Dr. Saliha Afridi On How Her Soul Found Its Home In The UAE
The clinical psychologist, Managing Director of The LightHouse Arabia and Bazaar Arabia’s columnist, shares a moving personal account of how a lifelong search for her soul’s home ended here, in the UAE
My whole life I had been searching for a place where my soul would be at ease. I have lived in four countries and 10 cities, and every time I would move, I would hope that in each new place, I would stop feeling restless. But every time I moved to a new city and into my new home, I would wait to hang up my pictures on the walls, because what’s the point of hanging them up if I’m going to take them down again when I move? So, I waited to see if that new city or country would be the place where my soul felt at ease, but soon after moving, I would feel the restlessness and it would be time to move again.
That happened for decades, until December 2008, when I moved to the UAE. Before I moved here, I was promised many things, and I was warned about many others. I was told that my children would be third-culture kids and forever feel a sense of homelessness; I was told that mental health has no place in the Middle East and I would most likely need to change my career or be out of a job. But I was also told that it was a country that embraced expats and I could ‘make it’ here if I worked really hard. I keenly listened to all the warnings and wisdom and began my heroine’s journey.
But once I arrived, I realised nothing could have prepared me for what I would encounter when I moved here. Here, in the UAE, my values were tested again and again, and my beliefs all shattered. Here, I encountered trials and tribulations too long to list and was filled with fear and anxiety that brought me to my knees. Here, I met people who were mean and scheming, and those who did not seem to mind if they hurt or exploited others.
But also here…
I found my God.
I found myself.
I found my people.
I found my purpose.
I found my meaning.
I found my LightHouse.
I found my home.
I found all that is good in the world.
I found love.
The UAE is a beautiful country for too many reasons to list, but one thing is for sure: the UAE will bring out more of who you are. It’s a truth-teller and a reality maker. Those who are materialistic will become more materialistic, and the spiritual will ascend to their heights here. The ambitious will build empires, and those who seek only to rest will find the best shelter here.
The dreamers will find their inspiration, and those who make dreams come true will find their life force here. Those who see the world as a dark place will find darkness here, and those who see the world as a miraculous place will encounter many. The UAE is what you are and it makes you more of who you are. It is a mirror and an amplifier.
In many stories of creation, it is believed that God formed man from clay and then breathed life into him/her. And it is said that the place where we die, is the clay that was used to make us and that our body longs to return to that earth. I would add to that and say that the place where we feel ‘settled,’ where our soul is at rest, is the clay that we were made from. The soil is the soul.
The UAE is where my soul is finally at rest. I know I am of this soil and I know I am meant to be here and serve here… and I finally hung up the pictures!