Meet The Team Leader Crushing Stereotypes About Arab Women

Coming from a traditional Kuwaiti Middle Eastern family, traveling had a certain style. Back in 2016 I was always dreaming about breaking that travel routine of EAT, SLEEP, SHOP, REPEAT. Taking the decision to go on a group adventure to Nepal was a turning point in my life! I chose my trip, booked my ticket, and then went to my parents to take “permission”. Yes, “permission”. I say it in quotations because although it is the traditional way of things in my culture, my mind was made up and it was going to happen somehow. When I made the choice to experience something like this everything else fell into place. That isn’t to say I wasn’t met with any resistance or hesitation at all. On the contrary. But, I was determined to navigate my way to my goal. And so, I did.

It became addictive. I took my adventures from Nepal to the summit of Kilimanjaro and then Elbrus, Mont Blanc, Aconcagua, and the list went on and on. On each trip, I was breaking another barrier put in my way by virtue of being a woman, Kuwaiti and coming from a traditional family. What began as fear and apprehension in the eyes of my parents slowly morphed into pride. They saw a serious, determined and down to Earth person coming of age and changing not just their perspective but impacting others from similar backgrounds who face the same kind of push back.

In fact, my first successful convert to this new and exciting world was my very own sister who joined me on a trip to Nepal in 2017. Fast forward to 2022 and my mother decided to step out of her comfort zone and go on an adventure in Norway! It’s always nice to know you have a positive influence on people generally but when it’s this close to home, that goes beyond validation.  I couldn’t be prouder of the outcome and of the impact my choices have had on me and the people around me from the moment I chose to say yes to adventure. Now my mission is the rest of my extended family, but, being Kuwaiti, it may take a while! I’ve got time.