Of jitters and grins*
Signed up for the summer challenge. :) Gonna be collecting ice cream stickkkkkeeeerrrrrssss! Hangkyut. Hihi. :)
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Signed up for the summer challenge. :) Gonna be collecting ice cream stickkkkkeeeerrrrrssss! Hangkyut. Hihi. :)
And so the great anxious journey to Arab Health 2013 finally ended yesterday. I’d say I’m happy with my submission. So was everyone else. We’ll just have to wait now for the results, which will be coming out late December.
By the way, I sort of realized that the everyday blogging about it wasn’t a good idea after all. Specially that I only had a couple of weeks back then to work on the Arab Health submission - first one of which was just used up for conceptualizing (Okay, I really meant procrastinating). So I actually ended up with just a week to do it. Another proof that I work best with procrastination. And that adrenaline is the only thing in my body I can rely on. LOL.
Although I won’t really be able to say that in certainty until we see the results. LOL. Makes sense eh? Let’s just see how it works. As my boss said, “Everybody, fingers crossed for the win.”
Yeah. Fingers crossed. Until they break and bleed.
Anonymous asked: Ye? Galit ka pa din? Sorry talaga ha....
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Scoot.
I went to the mall, and a little girl called me a terrorist.
My name is Ela. I am seventeen years old. I am not Muslim, but my friend told me about her friend being discriminated against for wearing a hijab. So I decided to see the discrimination firsthand to get a better understanding of what Muslim women go through.
My friend and I pinned scarves around our heads, and then we went to the mall. Normally, vendors try to get us to buy things and ask us to sample a snack. Clerks usually ask us if we need help, tell us about sales, and smile at us. Not today. People, including vendors, clerks, and other shoppers, wouldn’t look at us. They didn’t talk to us. They acted like we didn’t exist. They didn’t want to be caught staring at us, so they didn’t look at all.
And then, in one store, a girl (who looked about four years old) asked her mom if my friend and I were terrorists. She wasn’t trying to be mean or anything. I don’t even think she could have grasped the idea of prejudice. However, her mother’s response is one I can never forgive or forget. The mother hushed her child, glared at me, and then took her daughter by the hand and led her out of the store.
All that because I put a scarf on my head. Just like that, a mother taught her little girl that being Muslim was evil. It didn’t matter that I was a nice person. All that mattered was that I looked different. That little girl may grow up and teach her children the same thing.
This experiment gave me a huge wakeup call. It lasted for only a few hours, so I can’t even begin to imagine how much prejudice Muslim girls go through every day. It reminded me of something that many people know but rarely remember: the women in hijabs are people, just like all those women out there who aren’t Muslim.
People of Tumblr, please help me spread this message. Treat Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans, Taoists, etc., exactly the way you want to be treated, regardless of what they’re wearing or not wearing, no exceptions. Reblog this. Tell your friends. I don’t know that the world will ever totally wipe out prejudice, but we can try, one blog at a time.
this is so perfect in absolutely every single way.
After the successful nomination of my dearly beloved Pediatric Rehab Task Force in the Stars of Excellence Awards, here comes another challenge my mentor suggested for me and my team to take on — Arab Health 2013.
What is Arab Health? (*from www.arabhealthonline.com)
Arab Health, now in its 38th year, is the world’s longest running healthcare exhibition and congress, taking place every January in Dubai.
With the Middle East healthcare industry worth an estimated $80 billion per year, Arab Health is truly at ‘The Heart of Global Healthcare’.
Interact with experts from the healthcare industry, learn about the cutting edge technology showcased at the event and discover the latest product demonstrations.
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Last Thursday, we got the chance to meet with the team and talk about the approach that we will be taking and all the data that we will need.
The entry will be about the first ever Early Intervention Program, not just in Qatar, but in the Gulf region. The said program was initiated under the Project, with the support of our Children’s Rehab partner institution in Canada.
It will take a lot of work in just a short period of time that we’re left with, but I cannot pass up this chance, specially that we have the momentum going — right from the support that we currently have from the Project, up to the enthusiasm, passion and support that we have from the parents and families. I don’t think we will have the same kind of flame if we wait until next year’s Arab Health.
This thrilling and arduous quest therefore begins this coming week. And because I am so excited and anxious at the same time, I thought it might help if I write about our journey everyday. Who knows, I even might receive suggestions from random people.
So please bear with me in the coming few weeks as you might witness really varying emotions in my blog. :)
Thank you! I really hope you can suggest stuff to help us come up with a really creative entry for this year’s Arab Health.
Cheers! :)
(Credits to vectorstock.com for the photo)
