satwa,' she explained.

According to Manal, she had not surfed for nearly two months and encountered some difficulties during filming. 'I was resolute to get it right,' she stated. 'The plan was to carry the headpiece under my robe and wear it while surfing, as it wasn't fitting properly on my head. The headpiece got stuck while I was trying to put it on; eventually, I managed to wear it. The boat driver handed me the UAE flag after I had donned all the clothes. I managed to surf for a full minute or so with everything. It was quite heavy.'

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