Nicole Junghaenel owns and manages Dubai-based Detox Delight, a delivery service offering vegan detox treatments and juice cleanses. The German, 35, has lived in the UAE for 12 years and has two sons, aged six and eight.
How did your upbringing shape your attitude towards money?
I had a really sheltered upbringing as I grew up in a small town of only 400 inhabitants in the south-west of Germany. From a young age I was able to manage my own money; I had holiday jobs, travelled and was still able to save enough to do all I wanted to do.
How much did you get paid for your first job?
I had lots of holiday jobs as a kid and during each school break I worked somewhere different. My first was when I was six and had just started school. I delivered a weekly local newspaper to all the households in my town with the help of my parents who helped me to carry the trolley as it was way too heavy for me. I was super-proud when I got my first “salary”, which was 10 Deutsche mark at that time. It’s important to teach the same values to my two boys and when we go to Germany in the summer, they have little duties to do to earn some pocket money. My first real job after graduation was at a bank, where I also got my finance degree.
Are you spender or saver?
Both, but in a good way. Mostly I save money but if I really want something I also don’t mind spending, especially when it comes to holidays. I also spend on food products in Dubai that are good quality and taste great.
What is your most cherished purchase?
My favourites are brands like Stella McCartney. She is vegan herself and produces handbags that look like leather but are completely vegan – I like the high quality of her products and her passion. The last Stella McCartney handbag I received was this summer as a birthday gift from my husband.
Have you ever had a month where feared you could not pay the bills?
No, that has never happened neither in business or my private life, as I am really good at taking care of my finances and always try to have a plan B at hand.
Where do you save your money?
It’s usually in a good old bank account; I follow the basic principle of spending less per month than I earn.
What has been your best investment?
That’s easy – my business. I always dreamed of running a business and making a difference to people’s lives. Although it’s not always easy being self-employed, I am still convinced it was a good choice and I can’t wait to see what the future holds as I have way too many ideas but not enough time.
What do you most regret spending money on?
Rent, as it’s ridiculously high and the money disappears year after year.
What financial advice would you offer your younger self?
Well done. I wouldn’t change anything and I try to teach my kids the same values I have.
Do you have a plan for the future?
Yes, but with the world changing drastically year by year I am a little in limbo sometimes on what to do. We always used to have a two to three year plan ready and then it changed. Now I decide to make the most out of each month, week and day – this has become my motto. I do hope, however, that one day I can find a place to live, grow my own fruits and vegetables and live self-sufficiently. Maybe a farmhouse with a small vegan hotel for people that want to share the passion.
If you won Dh1m, what would you do with it?
I would put half into the bank and go on a world tour with the rest to visit all the places on my bucket list such as diving in Micronesia, exploring in Bora Bora, hiking in Hawaii and petting a koala bear in Australia.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
