January was Great!

Hello Blog!

I’ve had the best two weeks and I can’t wait to share it all with you guys!

I had a really good time in Dubai it was really fun and something unexpected but really excited happened! Starting off with the fun I had a really good time with my family, and spent the weekend exploring Dubai with them.  My cousins had never been to topgolf before or tried boba so I spent the weekend exposing them to all these new things which was really exciting and fun to watch their reactions. I also got exposed to new things myself and got to see things like the Burj Khalifa and the Miracle Gardens which were very beautiful.  I tried Saudi Arabian food for the first time and got to play paddle in doubles which was also a first for me.

Moving on to the surprising thing that happened that made the Dubai trip even more interesting! For the past 2 weeks or so I have been working on this presentation for a conference on the Refugee crisis in the Middle East and specifically my work focused on Egypt on behalf of His Holiness Pope Tawadros the 2nd, and in partnership with BLESS. To my surprise the conference was held in Dubai and during the exact weekend  was in Dubai so I was invited to attend by the abouna who was presenting my research and speech! It was totally unexpected and super kind to be offered a place at this conference! I really enjoyed it and met some amazing priests and pastors from all around the world and despite the fact that I had no professional religious training they entertained my thoughts and included me in the panels which was truly amazing!

Other than the Dubai trip which was really the highlight of my weekend,  I also just received my engagement video back from the videographer which was really special and made my day! It has been rough being so far away from my Fiance but this made it a little easier! 🙂

In other news I had the opportunity to meet up with some church friends who invited me to a prayer weekend which I am really excited for and looking forward too. I really like attending the church services in Egypt and getting involved in services has been a huge blessing in terms of meeting up with people and expanding my social circles but also for the religious benefit as well. The group is all college aged like myself so it’s nice to be around people who have the same goals and are also in a similar place in life as the fellowship is much needed.

Lastly, although these past two weeks have been overall really good I also have had some lows which is life, but I wouldn’t feel right if I only mentioned the good stuff so I will share those things too! My fiance recently lost his job which has been really challenging and requires a lot of prayers, its rough not being there to support him but trying to be as present as possible despite the time difference and the ocean in between us.  Please keep him in your prayers!

That’s all for now Blog!

Until Next Time,

Nardien Sadik

Cairo, Egypt and Dubai !