It is Ramadan 2009 and I am in the family home in Khartoum, Sudan.
The air inside is filled with the tantalising scents of special spices and herbs, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and basil to enhance delicately prepared Sudanese dishes for iftar.
My mum is busy in the kitchen putting the final touches to one of the most popular dishes, Aseeda, which is made with flour, yoghurt, water and a pinch of salt, and my sister is lending a hand.
The kids carry on playing and are oblivious to the fact the "grown ups" have been fasting all day. My eldest brother and his family come in time for the Azan (call to prayer) and have brought extra dishes. By now the house is buzzing with relatives.
The atmosphere is quiet and cool outside, as many residents are at home preparing to break their fast, often stopping off at a bakery first for oven fresh Arabic bread.
While subconsciously checking the clock every so often, I am reminded this is my first Ramadan in my home country in as long as I can remember and it feels surreal. I had arrived a couple of weeks before, at the beginning of my break from work.
We hear the Azan and break our fast with dates, in the same way as the Prophet Mohammed, then pray before heading back to the dining table.
It is better not to get carried away while breaking fast as more often than not, one may feel drained and the benefits of the fast will be lost. During our meal we swap accounts of the day's events, then indulge in freshly brewed Arabic coffee and tea. If a good Ramadan programme is on TV, we may watch it, otherwise just relax under the evening sky. The rest of the night is dedicated to prayer or visiting family.
Living and working abroad always has its advantages and disadvantages and as I find myself in the midst of family, I feel blessed knowing what I will be most thankful for.
It is Ramadan 2010 and today, I am in a hotel in a new country and a new city, Abu Dhabi, thousands of miles away from what is most familiar to me. For the first time, I will not be spending Ramadan with my close relatives.
A few others most probably find themselves in the same predicament, one that can at times prove to be testing. However, although spending Ramadan surrounded by family is a feeling unmatched, there remains comfort in knowing I am in an Islamic city. The abundance of mosques and soothing sound of the Azan bring me peace as it travels through my window.
Contrary to some beliefs, Ramadan is not only about resisting the temptation of food until sundown. The first 10 days of the holy month are the days of mercy; seeking mercy and showing mercy to others as well as to ourselves.
Every culture has its special ways of celebrating Ramadan and iftar preparation. So, will I miss the magical environment and flavours so familiar to me? Of course. Will it make me grateful for the time I had at home in past years? Definitely. Will it make me appreciate years to come even more? Absolutely.
Ramadan Mubarak.
melshoush@thenational.ae
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
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UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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