Back to the news desk

I am back at the news desk ... and haven’t seen a moment’s rest since day one of me being here.

On my first day, I reported on the rise of fuel prices. I had to find a family who had to change their lifestyle because of the fuel hike. I was on a tight deadline so I called my friends to see if anyone had actually thought it over. I was lucky and found a close friend who was exactly the person I needed for the story. She had just given birth and because of the increase in fuel prices, her husband was considering relocating to the city he works in instead of commuting. For a second, I felt really connected and involved with their story and that I was more than just a journalist.

I also went to the petrol stations and interviewed the drivers and vehicle owners who were there. It was a little bit challenging to knock on their windows and throw my questions at them. I made sure to have my notebook with me and a voice recorder.

My articles from arts and life also finally made it to print. Having said that, you might have noticed my name quite a lot lately. I had published interviews with the Venice Biennale artists; Obaid Suroor and Ahmed Al Ansari, the white henna story and a couple of beauty blogs; Huda Beauty's beauty vending machine blog, Chaumet blog, and an Indian restaurant blog. As well as The Danat owner interview, which I am personally very proud of, and wish him the best in life ahead.

I attended my first FNC lecture along side one of my colleagues. It was great to learn more about the elections going on in the country.

One of the dearest stories that I have always wanted to write about also finally come to life ... the coffee shop's 'extra's scam' that is happening without the knowledge of many coffee lovers in the country. For this story, I had to spend a lot of time inside these coffee shops. It was great to find out that a lot of people didn't actually know about it and I managed to change that. I am glad that I have alerted so many consumers out there and reminded them to double check their bills before leaving. Many were refunded and I felt proud of being a journalist.

My latest articles also included a school inspection visit that I had to attend and write about. Seeing how our country is developing in the education field is marvellous and to be honest, I never knew that our public schools have such high standards. I also worked on interviewing an Emirati team who represented UAEU abroad. I will write a follow-up story on their visit soon. There was also a Takatof story, were I had to get in touch with our Emirati participants who represented UAE in Expo milan.

I couldn’t have been more proud of myself. I have challenged myself to accept all changes and keep going and to never stop.