Growing up in the UAE in the 1980s was much like anywhere else. We lived outdoors and enjoyed the simple things. I was lucky enough to grow up in the suburbs of Sharjah which, back then, was the place to be.
My immediate family is small by Middle Eastern standards, consisting of just my parents and my brother and I, but our extended family is huge. My childhood revolved around the neighbourhood children and our huge family get-togethers and outings on the weekends. Life in Sharjah in those days was hugely dependent on your imagination and your immediate environment. We obviously didn’t have computers, mobile devices and technology to keep us busy so we filled our days with nature and the great outdoors. It was an amazing time to be a child. I try to explain my childhood to my children, conveying to them the sheer joy we took in its simplicity and in each other but, sadly, today’s children, my own included, have so many distractions to turn to that living in the moment and absorbing the world around them aren’t high on the priority list.
As a child, my fondest memories are all centred around the world my parents created for my brother and me. Both animal lovers, my parents raised us with a menagerie of animals to care for, love and play with. From parrots, chickens and bunnies to turtles, ducks and fish, we had a veritable farm around us. And always by our side was our faithful and much-loved German shepherd, Antar. Our parents instilled in us from early age the wonderful experience and responsibility we have as humans to love and care for animals. I have tried to pass that on to my own children by introducing them to animals of all shapes and sizes from the beginning.
Another fundamental element of my childhood was the importance of family and building relationships. Every weekend, we would go to my grandparents’ house for our traditional family lunch. Every member of our huge extended family would be there and the love and warmth of being surrounded by all of your loved ones was immense and pivotal to how we regarded our place in this world. We were defined by our family. Our social life was one and the same. We would plan elaborate desert barbecues, fishing and camping trips and as we got older, we would go waterskiing and jet skiing in the unspoilt lagoons of the Northern Emirates.
During the week, the physical presence of our friends was everything to us. I remember having picnics with all the goodies we’d buy from the tiny neighbourhood grocery shop. Since we didn’t have mobiles to text each other or social media. We would look forward to meeting up after school every day and sharing stories about our teachers and classmates and catching up on each other’s news. It was a magical time growing up and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Today, my childhood friends and I find ourselves reminiscing about those days and the purity and innocence we shared. Our childhood defined us and I see its presence in my life every day. In a modern world dictated by trends and friends, it is challenging for children to find their own way, to discover personal passions and hobbies. It seems that everything is for everyone and diversity or individuality is slowly disappearing.
Try explaining to a child who has an iPhone, iPad and a laptop that in our day, our greatest achievement was growing our ant farm, not a virtual ant farm but real live insects. Try to get them off their PlayStation and encourage them to go outside and ride their bike or rollerblade around the community and they look at you like you’re nuts.
And lastly, try to explain to them that when I was young, all we had was one shopping mall called Al Ghurair and it had a tiny arcade called Sindbad… and it was enough.
Abeer Al Tamimi is the founder and owner of Kids HQ in Dubai.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Amanda Tomlinson on atomlinson@thenational.ae
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Common symptoms of MS
- Fatigue
- numbness and tingling
- Loss of balance and dizziness
- Stiffness or spasms
- Tremor
- Pain
- Bladder problems
- Bowel trouble
- Vision problems
- Problems with memory and thinking
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Top 10 most competitive economies
1. Singapore
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark
4. Ireland
5. Hong Kong
6. Sweden
7. UAE
8. Taiwan
9. Netherlands
10. Norway
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE (+4 GMT)
Friday
Sevilla v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad (7.15pm)
Eibar v Valencia (9.30pm)
Atletico Madrid v Alaves (11.45pm)
Sunday
Girona v Getafe (3pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7.15pm)
Las Palmas v Espanyol (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Deportivo la Coruna (11.45pm)
Monday
Malaga v Real Betis (midnight)
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Switching sides
Mahika Gaur is the latest Dubai-raised athlete to attain top honours with another country.
Velimir Stjepanovic (Serbia, swimming)
Born in Abu Dhabi and raised in Dubai, he finished sixth in the final of the 2012 Olympic Games in London in the 200m butterfly final.
Jonny Macdonald (Scotland, rugby union)
Brought up in Abu Dhabi and represented the region in international rugby. When the Arabian Gulf team was broken up into its constituent nations, he opted to play for Scotland instead, and went to the Hong Kong Sevens.
Sophie Shams (England, rugby union)
The daughter of an English mother and Emirati father, Shams excelled at rugby in Dubai, then after attending university in the UK played for England at sevens.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
WHY AAYAN IS 'PERFECT EXAMPLE'
David White might be new to the country, but he has clearly already built up an affinity with the place.
After the UAE shocked Pakistan in the semi-final of the Under 19 Asia Cup last month, White was hugged on the field by Aayan Khan, the team’s captain.
White suggests that was more a sign of Aayan’s amiability than anything else. But he believes the young all-rounder, who was part of the winning Gulf Giants team last year, is just the sort of player the country should be seeking to produce via the ILT20.
“He is a delightful young man,” White said. “He played in the competition last year at 17, and look at his development from there till now, and where he is representing the UAE.
“He was influential in the U19 team which beat Pakistan. He is the perfect example of what we are all trying to achieve here.
“It is about the development of players who are going to represent the UAE and go on to help make UAE a force in world cricket.”
RoboCop: Rogue City
Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Nacon
Console: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Rating: 3/5
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5