I was born in Oman and raised in different countries as I relocated every few years with my family due to my father’s nature of work. I lived in three continents that are very diverse culturally and development wise. I hardly stayed in a school for more than two years, I moved between advanced international schools and very basic local ones depending on our location and the facilities available there. It wasn’t easy, because every move meant that I had to start over, build new friendships and adjust to a new environment. But no matter which country we were in, my father insisted that we should spend every summer in our hometown in the eastern part of Oman. This meant that some of the changes were as extreme as living in America for part of the year and living in our little town (Bidiya) in the edge of the desert and at the peak of the summer for other parts!

As extreme as it was, it gave me the best of both worlds, seeing the big world at that young age but remaining true to my origin, roots and traditions.

I didn’t know that these difficult relocations and resettlements meant to develop the agility I have today, build my resilience and my ability to accept and embrace change rapidly and adjust quickly in almost every circumstance and environment. My work today requires that I interact with people from all around the globe and I enjoy this particular aspect of my job that connects me to the big world that I was part of when I was little. Seeing so many different cultures and backgrounds at a young age made me appreciate and value diversity too.