Hello, Dolls & Gents,
When you feel proud of your nation, that adoration seeps into your
dreams, goals and efforts; and it bleeds into your achievements and milestones.
Every step of the journey, you associate yourself with that pride and adoration,
and end-up manifesting into a symbol…a representation that is your nation to every,
and any, onlooker. I defined my outlook and my pride for Maldives early on. I
remember being a tiny 4-7-year-old advocate to every tourist I met, every foreign
doctor I interacted with, international students and the multiple expat tutors and
more. As a grown-up in very simple terms, I tell them “Maldives is not only about
tuna and eye candy resorts, nor is it about sitting atop coconut palm trees sipping
coconut as the sun goes down (someone’s literal understanding of Maldivian islanders).
It’s about a toiling community, value-systems, the under documented but very
crucial culture and history that somehow acts as the fundamental conduits
pushing this nation to become something better…”. As you can tell, still an
advocate, but… a realist.
I always hoped that I would be able to become an idea that my
country would be proud of. A lot of it stems from the values shared by my
parents, and their constant motivation demanding that I reach for the stars. Although
as proud as I am of my nation, I’ve learnt since, that the nation can be… selective.
I represented Maldives throughout my 9-year-long period of acquiring an
international education. I graduated from INTI International University, one of
the top leading education institutes when it comes to Mass Communication in
Malaysia. While I pursued my Bachelors at INTI, they were part of the laureate
network, and they continue to partner with award-winning highly acclaimed universities.
Apart from pouring my heart and soul to hone my knowledge and skills, I decided
to put a full-stop on my life at Malaysia to pursue an internship in the
Maldives. So that I may conclude that chapter of my life having served my
country. As a point to prove that I hadn’t forgotten what it means to be a
Maldivian, and to guarantee to whomever it mattered to, that this was the
beginning of my efforts to contribute the knowledge I had acquired to make in
impact. And so, I decided to give it a shot… to see if I was worthy of recognition
as per the publicly announced criteria set by the Presidency of Maldives… prepared to accept any outcome.
As you can tell, I was disqualified…due to lack of evidence which
corroborated my achievements. I instantly knew what it meant. I was not worthy
by their standards. A whopping torpedo that shattered the value of every resource
invested, and an official undermining of the value of the qualification I had
earned (First Class Honors and a University Award addressed from University of
Hertfordshire). Mind boggling to say the least. There were no confetti, no
implicit symbol that was a pat on the back. Just a lifeless black and white
response staring back at me from a silent screen.
To every person who achieved a National Award, or a National Award
of Recognition- Congratulations; and we can’t wait to witness your positive
influences. To everyone else, who was perplexingly or unjustly snubbed, the journey
is ahead of us. I say this due to the debate that has ignited on Twitter over
the past few days. Our goal was never to be in the running to seek approval. We
are stronger than that. Whatever we do, it will forever be sincerely governed
and directed by the root admiration for our nation. Because we envision a day
when our work (whichever line-of-work that is) will one day benefit our society
and promote prosperity for OUR people. That one day, the international
community would extend their hands in collaboration as a by-product of our
endearing efforts to represent our nation. Let this be a hint to the fact that WE are the
change in-motion that would one day take this nation to a point in yearning. One
day… Until then, work hard, stay safe and most importantly… sabr.
I would like to thank #INTIFAM for changing my life, and for always encouraging me to test my limits. Thank you from the bottom of heart.
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