I never know where to start or where to end when I am asked to introduce myself. It is difficult trying to decipher what other people might find interesting or want to know, but I am always willing to try, so here we go.
I will start with the basics. I am half-American and half-Egyptian. I have lived in both places, and I have also spent a significant part of my life in the U.K., which is where I lived prior to moving to Westchester. I have two children and two dogs.
I enjoyed my time in the U.K., but having lived there for over a decade, I needed a change. Also, as a working mum with two young children (one nearly four and the other just turned one), I realized I needed to be closer to my family. I needed their support. As the saying goes, it takes a village.
Now, much to most people’s surprise, my family doesn’t actually live in New York, but one national flight is so much easier and closer than three international flights. Tempting people with a trip to NYC is also much easier than trying to lure them to the North East of Scotland.
I would describe myself as corporate by day and mum by evening and weekend. These very different elements in my world don’t seem to overlap. That is, of course, until something goes drastically wrong, and then the two worlds collide with each other at full force.
Before being a mum, I enjoyed it when I was just a corporate career woman. There was no time for fun and games. I felt satisfied and content. Becoming a mum let out the inner child I didn’t know I had bottled up inside. Motherhood gave me an outlet for letting go, and what a trip that has been.
I never knew or expected to have such a different side to me. Life is so much more fun, and I really try to embrace it with my children.
I still enjoy working (most days). The outlet and stimulation it gives my brain is something I thrive on. The pressure, the deadlines, and the challenges that I face in the business world are what push me to perform at my best. I never considered giving up my career, even before I was pregnant. My thought process was always about how to make them work together. Little did I know about parent guilt and what multi-tasking really means.
During the last few years, what I have learned is that when I am with my kids and truly living in the moment, that is when I have the most fun. It is when I feel the freest. I just get to be. It’s these raw uninhibited moments that make my heart flutter with unconditional love for my two little beings. I want the world to stop and stay in these moments forever.
