It’s hectic trying to meet deadlines

I have been sick quite a lot lately, so I haven't produced as many stories as I should have. Even so, I did get two of my previously written stories published — one in the Emirates Life section of the Weekend lift-out about an Emirati who is using Periscope to share the UAE with others, and another about my struggle with Type 1 diabetes, which was published in this month's Healthy Living magazine.

I got a lot of positive reviews about my diabetes story, I even received an email from Abdulla Al Hashidi who is a diabetes health advocate. He wants to grow the community for Type 1 diabetes and I feel humble about being a part of the community that meets just once a month for two days.

The first day is the patients sitting together and talking about diabetes, more like a therapy session, and the second day includes having our parents sit with us, especially our mothers who have to be present. She will talk about how she deals with having a child with Type 1 diabetes.

Aside from this, I worked on a story about a man who is mesmerised by classic cars. I needed to find out about his car and his personality. This was something fun for me to work on, the fact that when I spoke to him I did not feel I had to be worried about how I spoke or conveyed my questions. I spoke out loud and asked him so many questions because I was interested in his story.

Another article I am working on is about the abaya — it took me a while to finish the stories since some interviews were delayed, but in the end I finished the draft of this story, now I await the editing of it.

Despite my absences it has been very hectic lately, but I had to meet my deadlines and finish my stories on time. Even as I near the end of my year here, managing time is still my weakness and I am trying to improve on it.