DUBAI – One day, Salama was called to her mother’s room and was asked what university major she was going to choose. She shrugged and said tourism, her heart was pounding. Salama still remembers her mother’s scowl and furrowed eyebrows. Her mother told her to stop playing around and pick a proper major. Unfortunately, Salama was serious.
“Okay well, I told you my major,” Salama said. “I will go now.”
And that is how she left her mother’s room.
This is where it all started when the 19-year-old Salama, in her senior year at high school, had to face the hard reality.
Her mother had a couple of reasons behind this disagreement where she associated “tourism” with mixing with the other gender. She also has this perspective of seeing women who go out frequently in a bad light.
“Although she might be correct based on the job I could have, I personally disagree with this since I don’t share her opinion, and plus, it’s my passion,” Salama said.
It was never easy for Salama to stick to her career goals without her mother’s support. She feels sad, heartbroken, and envious of others whose mothers support them in their life journey.
“My biggest supporter who is supposed to be my mother, will never be her,” Salama said. “This also has an effect on my relationship with her because if she had supported me from the beginning, we would have a strong relationship by now,” she added.
Salama’s friends played the biggest part in making her stronger regardless of her mother’s consistent disagreements about her career goals. Her friends have always been her biggest supporters in her life when her family hasn’t been.
Her best friend said she remembers discussing the matter with Salama when she was a senior in high school.
“I tried to ask her as many questions as I can to stimulate our thoughts and clear up the confusion,” the best friend said. “It was a lengthy conversation, but in the end, we landed on tourism. I thought it suited her well because Salama’s character is very easygoing, talkative, bubbly, and just a very delightful person.”
However, Salama has always been a people pleaser. She thought of changing her career decision many times because she liked doing things that would make others happy even if it was something related to her and she didn’t agree with it.
Years passed and as she has grown older, she realized that no one is ever going to live her life.
“I thought of joining Khalifa University because half of my classmates did, and I would have a scientific major,” Salama said. “However, I wouldn’t feel happy there. I didn’t want to waste time and regret it later where I could just chase my dreams and experience achieving those dreams.
“I think my mother will realize how much I would thrive in this field and make a name for myself. When she realizes that I am successful in this industry, she wouldn’t disagree with it as much as before.”
At this point in time, Salama is very happy to represent her country through the field of tourism. She also likes finding out things about herself, so knowing that she found the right major for her makes her feel so happy and satisfied.
“I want to reach my true potential and I know I will in the tourism industry,” Salama said. “My goal is to make foreign visitors remember me as the outgoing Emirati who is very kind to them and make myself known in the industry.”
This story was produced in COM210 Media Storytelling I course under the supervision of Dr. Kyung Sun “Karen” Lee in Spring 2021.
To protect the anonymity of the sources mentioned in this story, their names were changed or withheld.
