It was enough to make my friend weep. There she was in her colleague's home, observing the household's teenage son burning through pages of The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien. This was followed up by a tour of the kid's burgeoning library, featuring works by Alexandre Dumas and others.
The amazement my friend felt at the young bookworm she had witnessed caused her to reflect on her own son's aversion to the written word. The situation was clearly desperate enough for her to ask me to consult. "Tell him about how your love of reading allowed you to have this great job where you travel the world and stuff," she said. "If I tell him, he will feel like it's work. If you tell him, he will probably think of reading as a shortcut to having a good job and having fun."
Despite her pithy description of what she thinks I do, I agreed to meet the 14-year-old. It was to be an awkward conversation, not because of his lack of enthusiasm, but more to do with the fact that I was just like him at his age. He loves smartphones; I was into my Atari gaming console, which came with more than 200 games. My parents tried their best, through a mixture of cajoling and threats, to get me to read but I waved them all off, saying that books bored me to tears.
My mother is bemused by the fact that I am now a voracious reader and, funnily enough, she really had nothing to do with it.
I can recall quite clearly when the book bug bit me. I was 14 and in Australia, and to pass the time at school I would rummage through the high school library. It was there that I came across the 1973 crime novel Hail to the Chief by American author Ed McBain. I remember being entranced by the cover, which featured the back of a motorcycle gang member who stood wielding a broken glass bottle. I read the first few pages and was hooked by the witty banter of the homicide cops as they stood over a dead body. I enjoyed the dark humour of the prisoners in the police station and the occasional action scenes. It all felt so thrillingly grown-up – the sensation was similar to the guilty pleasure of sneaking into a movie you weren't old enough to see.
After that I read every Ed McBain novel our school library had in stock. This led to me penning my own crime short stories. They were mere carbon copies of McBain’s tales. From then on, my love of reading and writing grew, as did my academic grades, much to my mum’s relief. I eventually branched out and became a reader of a variety of literature, at the same time writing poetry and essays on football. It all resulted in the realisation that I needed a job where I could read and write and get paid for it. A newsroom in Abu Dhabi is where I wound up.
All of this would have proved anathema to my younger self, who thought of reading as an experience on a par with going to the dentist.
My advice to my friend's son was plain and simple – read whatever you find fun and books that allow your young and rich imagination to take flight. My advice to my friend was to let him be, buy him those cheesy magazines and graphic comics – he'll eventually get to The Hobbit.
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Read more of Saeed's thoughts:
Abu Dhabi has become a home very far away from home for many expats
The natoor is an enduring reminder of old-school ways
Brushing off the stigma of baldness
The story behind a signature: One UAE resident’s tale is a sign of the times
Spring in the UAE: A time filled with regret and guilt
__________________
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Company%20Profile
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