December 201022

The GraTiTude

diaryA person, An event, A thing, A moment... WhAt Are you thAnkful for?

Dear BaBa,As my father you wanted the world for me, but much more than that, you wanted to see me happy. i choose to write this letter to you because there is something i never told you. you are my hero, Dad! i wish i had not hid my emotions. there were times when you would hug me and i would secretly tear up. it was always so hard for me to look you in the eyes and tell you how much i respect you for giving up your life to make our lives better.

i remember as a girl when we would hide in shel-ters during the war in lebanon. i would cry to you on the phone while you were in new york and your comforting words always made me feel safe. you worked so hard to save our family from danger and brought us to the usA for an improved life. “i want to see you educated and successful.” that’s what you would say to me anytime i thanked you for a new pair of shoes or the dollar you gave me to buy candy.

thank you for being so tolerant when you had six

mouths to feed, five kids to put through college, plus the struggle of moving us from a small apartment in Queens to a safer neighbourhood. look at us now, Dad! We are all educated and successful. i’m sorry i didn’t say thank you sooner.

in the last six months, my life has changed tre-mendously. Winning the crown of miss usA has opened my eyes, awakened my spirit and changed my outlook on life. But most of all, it has made me realise how much you mean to me. no matter where i am, you still call me before i make a speech to make sure i am well-prepared. thank you. i am sorry for not always communicating my emotions or experiences and pretending everything is great, when we both know it is not.

recently you told me you still wake up in the mid-dle of the night and smile when you remember your little princess is miss usA. i loved hearing that and tears rolled down my face. i have tried many times to scream out how much i love you and how thankful i am for you. now it is happening: i love you BABA!Always your little princess,

I woulD lIke to senD my gratItuDe to a wrIter wHo Has cHangeD my lIfe, agatHa cHrIstIe . accorDIng to tHe Guinness Book of World records, agatHa Is tHe Best-sellIng wrIter of Books of all tIme. I was always lookIng at tHe sky anD HopIng tHat one Day I can Be a small star next to Her. wHo saID tHat you cannot meet tHe person If you are In DIfferent lIves. I can assure you tHat I stIll Do every tIme I open one of Her storIes, I also HaD tHe Honour to meet Her In maDame tussauDs museum.

JawaHer al-kHuzeIDohalanD

Rima Fakih

2010 December 23

Crisply starched cotton sarees and hair tightly

coiled in a bun, the stern look (which in retrospect

was so typically classic), and the passion for teach-

ing, is how your image will always be etched in my

memory. Ms Bhuvanesvary, I never thanked you for

the brisk way you walked into our classroom and

changed our worlds forever with the introduction

of books as a window to the society, historic map-

ping of various eras, a ticketless travel to countries

we could never dream of visiting; and most impor-

tantly believing in us. Thank you for teaching us

to appreciate and discern the beauty of the written

word.

cHatura pooJarI-aBBasI

pr speciAlist

wHat am I tHankful for?coffee.

thank you, dear parents, i am forever grateful for the lessons you taught me in my younger years.

Although i was close to mum, Dad and i didn’t have a great bond. there were constant dis-agreements, which i blamed on Dad’s expecta-tions of mum who worked full time, managed the household, played ‘peace maker’, while bringing up children.

however, as i learned more about human behav-iour, i recognized my parents were totally responsible for their life choices and i also had a choice: either

continue to blame Dad or forgive him, and accept both parents for who they are as well as the wonderful lessons i could learn from them. And there were many: forgiveness, patience, love, compassion, non-judgment, strength etc.

my parents gave me invaluable gifts. Dad crystallised my career path, supported by soft skills I learned from mum. i’m eternally grateful to them for my life lessons, which now helps me to assist others to live an empowered, rewarding life.

JeanIne BaIley Executive and life coach. She is co-founder of Empower People (special-ists in human development), based in Qatar and Director of Papillon Inter-national (empowering people to live a brilliant and successful life).

wHen I was growIng up I was tolD coffee was for grown-ups.

perhaps that’s why i thought i was so sophisticated as a 20-year-old, meeting my friends for coffee in the city on a saturday morning. over lattes we’d dissect the previous evening. Did you notice who was there? Wasn’t the music terrible? Was he really talking to her? Newspapers were shuffled, careers were planned, exams passed and failed. As the day went by second and third orders were made. no mortgages, husbands or children to worry about, no ageing parents.

By my late 20s, a coffee was a date or a sugges-tion. A coffee could be the beginning of a relation-ship or the disastrous end. “i think we should talk, shall we meet for coffee”? On my first date with my husband at the end of the night he asked, “would you like to come in for coffee”? i declined and then kept my fingers crossed for a week that he’d call.

in my 30s, it was an on-again off-again relation-ship with decaf, four children in six years can do that to a woman.

Joining the expat world meant coffee mornings, which i soon realised really meant new friendships. Where can I find Huggies? Does anyone know of a good hairdresser? Did you know the Williams family; they used to live in libya too?

When i arrived to meet my friend for coffee this morning she ordered a milkshake, i raised an eye-brow and she said, “i don’t drink coffee”, that’s when i realised, the coffee is irrelevant, its the friendships, the experience that is an event.

noW, let’s hAve coffee.

krIsty rIce

December 201024

this tAkes me BAck to the yeAr 2007 When i lost my fAther to A terminAl illness. ABout the time he pAsseD AWAy, i WAs DiAgnoseD With A meDicAl conDition But thAnkfully it WAs not terminAl. my roAD to recovery WAs trying But thAnks to my mother AnD tWo elDer sisters, i receiveD the Best cAre AnD support thAt Any pAtient coulD hope for. if Anyone Were suffering, it WAs not me But my fAmily BecAuse they hAD to DeAl With the grief of losing my fAther AnD then they hAD to Be my full-time cAre giver for six consecutive months. my meDicAl conDition AnD the treAtment process Were mADe A lot more BeArABle BecAuse of the efforts of my mother AnD sisters. Despite the orDeAl, i still feel thAt life treAts me Well As things coulD hAve Been Worse. I count my BlessIngs HavIng wHo I Have In my famIly incluDing my fAther, if only he coulD hAng ArounD longer...

cHrIstIna sIm

There are so many things in life that I am thankful for – family, friends, colleagues, work, pets, school, etc. Life is tricky and not how we always want it to be but it is these flaws that make life beautiful and make us ap-preciate things.

Having lived in Qatar for almost two years by myself, it has not been al-ways easy for me – a lady living by herself with her dog! (single ladies, you know what I mean!). The thought of leaving the country is always crossing my mind. Yet I am thankful to my colleagues and friends who have given me a reason to stay this long (I think two years has been quite long). The country is like one community of people reaching out and helping each other. I have always found assistance whenever I needed one.

I am thankful to my mother who, together with my aunts and uncles (dur-ing the time when my father got sick from 1989 to 2003), has brought up me and my two sisters very well. I think my aunt probably became a spinster because of her dedication to take care of us – her nieces! But my mother is the most hardworking woman that I have ever known and has achieved so much as a mother and a public servant. She has definitely inspired me to work hard, not just to meet the daily needs, but to become an inspiration to my own son and to the community.

VIctorIa FerrarIsTeam Woman Today

thank god for being generous with your blessing, for my ability to walk and talk, for giving me the brains to think and imagine.

thank you god, who stood by my side and surrounded me with great people, my mom and my family and my beautiful girls. i am grateful for every problem that i faced as it was a lesson to learn from, for being able to forget and forgive too. for the faith he planted in my heart, for fate that keeps on changing, my job where I fulfilled my dreams. for the heart that beats, for the house and food, for every tear and every laugh...

(can we really count god’s blessing?) tHank goD for me, for BeIng wHo I am and that i am alive.

lIsa taHaBsemDirector of mArketing & communicAtions oryx rotAnA-DohA

“gratitude is not only the greatest virtues, but the parent of all others” marcus cicero

2010 December 25

SomeTimeS you have The opporTuniTy To meeT people ThaT change you. noT ofTen do you geT The chance To meeT your menTor in your life. To many a menTor iS ofTen Someone who haS helped you To be a beTTer perSon, a Teacher To many ThaT haS Shared a mo-menT or a dream, for me i did meeT her and She did change me forever, and i am forever graTeful.

When I first met her, her pale blue shirt matched those of her kind eyes, full of wisdom that she has given to the plight of the young Ethiopian women. Dr Catherine Hamlin who chose to work in Ethio-pia for 60 long years. As we sat in her gorgeous little home in Addis Ababa, she was remembering and talking about our native Australia. She was a true breath of fresh air and this was one moment I cap-tured with her and one that showed me how to ignite my passion.

By many in Ethiopia, she is just simply called, “Saint Catherine”, though she shuns away from this notable name she has been given, as she said to me, “I just love my Ethiopia, I love these women, they are the poorest of the poor and really, they have no one.”

She has inspired me to educate all women about her work, about her passion for these women of the intrepid lands of Ethiopia. Firstly, I am woman, a mother, a wife and then I am the woman that met her mentor; my dreams are now open because I have found and ignited my own passion for myself and for all women.

Kimberley SheedyOwner, Starfish Lane Kids NurseriesAn Ethiopian Journey – a journey taking 10 women residing in Qatar to EthiopiaMother of Paris 15 years and Indigo 6 yearsWife to Eric from Germany

thank god, he created the family, a group of people who love each other not because they are nice and not because they are sweet and funny, but because of blood. i thank god for every single member of my family. my Dad who always encouraged me to be what i am, my mom who set my standards, my Brother who supported and ad-vised me, and at the beginning and the end my husband with whom i share my whole happy life. i can’t imagine life without a family – how still, how lonely, how sad, no one to love unconditionally? no one to support you without blaming? no one to run to when fed up and tired? nobody to care? I wish every person is aware of this blessing. love your fam-ily and give them all your attention and time, because one day you will realise that nothing is worth, but their love.”

Donna DossBrItISh CounCIl

“thank god” for being the daughter of two very loving, caring, and support-ive people. my parents enabled me to experience many things regardless of how much they sometimes worry. they gave me everything they possibly could and even some things they probably couldn’t afford. my two sisters and I lived with our parents in dignity. they took care of us and gave us what we need financially as well as emotionally and spiritually in order to grow into wholesome, well adjusted and capable individuals. my parents are my only true best friends with whom I share my deepest thoughts and troubles. I ask god daily to look after my parents and grant them all the health and wealth they deserve.

nIcole neHme

December 201026

Dear me,thank you for being you! how many times i have written these exact words to my family and friends yet i’ve never given myself such whole-hearted ap-preciation? As etiquette gurus will agree, it’s never too late to say thank you, so consider this a long overdue “merci beaucoup.”

In reflecting on my newfound appreciation, I realise that i’ve taken you for granted and, frankly,

haven’t treated you the way you deserve to be treated. i’ve subjected you to constant, restrictive dieting since you were 13 years old (remember the cabbage soup diet?), and then punished you for failing to adhere to a certain number on the scale or fitting into a size 6. Not only have I deprived you of calories and guilt-free eating, but i’ve also deprived you of proper sleep, the right to say “no” and the pursuit of your life’s purpose. the bliss of complete self-acceptance has eluded me for years, resulting in ME trying to shape YOU into a reflection of what i think others want you to be. for this, i owe you a deep, grovelling apology and a lifetime of repent....

through my atonement, I’ve started to rea-lise how fabulous you actually are (what took me so long?). you have a reverberating strength, combined with a capacity to expose your vulner-ability. you have a way with words, and the ability to inspire those around you when you take the stage. you’re so darn organised and well-prepared, which makes your high-speed lifestyle a relatively smooth ride. Your flexibility, curiosity and sense of adventure have resulted in thousands of enriching experiences around the world. you’re a loyal, thoughtful and generous friend to others, always wanting to give more than you receive. you treat people fairly and

equally, cognisant of each individual’s worth and your impact on those around you. most importantly, you’ve demonstrated that you’re capable of change, having taken several difficult decisions to move yourself closer to the life you are meant to live. you’re capable of recognising your mistakes and, eventually, accepting and appreciating yourself.

so, my beloved self, this is why it’s taken me so long to write you this thank-you note. i’m always quick to thank others for their efforts, but haven’t really believed that you deserved such appreciation. i’ve been too busy trying to morph you into a bland, people-pleasing gal with no curves or spark. i can only imagine how this has made you feel – in fact, i know exactly how it feels. i’m trying to change by recognising my flawed self-perceptions and working on self-acceptance. As you know, i’m not perfect, so i might slip-up on occasion, but i thank you in advance for sticking by me.

tHanks for BeIng you, cHrIstIna. I Don’t know wHat I’D Do wItHout you....

love, me.

Christina Z ini

thAnk goD! it’s morning – resplenDent AnD glorious!thAnk goD! i stArt AnD enD my DAy listening to the Deep contenteD BreAths of my sleeping kiDs AnD innocent fAces thAt sometimes smile in slumBer.thAnk goD! i hAve something to look forWArD to At the Beginning of every neW DAy.thAnk goD! i still rememBer some BAsics-ADDing Without A cAlculAtor, DrAWing Without illustrAtor, Writing Without A keypAD...thAnk goD! i cAn AppreciAte the greenness of the grAss, the Brightness of the floWers, the shApes in the clouDs, the mAgnAnimity of the mountAins, the vAst-ness of the universe AnD the humBleness of our plAnet, the smell of first rAin Drop fAlling on the soil, the mAgic thAt lies Within A leAf, the silence in the Jungle, the feAr of the unknoWn, the light outsiDe the tunnel, the chAnts of A floWing river or A fAmily together...thAnk goD! i knoW the meAning of politeness, Justice, mercy AnD forgiveness. tHank goD! I can face anger, Jealousy, BItterness anD lIes.thAnk goD! i hAve A home in the lAnD of my Birth Where i cAn go Whenever i WAnt AnD feel the strength in my roots.thAnk goD! i cAn see the WorlD, heAr the BirDs, smell the roses, holD A BABy AnD WAlk the miles.thAnk goD! for giving me life!

shAlinee BhArADWAJteAm Woman ToDay

2010 December 27

Why am I thankful that I am female? Well I could go all earth-mother and say I love the fact that my body is a vessel of life or that I am proud of the progress women have made through the centuries or something deep like that. But let’s face it – these are not things you or I think of and are thankful for on a day-to-day basis. I am talking of the kind of thoughts that float in and out of our minds like goldfish. Random-ish; but real and true. They may seem trivial and off the wall but they are things I am honestly thankful for. Here’s my top ten in no particular order:

Reason 1 The fact that every 28 days or so I can be as cranky, irrational and teary as I want and no one thinks I have lost my mind, instead my husband goes out of his way to be sweet, caring and gentle. Reason 2 Lingerie and high heels – if ever there were a reason for me to be grateful I am a woman it’s these. Men would look ri-diculous in them but women can carry them off with such oomph.Reason 3 Soap operas. My life can shut down when it’s time for Grey’s Anatomy or Glee and no one raises an eyebrow.

Reason 4 Hand moisturiser. I can have tubes of it in my car and no one thinks I am strange. Reason 5 When I feel a tad lazy, I can get away with leaving any heavy chores undone and just look helpless.Reason 6 Mild bouts of depression can be cured with chocolate, coffee with girl-friends and a visit to the salon, oh and retail therapy.Reason 7 I am my kids preferred choice for cuddles (more cushioning!)Reason 8 Women are so much better at multitasking. It’s something to do with our internal wiring but women can get so much more done in 24 hours than men can.Reason 9 Long phone calls, texting ses-sions and online chats – men don’t get it but it’s something women love doing I am grateful for itReason 10 I can do everything a man can do if I put my mind to it and then a bit more too.

so yes, I am eveR so thankful I am a Woman.

NAdirA MeNdis AMArAsiNGhe

you know wHo you are. you are tHe person tHat pIckeD me up wHen I was Down. tHe teacHer wItHout a tItle, wHo HelpeD me to see tHat tHere Is amazIng potentIal InsIDe eacH anD every one of us – even In me! tHe one wHo gently HelD tHe mIrror up to my BeHavIours anD tHougHts so tHat I coulD see How I was HurtIng myself. you leD me wHen I neeDeD to follow.your voIce HarmonIseD wItH mIne wHen I tHougHt I was sIngIng alone.wHen It was Dark anD I feareD tHe un-known, you sHone tHe lIgHt arounD tHe corner so I coulD see tHe next step.wHen I crIeD you let me cry untIl It was tIme to Dry my tears. you sHoweD me How to express gratI-tuDe anD you gave me so mucH to Be grateful for.my Joy was your Joy.wHen I neeDeD a pusH, you encourageD me forwarD.as I rusHeD HeaDlong towarDs Danger, you gently HelD me Back.wHen you coulDn’t save me from myself, you pIckeD up tHe pIeces.In me you see tHe lIgHt, you celeBrate tHe lIgHt, you Dance In tHe lIgHt.I’m grateful tHat I know wHo you were anD wHo you are. you are many.

nicole van Hattem

Slug name

December 201028

it is in my nAture to tHank people for wHat-ever tHey Have Done to me, irrespective of hoW Big or smAll it might Be.

But it’s Been Quite A While since i hAve thAnkeD certAin people Who hAve Brought WonDers to my life, Despite Being oBlivious of my existence. pArDon me for Being ignorAnt ABout their nAmes (thAnks to my frAil iQ), But my grAtituDe toWArDs them still holDs vAlue.so, here it goes...

tHank you to tHe makers of a socIal-net-workIng sIte lIke faceBook (for me It’s mark zuckerBerg, regarDless of wHat tHe movIe socIal network Has to say)...wItHout you, How woulD I Have otHerwIse satIateD my Dev-IlIsH pleasures of peekIng Into tHe lIves of my frIenDs anD total ranDom strangers?

tHank you to tHe makers of HeeleD sHoes...wItHout you, How woulD I Have escapeD BeIng DwarfeD By tHe presence of some 5 feet 10 IncH acquaIntances I know?

tHank you to tHe makers of cHocolates...wItHout you, How woulD I Have quencHeD my Heart’s DesIre for tHose sweet pIeces of BlIss, slowly meltIng away In my moutH?

tHank you to tHe makers of alarm clocks wItH snooze...wItHout you, How woulD I Have lIveD up to my long-lost vIrtue of punctu-alIty? anD for tHe snooze, How else woulD I Have DerIveD tHe pleasure of tHose extra fIve mInutes of nIrvana?

tHank you to tHe makers of colour televIsIon...wItHout you, How woulD I Have paInteD my Black-anD-wHIte lIfe wItH entertaInment?

tHank you to tHe makers of cars...wItHout you, How woulD I Have frameD an excuse for me BeIng lazy to walk tHat extra mIle?

lastly, tHank you goD for enDowIng tHe aforementIoneD wItH IntellIgence...wItHout you, How woulD I Have BaskeD In tHe creatIvItIes of tHese genIuses?

(P.S. thank you to Woman today for this theme on Gratitude...Without you, how would I have thanked them?)

cassey olIveIrateAm Woman ToDay

imagine a world where there is neither a harsh word, nor a hurtful action?

A world where everything is exactly how you want it.

A world where every wish comes true, and you have nothing but goodness surrounding you.

And now imagine, how imperfect, redundant and stagnant that world would be.

A world without challenges, growth and hope.

A world so boring, there wouldn’t be a reason to spring out of bed and holler out: “give it to me, and i’ll give it back.”

every day I thank those who care to disagree with me.

Who call my bluff, or contradict what i say.

Who put me in my place when i cross the line. Who tell me i am wrong, so i learn the value

of being right. Who tell i am not good enough, so i know

that there is so much more i am capable of.

it is them whom i think of with total grati-tude. the tough boss, the angry teacher, the critical colleague... they teach me every day that just being is not enough, and every dawn is an opportunity to be one step ahead of where i was the previous day.

vanI saraswatHIteAm Woman ToDay

Slug name

2010 December 29

dear bibi aunty,I hope you are happy with your family because you, who have spread so much happiness and cheer in our lives, deserve it. Your love, especially to my younger one (who was just a year old, when I left her in your arms), was from the heart. You are the one reason I could concentrate on my work without worrying unduly about my home front, because the moment you came home, you took over and was conscientious in what you did till the day you left.

You have had a difficult life but never let it affect you. You were away from your family for more than 20 years and I hope you redis-cover those moments you have missed. I remember you telling me about leaving your new-born son with your sister before embark-ing on a journey miles away to the “country of dreams”, aiming to go back as soon as you had made enough money for your family to live comfortably. But “enough” is a very relative phrase, and there was never an end, sister’s wedding, kids to be schooled and fed and husband’s business to be expanded, were all matters that you had to deal with. And now finally, you have decided that you have HAD enough. And so you are back where you belong, with your family. We all knew this was inevitable, that you would leave us someday soon, but that did not stop us from hoping that you would be a part of our family, always. To say that we miss you immensely would be an understatement. Each one of us, in our own way, miss the love and warmth you brought to our lives.

My younger one remembers the way you put her to sleep, sing-ing lullabies in your language. And though she never understood a word, she sings the same song whenever she remembers you. My elder one constantly reminds me that her Bibi aunty never lost her temper, like I do and rather frequently too, these days.

My husband, your ‘Saab’, misses the way you coaxed an extra spoon of rice into his plate.

And I miss you, every minute. When I leave home for work, when there is no one to wave as the door closes, when I sit down for my lunch every day and there is no one to say, “Bhabhi, you have to eat in time”, when I come home and make my own cup of tea. For me, you were like a mother, someone who genuinely cared.

I firmly believe that for a woman to work and to give her best at work there should be someone at home to substitute her, to take care of children in her absence in a way only mothers can. And if I have progressed in my career, I think I owe a part of the success to you...Thank you, bibi aunty for being there when we needed you most.Yours truly,

TEAM WOMAN TOdAy

Sindhu Nair

i am glad to be here in this world, to have had – and still have – all these opportunities;opportunities to make a difference, opportunities to learn and develop, opportunities to interact with inspiring people,opportunities to have my survival skills,opportunities to overcome adversity,opportunities to get to know my limits,opportunities to grow stronger and more whole every day,opportunities to be the best I can be,opportunities to show and experience empathy and love, in many guises.i am deeply grateful to all of you who have touched my life.And i am especially grateful to my parents for opening my eyes to see all these opportunities and opening my mind so i can make the most of them.thank you!

carolIn zeItler

December 201030

Dear mostafa,

T here inside a safe, locked away in the basement of a bank, lies a 13 year old lock of blond hair. It rests inside a box. The box is small yet heavy, as all pure gold objects are. It is no ordinary box, it is meant to be the protective

cover for a miniscule Quran. The lock of hair is a curl. Its newness defies time. Fingering it takes me back to

the early days around the time when my life changed forever. The curl is magical: when I smell it my surroundings fade away, and my eyes see the past re-enacted. In no time at all, I am reliving the miracle, unfurling the unknown that was to become my life.

When, for the first time, a life stirred in my womb, nothing was the same again. I still remember your little limbs kicking me from the inside – how I would stare unbelievingly at my bare tummy taking weird shapes whenever a foot pressed on a certain spot or an elbow pushed another. The sensation is still vivid in my mind even after all these years. I used to talk to you when I was still carrying you inside me. I remember how I used to turn the key into our flat’s front door, heavily pregnant, and say something like ‘Yalla ya Mostafa, let’s get in’. I was yearning for you; my son, my companion, to arrive into the world and be there for me.

I still remember how special you made me feel when I found out I was carrying you. all of a sudden I was this precious being carrying a precious cargo. I entered a club which I barely noticed its existence let alone appreciated how exclusive it was; the motherhood club. your father and I found out about you on the last day of Ramadan, the Eid eve.

The streets of Cairo were insanely busy; people were doing their last-minute shopping.

a few minutes before closing time, we reached the lab; a bored-looking couple with a referral letter saying URGEnT. There was none of the usual excitement couples display when doing a pregnancy test. In our case, we were just following a doctor’s instructions; completing a formality he had insisted upon. He needed to know for sure that I wasn’t pregnant so he could freely prescribe medicine for

my complaint. We were, both your father and I, a million percent sure there wouldn’t be a baby. After more than two years of hop-ing for a baby we’d almost lost hope that this was ever going to happen. nevertheless, we reluctantly agreed to make that awkward visit to the lab and get an official ‘all clear’ so that treatment could start.

The staff working at the lab had had their hearts set on leaving a few minutes early and get on with the week-long Eid leave. They half-heartedly took their coats off again, shuffled heavily back to work. you can probably guess how long the few minutes we spent in there seemed at the time, before somebody came back with the results.

Somebody handed the manager a note. She read it and looked up at us with a smile. ‘Mabrouk’, she said. We just stared at her in silence for what seemed like a lifetime till your father, collected as ever, thanked her, took the report and led his speechless wife out of the lab.

In this state of shocked, amazed, pure joy we faced the maniac drivers of Cairo once more. We joined others skilfully negotiating their way through hundreds of cars stuck in an almighty jam. We were mostly quiet; too stunned to speak. But I remember us joking that after all this we might get run over by one of these morons now.

I have hazy memories of the birth – nothing much apart from the incredible pain

I sooo love BeIng a woman... unapologetIcally.I proudly walk through life with grace and fierce pas-sion, unapologetically. i deeply care and stand for my loved ones and for my

community, unapologetically.I define myself according to my truth that comes from my divine identity, unapologetically.

I’m so free, I’m a woman. i speak my truth from my heart's centre and i share my emotions, unapologetically.

i live my dreams and i express my creativity, unapologetically.I’m so wIse, I’m a woman.I am connected with infinite wisdom and I listen to the subtle inner voice guiding me, unapologetically.i commit to organising my life around the realisation of my greatest potential, unapologetically.

I’m so IrresIstIBly BeautIful, I’m a woman. i exude a rare mysterious and divinely luminous beauty, unapologetically. i feel comfortable in my goddess body and i express my raw sensuality, unapologetically.

I’m so grateful, I’m a woman.i’m fascinated with how synchronicity works in my favour, unapologetically.i love how the universe takes care of me with abun-dance, unapologetically.

I’m so lucky, I’m a woman. i honour my needs and i treasure making my plea-sure my priority, unapologetically.i’m deeply and unapologetically authentic, transpar-ent and vulnerable, yet,

I’m so strong, I’m a woman. i claim my crown, my Divinity and fully show up in life in all my radiance, unapologetically. i graciously offer sunglasses to people uncomfort-able with my bright light, unapologetically.

I sooo love BeIng a woman... unapologetIcally.

senamI apItHy

2010 December 31

and the doctors having a nice time by the looks of it – chatting and laughing away in a corner of the room. at least that was what I saw them do whenever the drugs let go of my consciousness, allowing my mind to grasp the extent of the overpow-ering pain.

The only person – apart from myself, of course! – whose face and behaviour let out that a major event was taking place in that room was the midwife. I can still feel her hands on my tummy; messaging rhythmically down towards my navel, rolling something out. at the time I naively thought it was the baby she was trying to squeeze out. now I think she was probably ridding me of the afterbirth, so you must have already been born.

all of that may now be shrouded by a blanket of haze and immersed in the smell of pethidine. Not the look in this wonderful creature’s eyes on our first encounter.

When I close my eyes now, I can still see it: that look you gave me when we first met. I woke up to find myself miraculously changed and in a hospital bed. I kept asking: ‘khalas?’ Is it over? And my mother and sister and husband would say ‘Don’t worry. Khalas’. To which I would instantly reply ‘Khalas Khalas?’ Is it completely over? That would trigger many chuckles and more assurances. We kept at it for a few minutes till someone said: ‘Ok, open your eyes now Nouran. It’s OK. Meet your baby. Meet Mostafa.’

you were in a tiny cot parallel to my bed. you had just entered the room. you looked at me and gazed into my eyes and when I reached out my left hand to you, you did the most amazing thing: you gave my pointing finger one sharp little squeeze, never letting go of my eyes. There was no doubt in my mind then and there is none now that you were speaking to me. you were saying: ‘ah...there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere...I know you. I have always known you. We’ve been through this together. I am the only one who knows how you’re feel-ing now. Well done.’

It was an electric bolt. never could such a tiny creature give out such a tremen-dous wave of support.

I would hold you close and inhale the scent of your babyhood. you smelt like you; like mostafa. you smelt so real.

Fast forward to when you started nursery. You loved your little lunchbox and would happily toddle to the front door to greet the driver who would pick you up from our flat in Sharjah, take you down on the lift to the mini bus and drive you and your tiny mates to nursery.

I would sit you on my lap during these final few weeks of my second pregnancy. Those were the days when you and I became really inseparable. I had known we had reached the final few pages of the last chapter of this part of our family life story. When ‘Baby’ meant Mostafa, and no one else.

you taught yourself how to cycle at the age of seven. as someone whose child-hood was dominated by cycling, I was especially proud.

But then, you make me proud every day. I sometimes look at you, pocketing your mobile phone and bus card and rushing off to school, and I wonder at the miracle of seeing my baby turn into a young a man before my own eyes. I watch you with your friends, both here in london and in Egypt, I follow your interest shift-ing from R&B to rock and then back again, I listen to you talking and thinking aloud; so level-headed, so naturally balanced and sensible, and it hits me how lucky I am, how grateful to be given the chance to know you, Mostafa, and to play a role in shaping this adult-in-the-making.

Love,mama

A British/Egyptian based in london, nouran works as a tV presenter. While on a short business visit to Doha she came across Woman today november issue and sent in a letter addressed to her first born, Mostafa. “It was my present to him on his last birthday. If you like it, you’re welcome to use it,” she wrote, and we are glad to.

Nouran Sallam

According to the 2010 global gender gap report, recently published by the World economic forum, we are in a unique turning point in history where the world is moving toward greater equality between men and women. Although there is much to do, there is more under-standing around the need of growing to be an inclusive world, of integrating women and becoming gender-balanced .

on a positive note, worldwide gaps are narrowing between men and women’s health and education. in the development world there is an increasing attention towards girls’ education. in Qatar, the ratio of the female literacy rate is 90.4 percent and it is much higher compared to the male literacy rate when it comes to tertiary education.

more and more countries request women to be included in the participation in politics and business. several private organisations, and i am proud to work in one of those, are willing to provide equal opportunities for female employees by also considering our diversity. i feel blessed to live in a period where we are not necessarily restrained because of our gender, where our talents are acknowledged and that we have a proper space in fields previously reserved for men.

luIsa gentIlevoDAfone QAtAr – heAD of corporAte responsiBility

tHank you for BeIng a woman In tHe 21st century