Reflections: Thoughts during my Final boarding call

When I first wrote this entry during my last half an hour in Dubai, I was smart enough to assume that it was irrelevant to save it since it was in the process of being published, but how wrong was I when my page got erased and I watched each heart felt word disappear.

Yet I will try my very best to recreate my thoughts but perhaps that will not be the very case, but I will begin with how I concluded and that is this entry is dedicated to the people that have always been the source of joy in my life, my family.

38 days in Dubai and 8 Days in Bangkok summed up this long winter break to which I spent (other than the days working on my papers) with my family went by so fast that I cant comprehend even while sitting and writing this entry here on the plane.

During my last days in St. Andrews I detested the idea of coming back home for such a long period! I wanted to explore the world more yet once I reached home my roots began to cling to the familiar soil it was once rooted in. even my belly would agree that food tastes better in Dubai (maybe that has to do with the fact I cant cook, but that’s another case).

When I initially set to write this entry I was trying to put down my adventures in Bangkok however my mind was clouded with the thoughts of my family that I am leaving behind and I could not put down the right words , all I wanted was a big hug from my family. I wouldn’t mind listening to another hour of my sisters constant batterings about her latest challenges on the Play station.

Yet I know that this is something I have to do for myself, I set out to the world outside so I could find myself and detach from my families dependence, as much as they will support me, I need to learn to stand on my own.

So far this entry makes St andrews feel like this evil, dark and ugly place but on the contrary I love that town! I miss my friends and the routines of university but all I want to really say is what perhaps every most cliché movie, song and books really try to tell you and that is family you build is everything.

Review: The SandFish by Maha Gargash

Its been a while since I found myself lost in between the lines of a bounded novel because for the last four months all my eyes have been subjected to were various academic journals (Harvard, Stanford, Emory, you name them I read them!).

and so for my first journey it takes me back home to the United Arab Emirates during the 1950’s where a woman named Noora tries to find herself in the midst of troubling times in the UAE in the novel called the Sand fish by Maha Gargash.

Noora , a hot headed and stubborn young Emarati woman, wasn’t like any other woman who grew up in the hard isolated town in the mountain areas of the United Arab Emirates with very little to look forward to, as content as she was with her life her brother made sure he will help build her a better future.

As she was wedded to a wealthy man, she soon begins to transcend from being the teenager into womanhood learning the lessons of what marriage had to give her, yet Noora has always found herself fighting the urge to show her true colours as she dips her leg into deep waters that could lead to very dangerous consequences.

The story had its moments, at start I felt the writing could have been better sought out (being one of the first novels presented from the UAE) , I understood that it tried to portray the colloquial mindset of the UAE, it still felt it was not meshed well between the English and “arabic” (comparing to how Hosseini manages to mesh the colloquial afghan to both his novels)

And being a cynic, I have a very biased opinion of books where the main woman character is this will strong-minded woman! Its just the same sob story when it comes to reading any other stories and I always seek some novelty when the novelist creates a character (similar to how almost all characters in books love to read, or want to be writers) however Noora did grow on me and I did find her character evolvement quite interesting (from strong willed towards being a quiet woman)

However the book ending is what left me unimpressed, however I understand she wanted to let us paint our own ending for the Characters, I always seek to see what the writers wants us to see.

Yet overall, I highly applaud her for her effort of producing such a piece of work and I hope she can help provide the motivation and inspiration of many more other arab writers (and perhaps she has opened a door for other UAE authors)

For those interested in purchasing the book here is on this link:amazon

Reflection: The Future is bright

I have hidden myself from the world, tucked inside my borrow I call my room, so I can work on producing the last given essay that marks the end of the very first semester at St. Andrews.

For a whole week, I was in the complex world of publishing, as tedious my work was, I must admit, the publishing world is much more interesting than I had expected.

Before coming to st andrews, I was unsure of my choice of publishing, given how this part of the world is lacking the right structure that will provide me some sort of income, yet my disposition comes from my naivety in the subject.

These buildings are just part of the mirage, yet once you enter deep into the desert youll find that oasis!

Throughout my research I found the UAE is trying to mould into a much more culture oriented economy, yet the oasis needs to grow, to some extent my belief was true, but things are changing here in the publishing world which is quite exciting!

So to all enthusiast Authors in the UAE I say Keep writing because the future is bright!

and for now, I shall put down my pens and highlighters and begin to enjoy the very limited time I have for R and R, I cant believe how much I have longed to pick up a book that did not require me to sit and analyze.

Holiday, here I come!

Reflection:We are Fighters

January 4^th marks a date that will always remain a historic moment in the history of the UAE.

Last night, I was caught between the midst’s of a crowd that came to watch one of the most spectacular moments in history, the

opening of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa.

It was 8PM as the White Mercedes G55 with the familiar licenses plate number one arrives at the scene. Everyone recognizes that car and the crowd begins to get excited! Everyone was watching the screens and awaiting the most beloved man in Dubai.

As we caught the first glimpse of the Vice President getting out of his car, the UAE national, Arabs, Indians, Asians, Europeans and the rest of the multicultural groups present in this crowd began to cheer.

I have always found Sheikh Mohammed to be an inspirational leader and thought that this feeling was perhaps a shared belief amongst us UAE nationals, but looking at the crowd of faces as they watched our vice president make the stage, I could see the proud faces of the residents of Dubai, I forget that this place is home to many other eclectic groups.

As the ribbons were cut, marking the opening of the Burj, Sheikh Mohammed announced, “The highest point should be associated with the biggest name, I present to you Burj Khalifa.” Everyone was shocked, yet we all understood the solidarity of our sheikh. His emotional attachment and his sense of uniting the emirates (something his late father preached) comes before anything. It is the proof that we shall always stick with our brothers through thick and thin.

In my opinion, ever since the late President passed away and the economic boom in Dubai, this intense rivalry and hatred between the people of Abu Dhabi and Dubai grew parallel. I do not understand it largely because at the end of the day we are all one country and I think this was not a proud moment in the history of Dubai but the UAE.

Now lies burj Khalifa, on Sheikh Zayed Road, a monument that will not only be seen at any point in Dubai but can be glimpsed from outer space, this is truly a proud moment for us all.

As I watched us and our ruler celebrate a moment in our history together, it is something that perhaps no CNN , no BBC nor Business week could ever manage to write down in words or explain, you had to be there to understand it and this was the same feelings amongst the face of crowds of the people present. I saw it in my mother’s eye who stood by me on my right and the Englishman who stood on my left, we all felt it, this intense emotional attachment to Dubai.

What no news agency realizes (due to their cynicism) is that Burj Khalifa has a deeper and symbolic meaning to the residents and UAE nationals. It symbolizes that we can always aim high, that despite everything, despite the debt and despite the recession, we carry on because this is who we are, we are fighters and this is the true symbol of Burj Khalifa! not a world record breaking building, but a symbol of who Sheikh Mohammed is and who we are!