The women’s majlis: The varied life of a diplomat’s daughter

At 8 years old, leaving my hometown seemed exciting. Little did I know what a shock I’d get upon landing at Colombo airport. I moved to Colombo because my father was appointed as the first UAE ambassador to Sri Lanka. I saw the difference between Abu Dhabi and Colombo as soon as I left the airport. For example, it was strange to see people walking barefoot in the streets.

Days, weeks and months passed by, and my siblings and I still couldn’t get used to the different environment that we were now living in. But as dangerous as the country was because of the ethnic conflict, we eventually started getting used to life in Sri Lanka.

There was a frightening incident when my father received a phone call while he was working. He rushed to our school in a panic. We were confused and scared, not knowing why he was here. Later, we found out that the phone call was a false warning of a suicide bomb near our school. Coming from an international school in Abu Dhabi, the only drill we learnt was a fire drill. In Sri Lanka, we had to learn bomb and hostage drills, in case something happened while we were in class.

In spite of all the violence and hardship, the people had a very friendly nature. Sri Lanka also has very rich and fascinating nature.

After spending four and a half years in Sri Lanka, we were yet again surprised with the next location where my father was to continue his career. This time it was Tokyo, Japan. Upon hearing our next destination, I was lost for words. I didn’t know how to react, because by then we had built such love for the people of Sri Lanka.

Being 13 years old in Tokyo was an even greater experience for me and a big transfer for us, coming from a small island into a highly technologically advanced country. Living in Tokyo for more than 10 years, our lives were full of so many events that it’s difficult to pinpoint just one.

Even though Japan didn’t endure ethnic violence like Sri Lanka, it still had its difficulties. On March 11, 2011, we experienced the greatest panic. The great Tohoko earthquake shook Japan, with more than 15,000 people killed and tens of thousands of homes destroyed. Japan, however, rebuilt after this horrible calamity. The country had to shut down all its nuclear-power stations. The UAE supplied Japan with extra shipments of fuel. This excellent relation between the UAE and Japan made the distance between the countries feel very close.

Living in Sri Lanka and Japan made me who I am. Experiencing all these incidents made me acquire knowledge that I would never have learnt if I didn’t move away from the UAE at such a young age. Life is full of excitement – we need to cross barriers and learn about different countries.

Laila Saeed Al Nowais, 23, majored in international affairs at Zayed ­University.

If you are an Emirati woman who has a good story to tell or an important issue to debate, please contact Shireena Al Nowais at salnuwais@thenational.ae

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