In 1980, at the age of five, I arrived in the United Arab Emirates with my family. Sharjah became the setting of my childhood and education, from Balqees School to Fatima Al Zahra School, where I completed my secondary studies. My professional path began here as well, when I joined a private school as a teaching assistant. From those early years onward, the UAE became the place where my life took shape.

I built my life in the UAE. I got married here, and my children were born at Al Wasl Hospital. They were raised in this country and speak of it with the ease and certainty of home. Over the years, that sense of home deepened into something larger: a lasting bond with a country that opened its doors, nurtured our aspirations, and gave our family the ground on which to grow.

La tshilon ham

Across the past two decades, the world has moved through one major disruption after another, from the financial crisis of 2008 to the pandemic in 2020 and the pressures that followed. Through each period, the UAE remained a place of safety, order, and public confidence for all who live on its soil. I still remember the comfort carried in the words of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during the pandemic, “La tshilon ham” For me, those words captured the spirit of leadership in this country. They gave people steadiness, strengthened trust, and made it possible to move through uncertainty with calm and discipline.

What I write today comes from conviction shaped by a lifetime in this country. It reflects my respect for the UAE’s system, its vision, and the political and economic approach that has guided its rise. It also reflects my sense of belonging to a land that gave me a place, a future, and a community in which people from many backgrounds find a shared sense of belonging shaped by dignity, mutual respect, and common purpose.

Land of wisdom, tranquility, and peace

Recently, the country faced an act of aggression that placed everyone living in this peaceful nation under intense pressure. In that moment, the leadership moved with clarity and resolve. Essential needs were secured across society, and public confidence was strengthened through visible presence among the people. Leaders appeared in public spaces, took part in community and international events, and visited the injured, whose wounds came to embody honour. At the same time, the armed forces stood firm in defence of the nation, carrying out their duty with bravery and discipline. The martyrs they gave will remain part of the story of how the UAE safeguarded its land, its skies, its waters, and the dignity of its flag.

At the beginning of the crisis, we were all filled with anticipation, waiting to hear the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, as he addressed his people. His message carried reassurance, pride, and strength. He affirmed that the UAE is strong, that it stands as a model and an example, expressing pride in the nation’s institutions and armed forces, and promising that the country would emerge from these challenges even stronger. His words,“The UAE is a model, but I tell you, do not be misled by what you see; the UAE is strong in its core, and resilient in its fabric”, became a window of hope and comfort for me. They appeared across homes and buildings, reminding everyone that leadership stands with us, and that we live under its protection, and that our role is to continue working with dedication and sincerity.

We work. We serve our nation

From childhood, one phrase took root in me and stayed: we work and we commit. We repeated it every morning at school, and over time it became part of how I understand duty, effort, and belonging. Today, those words live in the way I move through life. They shape the care I bring to my work at Rouya, the regard I hold for the schools and universities that guide my children, and the respect I carry for the places where my husband builds his future. In the UAE, work became one of the clearest expressions of love for the country.

For me, work and commitment mean raising the level of what we give and placing the UAE at the centre of that effort. I saw that meaning most clearly in the smallest moments. Alerts would reach our phones, and we would move to the lower floor of our house with our laptops in hand, continuing our meetings with clients who trusted us. My children saw the same spirit in their universities, where professors carried the responsibility of teaching forward with focus and care. In those days, continuity itself became a form of national service. It expressed our shared determination to protect the rhythm of life and to uphold the peace of this country through action.

Today, the phrase carries even greater depth for me. It calls for sincerity, for care, and for love expressed through effort. Our work remains one way of giving back to a land that has given us dignity, freedom, and a life rich with opportunity.

That is the bond I feel with the UAE. It is a bond renewed through gratitude, strengthened through service, and carried forward through all that we do.