My name is Nahla. I am a wife and mother of three children. I have been living in the UK for so many years. My first degree is in English Language. I also earned two Master’s degrees; one in Religious Studies and one in Creative Writing. I started blogging because I love reading and writing; both are more than hobbies for me. I read to learn, to understand, and to improve myself. I write to tell stories, to express my views, and to share my thoughts. I hope you enjoy my blog, and thank you for visiting.
What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?
Hi there, my dear me,
Life runs so fast, my dear 20-year-old me, but life is good with all its hard and sweet days.
This is not a spoiler, by the way… just bits and pieces, little hints about life, our life.
You, my dear me won’t believe what the future has stored for you; what the Almighty has planned for you.
Think, imagine, and dream as much as you can, yet you wouldn’t come any close to reality.
By the way my dear 20-year-old me, I still remember uni studies, small circle of friends, dreams, job plans after graduation, and… Egypt, with its warm days and humorous people.
Oh… that was a slip of a tongue.
But yes, you will have a second Home.
Whatever you’re thinking right now, Egypt will always be present in your life.
Everything change, right, my dear 20-year-old me?
So be prepared.
Mama and Baba used to criticise Egypt —the Egypt where you live now, saying, “Where have those old good days gone? People are not the same anymore, manners aren’t not the same, even food isn’t the same.
You will get married soon, my dear-20-year-old me.
Your prince will take you far away.
Children will arrive safe and sound, and they fill your life with joy and blessings.
Challenges, adventures, confusion, disappointment, tears, laughter, and many more welcome and unwelcome visitors will knock your door along the way.
So… don’t forget to be grateful, and always count your blessings.
And from now on, be proud of yourself my dear 20-year-old me,
for the more challenges you face, the more lessons you will learn.
And the more lessons you learn, the more you know how to enjoy life.
And… I know this might sound a bit funny but be ready to live in the new world of AI.
Do you think humans will ever colonize Mars? What would life there actually look like?
Can you guess what’s the first thing that crossed my mind as I read this prompt about life on Mars?
It wasn’t the possibility of new life.
Not the chance of finding inhabitants living there.
And not even the idea of humans starting wars to invade and occupy the planet.
But of course that would still be occupation, as if humans don’t already have enough to deal with on our dear planet Earth.
Now… what actually popped into my head was the image of one of those social media stars embarking on a new adventure to Mars.
He or she would prattle nonstop about their nearly two way spaceship trip to Mars.
They would put on this spaceman costume.
Smile at the live camera,
maybe even record a prayer or two for safety.
Then, before disappearing into the spaceship, they would promise live vlogs from Mars.
Is there internet on Mars? The thought cut right into my imagination.
But really, if there is internet on Mars, some friends over there might have already heard of us, and they maybe… try to get in touch through WordPress.
Anyway, let’s see how this superstar vlogger’s trip ended.
After one whole month off social media, they land safely on our precious Earth.
Spaceman costume on, camera in hand, broad smile on face, and with a shaky emotional voice, they began their first live vlog.
“Can’t express my real emotions.
Such scary but marvellous trip.
Can’t believe it
Am I dreaming?”
And the tap of comments, likes, and shares explodes; wows, nos, and oh my God, racing one after another.
“Sorry guys, just landed, and I lost my phone.” The superstar seems in a rush.
“Thieves on Mars,” one follower comments.
“I’ll tell you everything. You know honesty is my motto in life.
Wait for the next vlogs.
I will share more about my adventure on the moon.”
“Wasn’t it Mars?” Another follower comments.
“Oh, my head is upside down,” the famous vlogger replies and vanishes.
“That’s all fake,” someone comments
“Yes, all fake,” a thousand comments follow.
Nowadays… fake is more popular than reality, but it’s easily spotted.
I don’t know whether there’s life on Mars, or whether life is even possible there.
What I do know is why some people set their eyes on what they don’t own.
Why some abandon what they already have for something they can barely reach.
And why people want to build a new home instead of fixing the one they have.
Apparently, if Mars ever heard of human plans, he would shake with laughter, wondering how his neighbour’s intruders from Earth expect to survive his freezing cold deserts.
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
Since we were created with different tongues, I find it very interesting how names sound different in other cultures.
So though my name has just four simple letters, in English it can’t be pronounced the same.
In Arabic, the h is pronounced clearly, like the h in hello, but it is dropped in English because it’s difficult to pronounce when followed by an L.
And things don’t stop there as the other three letters are also pronounced differently… more stronger.
But I’ve been used to it, and I actually like the change.
When my husband and I chose Arabic names for our children, we tried our best to make them easy for English speakers to pronounce. Still, they never sound the same.
Different tongues, right.
And then, years ago, more interesting things happened.
One of my friends told me about her attempt to correct the pronunciation of her name for English speakers, but none of them worked.
Her name is Eman. Oh… how I love this name.
When I was young, I wished my name was Eman, after one of my favourite teachers.
And If it wasn’t already used in my family, I would have named my daughter Eman.
By the way, Eman means faith.
Isn’t that a beautiful meaning.
One day, as we were walking together, she suddenly started talking to herself.
‘It’s E and man. If they can easily pronounce man, why can’t they pronounce it in my name?’
