My baby was born three months ago. She is our first, a little girl with big blue eyes who becomes wildly excited, flailing her limbs and grinning toothlessly when mummy leans over the crib in the mornings to pick her up. My heart bursts every time.
Motherhood is supposed to be chaos particularly in the early days but we are settling into a gentle routine. An early feed around 6am, then a nap together, followed by a walk in the woods or the nature reserve behind our house. The Dutch air is fresh and green, the linden trees are in blossom now, releasing a sweet floral scent after a rainfall.
I carry Serena in a sling and hum or chat as she gazes at everything in this clean, new world with wonder and curiosity. When it becomes too much she turns her face inwards and falls asleep contentedly.
I will remember these precious moments for the rest of my life, well aware that they pass too quickly.
All babies in the world should have such love and security. They do not, of course. My mind sometimes wanders into dark corners, unexpectedly.
What will I tell my child about her Afghan heritage, about the little Afghan boys and girls who are not as lucky as her? I would like to collect all the toys and clothes she outgrows and when she is older, send them to a charity to help young Afghans. It would be a start.
There is a risk here of sounding trite, like parents telling children who refuse to finish their meals that people are starving in Africa - which only prompts much eye rolling. But my anxieties about the vast gulf between my life here in Holland and those of many of Serena's less fortunate compatriots began when she was born. I had a terrible experience with labour and had to undergo an emergency Caesarean.
Without a doubt, one of us, probably both, would not have survived if we had been in Afghanistan, where mothers often give birth at home on the dirt floor and their babies die as a result of unsanitary conditions. Instead I was in a wealthy country, in a hospital with access to every modern technology.
Although we have both recovered from the ordeal, I still feel privileged even doing everyday things like taking a stroll in the woods without having to worry for our safety: in Afghanistan, of course, it would be unthinkable. The villages are not safe places for mothers and their babies. Many parents will not even send their older children, particularly girls, to school because it is so dangerous.
We stop sometimes in a café so I can feed her and have a coffee. The customers are often retired couples and they smile indulgently as my baby screams for milk then settles contentedly to finish her bottle. At such times I often think of my aunt who lost her husband during the civil war but kept all six of their children safe and alive. There was no fresh milk so she gave her youngest soured milk, shaking it so the curds mixed in as much as possible. It was either that or starvation.
Even as spring turns to summer in the calm of the Netherlands, dark thoughts intrude. I want Serena to remember her childhood as one of kindness and happiness, but I don't want her to grow up ignorant of the pain and evil that also exists in this world - a world that could so easily have been hers. Is that going to be possible? Or is the divide between the two worlds impossibly unbridgeable? The doubts of motherhood …
Hamida Ghafour is a former staff writer for The National
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
Company%20Profile
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UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.