Felicia Parker

Before I get to the post, I want to apologise for not posting regularly lately. I have been quite busy, with a little bundle of joy on the way and having a gazillion things to do, okay that one is exaggerated a bit  So without further ramblings, lets get to todays post on what makes a great teacher.

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Do you have that one teacher from high school who left a life long impression on you? That one person who inspired you, or who kicked your butt because they knew you had more in you. Although many teacher’s do the job for the money, there are some who do it because they have a passion for it and want to help and inspire the future generations. It is those select few who make a huge difference in the lives of their students, it is those who will never be forgotten.

For me that teacher was Mr. John Patsildes, he taught history, philosophy and politics in Toronto, a great man who everyone could not help but love. A man who until this day I thank God that I met. He taught us to be open to the world, to fight against ignorance, to break down stereotypes, to read the newspaper everyday, to think outside the box, and to push ourselves outside of our own limits. He encouraged us to think for ourselves rather than follow the herd. He made every morning great and truly educational. He pushed us all to dream bigger and brighter for ourselves. He was a real teacher!

Teacher’s are not just teaching kids math, science and languages, they are teaching kids the skills of life, well at least they should be. Growing up I had quite a few teacher’s who everyone loved because there was never much work being done in class, instead we’d all just chit chat and get to watch movies, sometimes not even related to the course. But looking back I realize what a disservice they had done to me and all of my other classmates. Although at the time they were the cool teacher’s, but looking back I cannot help but look back and think what the hell?

So for all the teacher’s out there: inspire, motivate and encourage your students not only with regards to the course material, but in life. Open their eye’s to the world and encourage them to reach for the stars and venture into uncharted territories. Teacher’s make a difference in their students lives, they can either chose to inspire or to stifle their students potential.

Did you ever have a teacher who left an impression on you for the better. If so what did they do?

Okay we all have those occasional moments when we blurt things out without thinking, but sometimes the consequences of that action can have dire results. It is certainly easier said than done, but we need to know how to speak, whether at work, at home or in any type of social environment.

I’ve encountered many times people who open their mouths and just let whatever come out, sometimes not realizing how rude and obnoxious they actually sound. This can apply to emails just as similarly to conversations. Knowing how to speak and deal with people is the key to success. Life is all about dealing with people.

Everyone has different personalities, ways of thinking and cultural norms, so learning how to navigate through all of that can sometimes be difficult, but with practice and time it becomes natural.

So here’s a few tips to remember:

• Think before you speak.
• Be polite.
• Listen to the other person before you speak.
• Do not answer your phone unless you excuse yourself first.
• Do not ask inappropriate, personal or intrusive questions to someone you’ve just met or barely know.

In every culture there are those “no-no questions,” most often it centre’s on:

• Money/Income
• Age
• Religion
• Politics
• Weight/Size

Of course the “no-no questions,” depend on your relationship with the person. The more closer you are to a person the more likely things will be more open to discussion.

What are some of the crazy, rude or just really strange questions people have asked you? What are some questions or behaviours that are considered rude in your culture?

You can also check out:

More on Social Etiquette

Office Etiquette Tips

The cool weather is here in Saudi Arabia and many people love to head in to the desert on the weekends, whether for a day trip or even overnight. If you’ve never been, give it a try, personally I think it’s great and a lot of fun. You can roast marshmallows over the fire, drive around on 4 wheelers, search for desert roses and fossils or just lounge around.

When I tell people that I love to head out to the desert, there are two responses, either they are just as interested as I am, or they think I’m nuts. I am the outdoorsy type and camping in a tent, trailer or cottage was something that my family has always done since I was a kid. So my interest in desert camping was something that came naturally to me I guess.

I believe to truly enjoy your life here or anywhere, you have to embrace it, be willing to try new things and be willing to see things differently sometimes.

Anyone who is thinking of heading day or overnight camping in the desert, I say go for it, but be prepared. Don’t go venturing into the Empty Quarter or doing anything crazy unless you are with people who know what they’re doing! There are many places  just off the highway that you can try out. When driving off the main road look for tire tracks and follow them until you find your ideal camp site. For first timers and those who are not in a group, don’t go too far from the road. The key to making the experience fun is to plan ahead and make sure to bring an adequate supply of water, food and snacks with you, especially if you plan to venture further from the main roads. Make sure your vehicle can handle the desert terrain, 4×4 suv’s or trucks, and bring along your cell phone.

Desert camping is a great way to experience Saudi Arabia. So to the expats out there who have not ventured yet in to the desert, go for it. The weather is right and you really do not have to go far to have a picnic, full day or overnight stay in the desert. You really don’t know if you would like it unless you try.

Have fun, I know I will!

You can also check out:

Overnight in the Saudi Desert

Blue Abaya Post: Desert Camping

I believe almost everyone can relate to this in some way or another. I’m sure most of us have known someone who has suffered from depression, commited suicide or has thought about or attempted it.

Suicide and depression is an increasing trend worlwide. Dr. Samia Ahmed, of Qatar, states that the global rate of depression is between 11 – 20%. Kuwait stands at 37.5%, Saudi Arabia at 29.9% and Qatar at 27%.

People turn to suicide, as a solution to end the pain that they are feeling. To them it feels like the only way to make it stop. But suicide is a final and permanent solution to a problem that is most often temporary. Depression if left untreated is a huge risk factor of suicide. Over 90% of people who commit suicide suffer from depression or another type of mental health disorder. The most frightening part is that the majority of suicidal people do not get the help they need. Their warnings go unnoticed or they simply fall through the cracks of the hospitals and institutions.

How can you tell if someone you care about is thinking of suicide? It can be hard to tell, but often times the person shows some of the following sings:

• Drug and alcohol abuse
• No longer interested in their usual activities
• Suffering from depression
• Listening to songs about suicide and death
• Putting their affairs in order, such as a will
• Visiting or calling to say their goodbyes
• Suicide notes

If someone you know tells you they are thinking of suicide, take it seriously. Just because they are talking about it does not mean they will not do it. Seek medical help for them and do whatever you can to help. Be there to listen, not judge or lecture.

I think the saddest thing about this is that most suicides are preventable. We need to spread awareness and help remove the social stigma of suicide and mental health disorders. We can make a difference if we try!

A great tool used to help people who are thinking of suicide is a distress hot-line. There should be national hot-lines in Saudi Arabia and widely publicised, where people who are depressed, having suicidal thoughts, or suffering from abuse, can speak to someone, with confidentiality. It saves lives! There is no face-to-face interaction, no one would know their name, its just a place to express themselves and the pain that they feel.

If you think someone you know can benefit from this please share it with them. Also, if you have any ideas or solutions to this global problem, its your chance to help, so speak up.

You can also check out:

Are You Having Suicidal Thoughts? Read This.

Suicide in Saudi Arabia.

Rising Suicide Rates in Saudi.

Steve Jobs needs no introduction. He was a visionary leader who changed the world and our everyday lives through technology.

When I read that he had passed away, I felt genuinely sad, just as I believe most people had felt. We had lost a legend and the world had lost someone truly remarkable.

In his Stanford University speech, I believe he truly summed up all of  life’s lessons in 15 minutes. Now how many people can do that?

He touched base upon the flaws in the education system, coupled with the general attitude towards University and what most people define as success and happiness. Society has this popular idea that most parents shove down their kids throats, that you get good grades in High-school so that you can get into University and get a job to make a good salary, and you’ll be happy.

But how many people have degree’s and go to work everyday saying to themselves, “I hate this.” Or they may have this great business idea, but pursuing it is “crazy and taking way too big of a risk.” His point is to do what you love and follow your gut feeling. Don’t go in to medicine, engineering or law, simply because it brings in the money and is considered prestigious. If you love it go for it by all means, but find what you love to do, and that will bring you happiness.

He had great passion and truly believed in his work at Apple. He makes me look at my Blackberry Torch and want to replace it with an iPhone. If you want to know his impact on the world just look in your homes. How many of you have or want an iPhone, iPod, iPad or a MacBook? How many of you have seen a movie produced by Pixar? Movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Car’s.

Job’s said, its impossible to connect the dots looking forward, only looking back can you connect it. Follow your  heart and believe that it will all connect together in the end. Find what you love to do and never settle! And always remember through falling down can we truly learn to grow. And most importantly never drown out your inner voice.

He finishes the speech by saying, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

To me that means, have a hunger for knowledge and never be satisfied and to be willing to take risks. What does it mean to you?

You can also check out:

 Steve Jobs & Apple

Poverty knows no race, no language and is not isolated to one country alone. It is in the most remote of villages and even in the most developed of cities worldwide.

Poverty can be barely meeting ends meet, being up to your ear’s in debt and not being able to pay the bills, and it can also be the extreme of not having the basic necessities of life, when I say basic I mean it; food, clean water or safe and clean shelter. Poverty leads to hunger, even the extreme of starvation, malnutrition, homelessness, the development of slums or ghettos, and often times creates habits that are passed on from one generation to the next, such as not attending school, early pregnancies, and in some parts of the world, child labour.

Growing up in poverty can create many problems for young kids; there is a higher school drop-out rate in poorer neighbourhoods, as well as not pursuing higher education such as University or College. They are also at greater risk of emotional and behavioural problems, such as low self-esteem and aggression. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to engage in sexual behavior earlier than their peers in more well off neighbourhoods, which puts them at risk of disease and infection and teenage pregnancy.

The causes of poverty vary from country to country and are unique to each individual who has to deal with it. Some of the causes of poverty are:

• Government corruption
• War
• Government policies
• Lack of educational facilities
• Lack of employment opportunities
• High cost/standard of living
• Turmoil in the economy (Recessions, stock market crash, which leads to lay-offs and a whirlwind of other issues, which as we have recently seen affects the society as a whole, such as the home foreclosure crisis. )
• Mental/physical disabilities
• Drug abuse and addiction
• Fleeing from emotional and physical abuse at home (Most often women and youth.)

Just as there are many causes of poverty, there are also many ways to curb poverty, such as:

• Providing access to proper health care
• Teaching proper hygiene
• Providing schools and other educational facilities
• Access to birth control and sexual education
• Building low income housing, which is subsidized through the government or charity
• Spreading awareness

Things you can do to help are: donate old books to schools in poorer neighbourhoods, donate or volunteer at organizations for the homeless and the poor.

You can also check out:

Youth: Poverty, Hunger & Homelessness 

London and surrounding cities are in utter chaos. There is mass looting, setting fires, muggings, and violence ravaging the city. Approximately 1500 people have been arrested so far. People as young as 11 are looting, setting buildings and cars on fire, and attacking people in the streets.

Some of the looters are saying that they are showing the government, police, and the rich that they can do what they want. Others are saying that they’re just having some fun and picking up free stuff. They talk so casually about it without any sense of law or what is right or wrong.

In this interview the anonymous man discusses what he say’s is the the real problem and reason behind the riots. He later goes on to say that the youth in poor neighbourhoods are doing this as a cry for help.

Some of the biggest and most important questions that need to be addressed are; where are these peoples parents? Is there no such thing as discipline anymore?  Are we teaching kids the difference between right and wrong? Have we let gangs take over society? Are parents, teachers, principals and community leaders not addressing the real problems amongst troubled youth? Are police doing enough?

In this video, Prime Minister David Cameron discusses options for the police force, as well as discussing what he say’s are the core issues behind the rioting.

What do you think the reasons are behind these riots?

You can also check out:

London Riot in Pictures

Rioters Attack Police

I cannot express in words how horrifying and difficult it must be for the people of Somalia while they endure this famine. Today I am fasting, and I am really thirsty right now. Imagine how they feel.

People are walking to neighbouring countries in search of food and water, sometimes never meeting their destination. They are in dire need of our help.

We often times feel helpless in these situations. We think to ourselves there is nothing I can do to help them. But that is not true. You can play a part, by telling people what is going on in Somalia, and you can donate and encourage others to do so as well.

I have read many comments such as, “where are their fellow Muslims,” or “where are the oil rich Gulf nations now?”  Well this is for you; Saudi Arabia alone has donated $60 Million in aid to Somalia. The OIC (Organization of the Islamic Cooperation), has donated 3000 tons of humanitarian aid. Kuwait has donated $10 Million in aid to Somalia as well. Qatar has provided a make-shift relief camp that can feed up to 8000 people, as well a providing medical care. The UAE has sent aid twice in the last few months, consisting of food, tanker trucks for water, shelter and medical supplies.

This is just merely the list that I have quickly researched, I am sure there are many other “Muslim” countries sending aid as well.

Rasool Allah (saw) said, “If you save one life, it is as if you have saved all of humanity.”

So I plead, please do not let these people be forgotten and their faces lost forever. Play a part and make a contribution to save a life!

You can also check out:

Somalian Famine Refugees

Donate to Somalia (Islamic Relief)

Donate to Somalia (UNHCR: United Nations Refugee Agency)

OIC Aid to Somalia

Many people convert to Islam as a belief, but do not put it into practice. Why you may ask? Because most do not have good Muslims around them, to guide them through this difficult transition. Changing your whole way of life is not easy! It’s even more difficult when they are still living at home, or have family opposing them.

Luckily for me, alhumdulillah, I had a great group of people around me to help me. Truly, without them, I do not think I would be where I am now. My family was also somewhat accepting of it, which made a huge difference.

Many people see people giving their shahada (testimony of faith) at their local mosque, but how many of them reach out a helping hand? I remember the day I converted crystal clear, as if it were yesterday. It was Friday, August 1st, 2003 and I was 17 years old. I called the local mosque only to get a voice message and after the third attempt someone actually answered. I was told to come after the Friday prayer to meet the director of the mosque who would bring me to the imam to give my shahada. After the difficulty in finding the mosque I approached an old man to ask where to go, who brought me to his wife to show me the ladies section, she greeted me with a frown and a disgusted look, I assume because I was talking to her husband, even though they both were probably older than my grandparents. I then went to the ladies section on the second floor where I had many awkward stares. Then the most scary thing happened. Everyone stood up in unison to pray. So I just followed them, not knowing what the heck I was doing.

After the prayer and asking many people without success, I found the director of the mosque who brought me to the imam where I gave my shahada. I met the most wonderful lady there, Sister Omnia, who taught me how to pray. She followed up with me to see how I was, if I was managing well with the prayers and encouraged me to pray on time and to learn Islam more deeply. It was through her that I was introduced to the Shabab Centre (Canada), where I met some wonderful Saudi’s, and also a wonderful group of Egyptian ladies that taught me Quran, Hadith and Arabic privately and also introduced me to the halaqa that they lead at the local University. Without their help, I would not be where I am today. I like to call my decision to convert to Islam finding that missing puzzle piece in my life, and finally the puzzle was complete.

I know in my journey of finding Islam and also with many others, the journey is long and most often challenging, but with the right people supporting you, you can really prosper. Without a good group of people supporting you, most likely you will call yourself a Muslim, but in no way behave like one. Having belief in your heart is one thing, but when your actions do not resemble that belief, then you know there is something missing on your behalf. When I became Muslim I told myself, this is not a half-half thing, it is all or nothing.

So my point here is if you see a new Muslim, help them, direct them to halaqa’s and befriend them. Trust me it would be the greatest gift you could ever give them, because they need the moral support.

We all have to deal with change. Change is inevitable and is a natural part of life. It can be growing older, moving to a new home (city or country), being diagnosed with cancer, staying up-to-date with technological advancements, death in the family, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, starting a new job, being laid-off or even fired. Change comes both big and small, easy and hard, expected and unexpected!

Most of us are uncomfortable with what we don’t know or haven’t experienced. So we are naturally uncomfortable with change and most often resist it, at least at first.

Sometimes the solution to a problem is to change how we see it. We should look at life changes as opportunities and really take the chance to learn about ourselves and broaden our horizons.

I know many people, including myself who were reluctant to join Facebook at first, way back when it was a baby. At first I was like, “Do I really want my information available online and how secure is it?” But after a while and looking in to it, I discovered that I could control who sees what, and that I can accept, ignore or decline friend requests. After realizing that I am the one who is in control and weighed the pros and the cons, I went ahead and opened an account.

Moving is another life change that we all have to deal with. Moving is stressful even if its a few blocks away, let alone half way across the world. As an expat living in Saudi Arabia, I can tell you that everyone goes through stages when moving abroad. At first its exciting, almost vacation like. Then when you realize that you’re not on 2 week vacation you become uneasy, missing what you have left behind, and often times noticing and complaining of anything and everything that is different. This phase is the most difficult, many people can get stuck in it, and others decide to move back home. After overcoming this phase you come to truly appreciate all of the wonderful things your new home has to offer, and realize that you will never find that perfect place, because it does not exist!

For me, living in Saudi Arabia has taught me to be more tolerant and patient. The greatest lesson I have learnt is that we all behave according to how we see things, and the way we see things is just our own perception of it and it does not mean that there is not another way to look at it. When we close our eye’s to new or different  places, things, or experiences, we really are closing doors of opportunities to enrich ourselves.

So when things are thrown your way, accept it and make the best out of it. You never know where it will bring you and how much you can learn from it!

You can also check out:

Tips for Dealing with Change