Its a memorable day

First of all congrats for winning the Expo 2020, five years from now we will have six months of expos in Dubai, and business will improve for everyone, I will be part of it of course.  Even though I will be 62 at that time, but age has nothing to do with it I guess.

My day was hectic, I arrived late from Bahrain last night after spending 5 days of back to back meetings, outings, presentations, and budget setting for the new office there. Seeing the little one was the icing on the cake, but of course she doesn't like me, I think its because I am not there all the time, so a reminder to me "go to Bahrain often granny!!" . 

I reached my first meeting for the day late, and after the meeting I spent hours on the phone following what is happening to my sister who is diagnosed with another cancer in the womb, she had a tumor removed from her breast, so we convinced her to go to the most famous hospital in the country, she did after great resistance.  Once she reached there and being admitted, she was going to undergo various medical checks, which she didn't like so she took off, my sister, her husband and my nephew ran after her, but she refused to go back. then on the way back to Dubai, lots of phone calls happened, and now she is going to Lebanon to be tested by a very famous oncologist there, hopefully (that is her saying as she is in denial) he will discover that she doesn't have cancer and she will be back on the next plane home.  We also hope so of course, as no one wants to have cancer in ones house.  Cancer is something we hear about, but do not want to experience t first hand.

So all the celebration of the Expo2020 didn't do much for us, as we are all sad to know that our sister is not feeling that well.  However looking at her talking and chattering away with the friends who visited makes one feel that its all a medical mistake, as she looks fine, and maybe she is fine, but one must make sure.

Hopefully when 2020 arives, we will all be having booths in that expo and my sister will be selling something or the other there.  I want to have a tea stall, with my special cookies, to be sold to those that are tired from walking in the huge setup that Dubai is preparing.  Or better still, my art project will also be approved and Dubai will be very colorful in preparation for the expo.  One never knows, but one has to plan.

Please wish my sister the best of health, and see you all in five years in Dubai, its our city, and we love it.

Owning a million tongues

My father used to say that learning another language is like owning another tongue, being another person and marching with a new costume. This is all true as languages represent the culture, tradition, way of life, simplicity, complexity and many more of these adjectives that are used to describe a country and its people.  We cannot stop there; even the way people speak their language can be depicted on a canvas to show how the people behave or what kind of body language they would use. 

Today I had a student in my office who wanted to go to Germany to study Medicine, I explained to him that he needs to have at least the first level of the language to make the visa process easier, however finding a school that teaches the German language is not easy, and if we do, the sessions are not as regular as we would like them to be.  So I asked the student if he has a smart phone, he took it out of his pocket, and I asked him to download an APP to teach himself the language, we did that at the same time, and soon both of us learnt few words.  What I noticed that both of us were speaking in a very strict manner, same as how the German speak.  The French people move their shoulders and make noises from their mouths, the Italians shout, the Arabs scream, the Spaniards sing, The English rolls marbles in his mouth, and there it goes for the rest of the languages.  More often than not, you don’t only recognize a person by the way he/she speaks that he/she are from Germany, France, Bahrain or England, but also by the way he/she walks, eats, drink and even writes. 

Our schools teach mainly in Arabic, we also study English and sometimes French but we are not privy to other languages; as much as I would love to see that we are taught Latin, Asian languages, other European languages, or even Portuguese, but this dream needs a long time to be fulfilled. 

The belief of owning another language is not on the ministry of education agenda, so if there are schools that will teach a language, it will be mostly English language schools, French schools and off late Goethe institute and Berlitz had opened German language branches in the Gulf region.  I haven’t seen many Korean or Chinese schools opening their doors, nor Turkish, Iranian, Indian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Banghali, or even Arabic. 

My opinion on the lack of love to languages stem from few reasons:

1.       The Arab world is still busy in raising themselves to the level of OECD countries

2.       The level of poverty is still high and people are busy fighting for their lives

3.       The Democracy experienced in OECD countries is yet to evolve in the Arab world, and till then most of the inhabitants will focus only on the basic educational necessities instead of indulging in learning another language. 

4.       Most of the jobs that require a second or a third language are provided to the expat community that live in the middle east, as there is an inherent deficiency in the recruiters’ mind which assumes that all the Arabs only possess one language.

5.       The illiteracy level needs to be eradicated first before we venture into studying another language.

Of course if we want to find more reasons we can by conducting a study on the tendencies and linking it with the behaviors of governments, companies and people in the Middle East, and align the curriculum taught in the Arab world to see any comparatives that are explicitly mentioned in it.  I doubt though that a study of this nature would take place as every one may think that we have more pressing issues to think about instead of trying to find why people do not take up another language?

To end this opinionated article I would like to add that many of us would love to learn another language at night and after work, travelling to another country is what most of us do, but its costly and not possible to all.  So if investors are clever enough, then opening schools in the middles east will be the best investment they had ever entered into.  If you want to ascertain this fact do check the history of Eton institute in Dubai. It started with a small classroom teaching English and grew dramatically into a large institute that teaches over 23 languages in a matter of few years.  The owner more than tripled his investment and also is indulging in raising charitable events and community engagement which is a refreshing way to do business in the Middle East.

Bonne Lecture

Gute Lekture

Boa Lietura

Good Reading

قراءة جيدة

Personality profile

Couple of weeks ago I was in an exhibition in Bahrain, it was so busy to the extent that we didn't have time for water or prayers or anything of the sort. a very interesting expo it was.  One of the companies presenting was called Zain, they had hundreds of computers positioned and anyone can answer the questions that will allow the software to develop a personality profile about him or her.  I am the curious and fidgety type, so of course I had to quietly leave our spot, and went to answer the hundreds of questions.  here is what the programme said about me:

Suad Alhalwachi   Suad Alhalwachi شخصية مبتكرة، منطقية، وفضولية. يرى Suad Alhalwachi فرص تطوير الأشياء بإستمرار، ويمتلك القدرة على فهم واستيعاب أصعب الأشياء. مستقل برأيه لا يتقيد بالآراء والأفكار العامة، ويحب مناقشة والدفاع عن أفكاره. متحمس جداً للحصول على أفكار جديدة ومشاريع، وحماسه هذا قد يدفعه لتجاهل أمور حياته اليومية. بشكل عام يتكلم يعبر بصراحة عن كل ما في خاطره. يستمتع بجلوسه مع الناس وبالإجتماعات. لديه قدرة ممتازة على فهم النظرية وتطبيقها عملياً لحل المشاكل. ميوله الشخصية: منفتح، حدسي، عقلاني، ومتساهل. وهو أحد العقلانيين حسب نظرية كريسي للأمزجة. نسبة المخترعين حسب دراسة أجريت على عينة من الشعب الأمريكي تتراوح بين 2-5%. نظرة عامة على شخصية Suad Alhalwachi: في تعامله مع العالم الخارجي، Suad Alhalwachi له حالتين. الحالة الأولى داخلية حيث يقوم Suad Alhalwachi بإستخدام حدسه ليأخذ موقف من الأشياء من حوله. والحالة الأخرى خارجية ومن خلالها يقوم بالتعامل مع المواقف من حوله حسب ما يمليه عليه عقله ومنطقه. Suad Alhalwachi بإستمرار يستخدم حدسه لمحاولة فهم الصور والأفكار التي يتعرض لها خلال حياته وفي محيطه، في هذه العملية يتطور الحدس لدى Suad Alhalwachi ليصبح سريع البديهة ودقيق في فهم الحالات والأشياء التي تصادفه. بخلاف “شخصية البطل”، المخترع أكثر شخصية في التصنيفات الستة عشرة إستيعاباً للمحيط من حوله. سرعة البديهة هذه والفراسة في فهم الناس والحالات، تضع Suad Alhalwachi في مكان متقدم على أقرانه من الشخصيات الأخرى. وبمرور السنوات وبتطوير نفسه، يصبح للمخترع خبرة وقدرة على إستحضار خيارات وحلول بديلة للمشاكل التي قد تواجهه. يمكن أن يقال عن Suad Alhalwachi أنه شخصية الأفكار المبدعة والجديدة، فهو يرى فرص وحلول في كل شيء من حوله. وأيضاً هو يملك القدرة والحماس على نشر هذه الأفكار ونقل حماسه لها للناس من حوله. بهذه الطريقة يستحوذ Suad Alhalwachi على الدعم لتحقيق أحلامه وأفكاره. Suad Alhalwachi لا يولي إهتمام كبير بتطوير خطط العمل أو إتخاذ القرارات بقدر إهتمامه بتوليد أفكار جديدة وحلول بديلة. متابعة العمل على فكرة وتطويرها هو العمل الرئيسي للSuad Alhalwachi. وللبعض من المخترعين، ذلك يسبب عادة عدم إكمال ما بدأوه. وSuad Alhalwachi الذي لم يطور قدراته العقلية سيتنقل من فكرة إلى أخرى بحماس دون إنهاء أيهما أو دون إتباع خطة لتطوير أو نجاح الذات. ولذلك فSuad Alhalwachi يجب أن يطور طريقة تفكيره حول أفكاره ليتمكن من الإستفادة مما ينتجه من أفكار. Suad Alhalwachi يتخذ قراراته بالتفكير وحيداً. على الرغم من أن Suad Alhalwachi يفضل أن يفهم الأشياء ويستوعب المعلومات على أن يتخذ القرارات، إلا أنه عند إتخاذه للقرارات فهو ينهج طريقاً عقلانياً ومنطقياً في الوصول إلى استنتاجات. عندما يطبق Suad Alhalwachi العقل والتفكير على إنطوائيته وإنعزاليته فإن ما يتوصل إليه من إستنتاجات يكون قوياً وحاداً. وSuad Alhalwachi الذي يطور من قدراته الخاصة، يكون حاد البصيرة، مبتكراً، وجريئ. Suad Alhalwachi محاور جيد، لديه سرعة بديهة، ويتمتع بالسجال اللفظي مع الآخرين. يحب مناقشة القضايا، وأثناء الحوار قد ينتقل من الطرف الذي يدعمه لطرف آخر، رغبة في إثراء الحوار وحباً في النقاش. إلا في حالة النقاش حول المبادئ التي يؤمن بها، في هذه الحالة يشعر بالإرتباك وقد يقاطع أو يتحدث بشكل مطول. شخصية Suad Alhalwachi يمكن أن تكون إحدى الشخصيات التي تحمل خواص “شخصية المستشار”. وذلك لأن Suad Alhalwachi قد يفعل أي شيء في سبيل تحقيق أفكاره. فكما أن المحامي قد يبرئ المجرم بإيجاد ثغرات في القانون أو النظام، فإن Suad Alhalwachi قد يفعل أي شيء في سبيل تنفيذ أفكاره. وذلك دون أن يكون هناك أي شعور بتأنيب الضمير أو إحساس داخلي بالخطأ. وإذا كان هذا التصرف من Suad Alhalwachi يمر دون أن يراجع أفكاره، قد يتسبب ذلك في أن يرى Suad Alhalwachi على أنه شخص غير أخلاقي أو غير شريف. وبطبيعة الحال فSuad Alhalwachi شخصية عقلانية لا يرى قيمة لمشاعر البشر في إتخاذ القرارات، فإن لم يتذكر Suad Alhalwachi أن يضع حساب لمشاعر الناس عند إتخاذه لقراراته قد يرى كشخص بلا مشاعر. أقل أجزاء الشخصية تطوراً في Suad Alhalwachi هما الجانب الحواس الخمس في تلقي المعلومات والمشاعر عند إتخاذ القرارات. إن لم يطور Suad Alhalwachi جانب الحواس الخمس فإنه سيواجه مشاكل في عدم الإهتمام بالتفاصيل الدقيقة في حياته. أما Suad Alhalwachi الذي لم يطور جانب المشاعر قد لا يعطي Suad Alhalwachi إهتماماً كافياً بآراء الغير أو وقد يصبح عدوانياً وقاسياً. عندما يكون Suad Alhalwachi تحت ضغط، يفقد Suad Alhalwachi قدرته على توليد حلول وخيارات بديلة ويصبح مهووساً بالتفاصيل الدقيقة. هذه التفاصيل يراها Suad Alhalwachi على إنها مهمة جداً وهي في الحقيقة لا تهم لحل المشكلة وفي الصورة الكبيرة. بصفة عامة، Suad Alhalwachi شخصية متفائلة وحالمة. يقدر Suad Alhalwachi المعرفة، ويقضي الكثير من حياته محاولاً الحصول على فهم أكبر للحياة وما فيها. يعيش Suad Alhalwachi في عالم من الإحتمالات والخيارات، يتحمس للمفاهيم، والتحديات والصعوبات. وعندما يتعرض لمشكلة، فإنه يجيد الإرتجال وإيجاد عدة حلول لها. Suad Alhalwachi ، إنسان مبدع، ذكي، وشغوف بالعلم والنظريات، كل ذلك يساعده على الإبداع والتفوق في أي مجال يشقه في حياته. نقاط القوة : ·         حماسي، متفائل، ومحبوب. ·         من الممكن أن يكون جذاباً جداً. ·         يتقن مهارات الإتصال. ·         يولي إهتمام بالغ بتطوير نفسه وبتطوير علاقاته الشخصية. ·         متساهل ومرنة، عادة ما يكون من السهل التعامل والتوافق معه. ·         إنسان صاحب أفكار إبداعية، غالب وقته يكون يعمل على مهمة أو يطور خطة. ·         غالباً ما يكون ذو قدرة جيدة على تحصيل المال ولكنه ليس جيداً في التعامل مع المال وإدارته. ·         يأخذ علاقاته الخاصة بشكل جدي. النقاط المتطلب تحسينها : ·         دائماً يكون ولعاً بالأشياء الجديدة، قد يكون هذا على حساب نجاحه الشخصي أو علاقاته. ·         يميل لأن لا يتابع العمل على أفكاره وخططه. ·         حبه للنقاش قد يؤدي إلى الجدال العقيم. ·         مخاطر لدرجة كبيرة، ومبذر في صرفه للأموال، كلها تؤدي لجعله غير جيد في إدارة المال. ·         على الرغم من أنه يأخذ علاقاته الشخصية بمحمل الجد إلا أنه قد يلقي بها خلفه إن لم يرى تقدماً فيها. صفات Suad Alhalwachi في العمل: ·         يميل للعمل على المشاريع. ·         يستمتع بتوليد الأفكار والنظريات. ·         مبدع وخيالي. ·         قادر على العمل. ·         مرن ومتنوع. ·         لديه مهارات إتصال ممتازة. ·         يستمتع بمناقشة قضايا مع الآخرين. ·         لديه مهارات في التعامل مع الناس. ·         قائد بطبيعته، ولكنه لا يرغب بالتحكم بالناس. ·         لا يحب أن يتم التحكم به ويقاوم ذلك. ·         حي ونشيط، يمكنه بث الحماس في الناس. ·         يقدر العلم والكفاءة. ·         مفكر عقلاني ومنطقي. ·         لديه قدرة على فهم مفاهيم ونظريات صعبة. ·         يستمتع بحل المشاكل الصعبة. ·         يكره جداول العمل والبيئة الصارمة. ·         يكره الروتين والمهام التفصيلية الأعمال التي تناسب Suad Alhalwachi: ·         محامي. ·         عالم نفس. ·         رجل أعمال. ·         مصور. ·         إستشاري. ·         مهندس. ·         عالم. ·         ممثل. ·         مندوب مبيعات. ·         بائع ومسوق شخصي. ·         مبرمج كمبيوتر، محلل أنظمة، أو أخصائي حاسب آلي. تعزيز نقاط قوة Suad Alhalwachi: شخصيتك تتفوق على بقية الشخصيات في عدد من الجوانب، معرفتك بهذه النقاط، وتركيزك عليها وتطويرها سيساعدك على التميز والنبوغ على قرنائك. المخترعين سيلاحظون هذه الصفات في أنفسهم، وهي ما يتوجب عليهم التركيز عليه ورعايته: ·         قدرة على الإحتفاظ بعدة وجهات نظر لأمر ما، ورؤية مميزات وعيوب كل رأي. ·         إيجاد أساليب وطرق لإنجاز الأعمال لم يسبق لأحد أن فكر فيها. ·         يستطيع الإجابة بسرعة على أي سؤال يتعلق بإهتمامته وتناوله من عدة زوايا وتفصيلات. ·         رؤية الجانب الآخر من أي مشكلة. ·         القدرة على العمل على أكثر من مشروع ومهمة في الوقت ذاته. ·         قدرة على المواجهة في النقاش أو النقاش لوحده ودون أي دعم ومساندة. ·         القدرة على إيجاد الدور الأمثل للآخرين بسرعة. ·         سرعة رؤية الروابط الغير واضحة للآخرين بين الأشياء. Suad ASuadlhalwachi الذي يطور جانب التفكير الإنطوائي في شخصية، سيحصل على التالي: ·         القدرة على حل المشاكل والألغاز التي لا يظهر أن لها حلول واضحة. ·         القدرة على وضع مخطط بياني لتصميم أو بناء، مع ثقته بأنه صحيح. ·         القدرة على تحديد الأشياء التي يحتاجها الآخرين وتقديمها لهم، دون معرفة الطرف الآخر بحاجته ودون طلبه. ·         موهبة فنية، بلاغية وأدبيه. مشاكل متوقعة لدى Suad Alhalwachi: معظم المشاكل التي يتوقع وجودها لدى Suad Alhalwachi ، نابعة من طغيان حدسه المنفتح على بقية خصائص شخصيته. وبالتالي من المتوقع أن تواجه المشاكل التالية: ·         ميل لإعتقاده بأن التفكير والحساب الدقيق للأمور مضيعة للوقت. ·         عدم القدرة على رؤية الاحتياجات العاطفية والإجتماعية للأشخاص القريبين منه. ·         عدم التعاطف للأشخاص الذين يحتاجون لمشاعر كالطمأنانية، الأمن، أو الإلتزام. ·         عدم القدرة على العمل على التفاصيل الدقيقة، أو متابعة العمل على مشروع يستدعي التوقف والإنتظار. ·         الشعور بالإنزعاج الشديد من الأمور والتفاصيل الدقيقة التي يتوجب الإنتهاء منها لإكمال المشروع أو تحقيق الهدف. ·         الميل لأن يكون متعجرفاً أو متغطرساً، والحط من قدر الأشخاص الذين لا يتفقون معه على الحلول. ·         قد يجد نفسه في موضوع سيء، بسبب استعجاله وإتخاذه خطوات كبير أسرع من المفترض. وللتغلب على هذه النقاط، يتوجب عليك الإهتمام بالمعلومات التي تحصل عليها من خلال حدسك المنفتح. بعد حصولك على معلومة، أعط نفسك الوقت الكافي لتحليلها وبحثها. طبيعة شخصيتك ستجعلك تعتقد بأنك محيط بالمعلومة ومستوعب لها فور تلقيها وهذا غير صحيح. كذلك، حاول ان تتذكر بأن الآخرين يفرحون ويتشجعون عندما تتاح لهم الفرصة للمشاركة والتعبير عن الرأي. الأمر الذي ينطبق أيضاً على القريبين منك، حاول أن تتيح لهم الفرصة لمشاركتك في قراراتك وابحث واستمع لآرائهم، ولو توجب عليك الرفض كن لطيفاً في رفضك. النصائح : 1.       ركز على نقاط قوتك! تأكد أن تدرك وتوظف قدرتك على رؤية الأمور من زوايا لا يراها الآخرين. 2.       واجه نقاط ضعفك! كما تقبلت نقاط قوتك، تفهم أن هناك نقاط ضعف في شخصيتك، وأنك يجب أن تعمل بصدق على التخلص منها. تذكر دائماً أن مواجهة نقاط ضعفك لا يعني مواجهة نفسك أو تغيير شخصيتك، بل يعني أنك ترغب بأن تكون الأفضل. 3.       تحدث عن أفكارك! مناقشة أفكارك مع الآخرين سيجعلهم يفهمون مقاصدك من اختياراتك، وأيضاً الاستماع لآرائهم قد يساعدك على تحسين الإختيارات وتوجيهها بالطريق الصحيح. 4.       استرخي واستمتع! خذ بعض الوقت للإسترخاء والتمعن في القدرات الجميلة التي تتمتع بها. حاول أيضاً أن لا تشغلك الأمور الكبيرة عن الأمور الصغيرة اليومية فهي الملح الذي يكمل ويحسن حياتك. 5.       لاحظ الإختلافات الشخصية! هناك 15 صنف شخصية غير شخصيتك، حاول استيعاب واستقراء أصناف الناس من حولك، وتفهم وجهات نظرهم. 6.       انتبه للقواعد والأنظمة المهمة! تذكر أن بلوغك لأحلامك يتم من خلال مساعدة ومساندة الآخرين. الطريق الذي تشقه خلال الحياة، قد يكون ممهداً من قبل أشخاص آخرين وهناك أسباب لرسمهم للطريق. كن مبدعاً ولكن تذكر أن الإبتعاد عن الطريق الممهد قد يكلفك وقتاً إضافياً. 7.       اخرج من المنطقة المألوفة لديك! نموك يتعمد بشكل كبير على ارتكابك لبعض المخاطرات، والخروج إلى تجربة أمور جديدة لم يسبق لك القيام بها. 8.       تعرف على مشاعرك وعبر عنها! قد لا يكون ذلك بالأمر السهل لديك، ولكن حاول أن تغوص في أعماق نفسك وتستكشف مشاعرك واحاسيسك. وعندما تجد في نفسك مشاعر تجاه شخص، اخبره بذلك. لا تحبسها في داخلك، هذا الأمر سيشعر الطرف الآخر بالأمان، وإن كان ذلك في ظل علاقة زوجيه، هذا ما سيساعدها على الإستمرار. 9.       كن مسؤولاً عن نفسك! وتذكر أن لا أحد لديه القدرة على السيطرة على حياتك وقراراتك عداك أنت. فلا تجعل من نفسك ضحية. افترض الأفضل دائماً! لا تضيق على نفسك بتوقع الأسوء دائماً، وتذكر أن الموقف الإيجابية دائماً ما يخلق نتائج إيجابية.

One half day in Frankfurt Am Main

This last trip of mine was so busy, unsure why, but I basically I hadn't any minute to stop and think of anything, reply to emails or even phone calls.  Whatsapp was the only thing that I had to reply to as there were disasters on the way. Of course I posted some photos on Instagram, and linked it with my twitter and facebook, so family and friends stay in touch even though we are far.

Last year at the same time as now, I was at Berlin airport receiving three girls who decided to listen to us and go to Germany to study. We saw them now in Frankfurt, the change is tremendous, and they have become German ladies, very proper and very posh when they spoke German to fellow German people. At the university they introduced me to the dean, and their teachers, and were extremely polite with them, I was so proud of them.  But the real change is not in the language or the politeness! Its in the cultural achievement that they had acquired from mingling with the German friends.  

First they had planned the half day so we accomplish many things, second, they recommended a hotel, and suggested the restaurant to go to until they can come and meet us.  We went with them to the school to attend the international day that the school was celebrating, and they had prepared some dishes too.  They introduced us to their friends and when we departed we had made new friends and new acquaintances. Then we went for a long walk, going in subways to a subway, shopped a little, went to a nice Turkish restaurant, and went for a walk on the Main river enjoying the view and taking lots of photos.

Of course one gets to find out about the students only when one is talking casually with them.  Both girls loved art, and they are going to attend the many art exhibitions taking place in Staedel museum in Frankfurt, I saw posters announcing Rembrandt http://www.staedelmuseum.de/sm/index.php?StoryID=1745&websiteLang=en, Durer http://duerer-in-frankfurt.de/en/, Nok http://www.liebieghaus.de/lh/index.php?StoryID=505&websiteLang=en and many more artists. So this was going to be their weekend chore. They also go to the botanic gardens, other museums, and many other cultural programmes.  I feel my job is accomplished, we will not only get doctors after 7 years, we will also get cultural developments, new advancements in how to live life to the fullest.

Next year I will see the current 14 students who have just arrived in Germany, and I am sure each would have discovered what they love to do in this life, and how each can achieve many facets at once.

Men-o-Pause

Menopause is a taboo, why? because women hate it when people know their ages,so they never talk about this phase of their lives, hence there is so little research about it.  and today's story is a sign of Men-o-pause!

This trip has been a disaster from start. Not sure why don't I think about things before doing them? I must try to sit back, breathe, and think before writing emails, answering emails, accepting trips and conferences. I think its high time that I must stop, focus and decide on what is best for me and if I really have the brains or the energy to do stuff like this at this age. 

Okay, why don’t I start from the end part, this morning I decided I will go for some shopping, just to buy a few things for the little one, but I got blown away by the amount of decorations that the shops had on display for both thanksgiving and Halloween. I looked at my watch and it’s almost time to go to the airport! So went out of the shop, no taxis! Blast!  I went back to the shop, and asked if I can have a number to call a taxi; the shopkeeper gave me one and I rang three times, but no one replied, so I walked around asking every passerby if they know where I can get a taxi, no one knew.  At the end a person advised me to go to the beginning of the shopping area and ask there. Great, I got a taxi finally.  I asked him to dash back to the hotel, went down, went to the room, changed, washed while hastily putting my items inside the two little bags that I brought with me, went down again, checked out and got to the shuttle. 

At the airport I found out that I had to pay for my couple of bags (something else to add to my to do list, find out if domestic flights require you to purchase bags!!)  I paid for that and off I went through security.  I was really hungry at that stage and since I had an hour till departure I bought some food, and was munching away while sorting through the trip file, when I noticed that my next flight which was supposed to be at 11 pm that day, was actually a month away!! I made a mistake when booking the flight!!!! I  nearly fainted!  what would I do now?  oh my god, panic panic panic.  I held myself, opened my laptop to go to the internet, and dammit, I had to pay for the wifi, did that.  Then I found the phone number of the airline and called them.  Of course knowing airlines they have to keep you on hold for minutes.  When they finally answered and I explained the situation, and asked them to hurry up as I am departing in few minutes, still it took the girl on the other side of the phone around another 6 minutes to find me a seat on the correct flight, the damage of course was another few hundred dollars.

So while being seated I started to think about this week.  My final flight would be the 6^th flight I took that week plus a multiple bus trips and one of these trips was for 15 hours.  Of course we had a mission to visit few universities, but the route was not for someone my age, it was for young and energetic people.  And that brought me to the subject of menopause, I think when women reach this age the thinking process is not very clear, and if a young person is hasty, then a menopausal person becomes hastier, if a young person is not focused, then a menopausal person becomes less focused, and if a person is clumsy, then the menopausal person becomes clumsier.  Everything multiplies even chin hair, but some other things reduce, I don’t care for this purpose to mention what they are. 

However, what I learned from this trip is that……., wait, I didn't learn anything as I am sure I will do this again and again.  I am easily tempted to travel, and if there was a trip and good company assured, then I am the first person to sign for it. So menopause or no menopause, I am not going to stop and think before I do anything, as I don’t think I was born to think, and now that I am men-o-pausal, its even worse.

However, I do need a secretary to organise my trips. 

You know that a country had lost its soul when its people loose their ambition

As you may know we talk to students from around the world who are pursuing their higher education,  I get the goose pumps when I hear them talk about what they want to do and their aspirations.   Almost every student from UAE for example wants to go to a top ranked university! we help them of course if their grades and other achievements permits, if not we place them in the place that suits them and suits their abilities.  Of course we do that without prejudice and without putting the students down,  as the last thing one wants to do is to hamper their enthusiasm when he or she are at the peak of their hope and dreams of the future. 

Off late we have been helping students from bahrain and needless to say that almost all of the ones that come our way are those that had attained the highest grades.  I am baffled by how subdued they are and how they never think beyond Bahrain and other gulf countries.  Most of the times they are baffled too about the possibilities available out there.

Being the inquisitive me I ask why? why are they asking for this or that university and what their parents think? and have they checked around? or are they told of what is available out there?

So my latest discussion made me go mad.  This student gained 97.8% in her high school last year. She was offered a scholarship to a gulf country when she wanted another gulf country.  So she went for a term, decided that she doesn't like it and returned back to Bahrain.  Then someone gave her my number (to her fortune or misfortune, not sure).   Of  course I went through the drill and asked her why does she only wants that particular university? I asked her to check the various rankings to show me if its in them?

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2013-14/world-ranking?gclid=CNfU1cmm-7kCFTMftAod_noABg

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2013#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=

I was only trying to tell her that a high ranking student should go to a high ranking university.  With her grades even Harvard will accept her and would even give her a scholarship.   In Turkey for example (and by the way, no one from the Gulf region wants to go there yet!) most of their universities are in the top. But us the Bahraini people always settle for the closest.  Unsure why?  I think a student should insist that he/she must go to the top university even if its in China.  This is according to our prophet

I am sorry but I lose my mind especially that the UAE who started their schools years after Bahrain are sending their students to the best places and we the Bahraini people think of the worst and that too if the family permits.

We can't afford it, My dream is to study in the UK, my family will not agree, I don't have the language level required, I cannot see myself there, what if I apply and they don't accept me? what if after what if, endless hampering of ones ability, which seriously reflects of the country itself.

So my answer to these students, what if you get a scholarship?  did you think of that?
I also give them this website: scholarshipsbank.com and ask them to go there and see for themselves the endless possibilities.

The education system in every country has a a very important side that goes beyond, reading, writing,  arithmetic!  its compounding the confidence of the learners, making them believe in themselves and letting them unleash their potential to show the world that they firstly exist and secondly can. anyone given the right circumstances can do the best, and pupil in bahrain are no different.  I can only say that the students had lost their ambition, they must feel that there is no point of working hard, as their country had lost its soul.

Regards

Suad Alhalwachi

Director of Education Zone

Ramdan's Jetlag

You remember from few blogs away when I mentioned that we were staying up till five in the morning in Ramadan? well, that killed every drop of sleep from our heads, and most of us were really tired.  Now that nine days had past, we started to feel ok, and we can sleep in our regular sleeping time, and wake up in our regular waking up time.  One person had no problems at all, it was my husband, he will not budge, he sleeps on time and wakes up on time, Ramadan or no Ramadan.

When I started to travel long distances and started to feel the jetlag, I couldn't understand it, I didn't know that the body has a certain biological ticks, that work like a clock.  Once you change your habits the clock will not function, you need to start moving backward (or forward) slowly till the clock adjust itself.  I wonder if there are tablets for this? as its quite annoying really.

This year Eid was really great,we had two for the price of one.  Even though two of my kids were not here, we still enjoyed it, and with the advent of technology, they could see the food, check the photos and know who was gathering and what they were wearing, etc.  Of course as one professor once told me, we can never hug a picture of a son or daughter, we can never smell the rose that we see on TV, and we can never feel the sand of the beach unless we are actually walking on it and not through someone else's eyes.

Also, because we follow the lunar calendar, it means that we must see the moon then we break our fast, those that don't see the moon continued their fast, which meant that we must have two Eid lunches with friends and family gathering in our place for those two days.  It was wonderful, my friends from Abu Dhabi were here and while their little son was chasing Micky, and their little new born baby was crying, we were continuously talking and chattering away about so many things that I don't really remember, and I don't think that what we were saying needed to be remembered.  To me this is the best thing about any gathering, we talk for the sake of talking and not for arguments or for scientific research.

Two points are worth mentioning here, firstly we give money to kids during Eid (instead of gifts), this year I got 3x 500 dirhams from my daughter, her husband and my brother Hasson (who we adore as he is the organiser and technology geek in the family).  I felt like a child really, and enjoyed my money by spending it.  The second point is that we must wear new cloths during Eid! yes we must in actual fact when we were little we had only three times in the year that we buy new dresses, once when we start school, once during Ramadan's Eid, and once during Eid Alhaj, but with my menopause, I need cotton and lightweight materials.  My mum, decided that to buy me a dress, what she bought was lovely, it was red (my favourite color) and was made of georgette material.  I wore the dress, took the pictures, modelled it to the group for 5 minutes then apologised and changed into my comfortable robe made from cotton.  Everyone laughed at me for doing that, but I for once didn't care about having a new thingy on.  My comfort was more important. However, I hate menopause.

Will talk to you again about our customs and traditions next Eid.  Indulge in the pictures as they are really nice.