Insight Dubai Conference

Students Quotes 2008

International Participants Quotes

Rashidah Suleiman - USA

"Dear Rashidah, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in Insight Dubai, an interactive leadership conference hosted by the Dubai Women's College from March 23 through March 28, 2008." These were the words that stamped my passport of approval to challenge myself , step out of my comfort zone, and visit a land that would change my perception of women and the Middle East. Not even the flu I caught the week of my departure would stop me from getting to JFK. A women's conference for a week in the Middle East, everyone I told that knew ‘Rashidah’ refused to believe that I was going.

What motivated me to attend Insight Dubai was my personal war against ignorance. Growing up in the diverse city of New York, I’ve seen ignorance and lack of tolerance as the cause of confusions. I knew that going to Insight Dubai would be yet another opportunity to travel abroad and bring back the knowledge that many people I knew would have gravely desired to experience, yet circumstances would not allow. This was also a critical necessity for me to encourage my peers to challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zone of the US while there is an opportunity

I did not know what to expect before arriving, yet I found myself questioning my beliefs and how "American" my thoughts were by the second day of the conference. One of the girls from the UAE stated that when she thought of western ideas and what role women should play, she automatically viewed it as a compromise to her culture. I realized the dichotomy of our worlds and perhaps what I see as 'correct' was rather the way I was trained to think. Very often I questioned our purpose of attending the conference, was it to inspire the UAE girls or were we supposed to awaken each other?

Most of our discussion focused around cultural disparities, we learned that many of the policies that work in one country would not necessarily work in another society because of how different our worlds were. Despite the discrepancies, we shared the same desire as women to show our faces in the government and a variety of professions, but everyone dispelled many preconceived beliefs everyday through her interactions and participation.

I left the conference with a higher level of respect for the traditions and values of the women in the UAE. Media is an amazing tool. America's perception of women in the Middle East is that of an oppressed culture of women who are objectified; yet the reality is that we've objectified them more than their tradition has!

Aside from the mental evolution that I was going through, there were many amazing first time experiences that I had. We went dune bashing in the desert; road a camel; visited a ski-resort in one of the world’s largest malls; visited an oil refinery; met Dr Houriya Kazim; UAE’s first women surgeon; visited the Royal Emirate’s palace; visited the 3rd largest mosque, Seikh Zayed; swam in the clearest sea I’d ever seen; and ate delectable Middle Eastern cosines, and much more.Dubai is a beautiful state in the United Arab Emirates that is obviously wealthy and still emerging. It is inevitable that in twenty to thirty years, it will be one of the top travel spots in the world. From its record breaking tallest and richest buildings, to the open market for tax-free businesses, Dubai seems to offer a great deal of opportunity.

Thank you all for this wonderful conference!

Ieva Servaite - Lithuania

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” (Flora Wittermore)
This year I traveled to Egypt, Paris, around Europe and then of course to Dubai. I used every chance I had to see new places and live with different people. Each country I’ve been to touched me in a way, but Dubai made a major impact. Dubai was the journey of my life and to my mind and my soul. I can truly say I started to understand the different mentalities coming from different parts of the world. When I first came, I didn’t know what to expect, but while leaving my tears were running like a waterfall, because in this conference not only did I learn about peace, about leadership, how to reach your goals and be efficient, I also saw so many women all around the world who are facing the same problems we all face and even more, others who are climbing their career stairs so quickly. What is more, I am so amazed to see Dubai and to know the people of this astonishing city. It is said that it’s always better to see for yourself at least once, than to hear for a thousand times! Never in my whole life I saw such a warm welcome and nurture. To sum up, I would like to say that the Insight Dubai 2008 conference was a challenging and wonderful experience that all young women like us must go through. I would love to do it again!

Sujan Gurung - Nepal

The week I spent in Dubai has been so wonderful not only did I make wonderful friends, I also learnt valuable lessons. It opened up my knowledge of the world around me, the struggles we face as women and the struggles we overcome to make the world a better place. The conference has made me aware of the things happening around me, I am more confident to speak up and my self esteem got a boost up.

I think as human being we tend to have pre conceived notions about places, culture and people be it positive or negative. I learnt that it’s only after meeting the people and seeing the places first hand that you can make up an opinion. Thus the most important thing I took from this conference was to be open minded and not to garner biased opinion without first hand knowledge and experience.

After a week with around 100 girls I realized that how different we are from the clothes we wear , to the languages we speak to the food we eat but beneath it all we were all the same had the same dreams , same aspirations , same challenges and same hope for the future.

I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful "Insight Dubai 2008" week. I had so much fun and learnt a lot about the UAE culture, made friends who I will cherish for ever and also I learnt a great deal about myself too. The conference was everything I hoped for and much more..........
Thank you once again so much for giving me an opportunity to live one of the most enriching experiences of my life

Lima Ahmad - Afghanistan

I am back to home Kabul and I already miss all of my friends from so many parts of the world who I met at the conference. We all promised to keep in touch and to find out how to work together in the future.

Eenas El Sheakh – Egypt

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate at Insight Dubai. It was a great pleasure to meet so many lovely people from all around the world. The conference was very well organized and all the subjects that were discussed were very interesting and productive.

The conference has given me further insight to other cultures, to which I was not yet exposed, and has made me believe stronger in the ability of women to be leaders in all fields. Thank You all!

Mejzgaan Orakzai - Pakistan

Attending Insight Dubai 2008 was an exceptional learning experience for me. The diversity of the group encouraged cultural exchange and it proved to be an excellent platform to exchange ideas. I became more receptive to the problems faced by the women in my country and worldwide. I returned home with a desire to work for the empowerment of women and to help promote peace.

Zainab Marvi - Pakistan

One word to describe my feelings about Insight Dubai 2008: "WOW!!"
Seriously, I can't put it into better words! The conference was inspiring and enlightening at so many different levels. I am specially inspired by the numerous Emirati women entrepreneurs, mainly because I myself come from a country with a similar societal and cultural system and to see women achieving and succeeding in professional fields was very motivating.

The Insight Dubai Conference gave me my first taste of international exposure, helped me achieve a higher level of personal development and self-actualization, increased my global awareness, enhanced my leadership skills and introduced me to the beautiful city of Dubai. I'm ever so grateful for having the best experience of my life.

Desiree Wappler - USA

Participating in the Insight Dubai conference not only gave me the opportunity to learn more about Arab and Islamic culture and religion, but the fact that so many international delegates attended allowed me to discuss global issues from local perspectives of the respective countries represented. Not only was it a great educational experience, but on a more personal level I have gained many wonderful friends from all walks of life as well as unforgettable memories of the time spent together.

Susan Mbabazi - Rwanda

Such an experience was moving to me personally. My impression about the Arab and Muslim world was made through news and negative stories that we hear but being there was a big surprise where it totally changed my bad perception. Through the conference I met new friends from different parts of the world, I loved the good hospitality, great intellectual speeches and discussions during the conference, the rich culture with style and the delicious food. Thank you all!

Aida Osmonova - Kyrgyzstan

I’m very honored and delighted to have attended the Insight Dubai Conference, because the experience I gained here appeared to me fruitful and fantastic. Insight Dubai enabled me to deepen my knowledge about the Arabic world and discover many new things about other cultures, which were represented by conference participants.
One of the most unique aspects of the conference I found was its capacity to create an extremely friendly and warm atmosphere, which not only enhanced our active interaction with each other but also made each of us feel at home. We all were like a big friendly family discussing crucial issues of our lives and most importantly coming up with mutual solutions.
Since my arrival from U.A.E I’ve been sharing my wonderful cultural experience from the Insight Dubai with my friends and family in Kyrgyzstan.

DWC Students Quotes

Alyaa Ali - UAE

“It was such a nice experience to meet different ladies from different countries. I learned how to communicate with them and I know how to improve myself in speaking. What I like most about Insight Dubai is that some of the participants start out having a bad image or idea about UAE society and the Islamic religion but after they visit Dubai and after the discussions they change these ideas and understand us more. Dealing with them allows us to make new friendships and continue sharing the experience and getting to know them more. In fact, I like Ms. Aatika so much because I like how she behaves with all of the group members, she has a good personality and I never got bored in our discussions. We didn’t even have a break for more than 1 hour but we felt excited all the time. What I found a little difficult was that most of the subjects are considered political issues and some of them are studying political science so they understand the topic better than us”.

Ayesha Al Muhairi - UAE

“Attending the conference was a really great experience for me. I got the opportunity to communicate with international colleagues. In fact I had the opportunity to recognize more the history of development in Dubai.
Also, attending the conference gave me the chance to gain valuable insight for Dubai. In fact this conference is one of the most unique conferences since it has Arabic and Islamic themes introduced to the foreigners and for us. In fact one of the most important experiences is to be part in the panel discussions regarding local issues such as promoting peace, women’s leadership in the Middle East.

Furthermore I believe that visiting special places in Dubai gave me an opportunity to introduce my country’s sights and let the foreign participants understand the local atmosphere. All in all I would really like to participate in the next year’s conference to met new people and exchange the knowledge and experience the real life”.

Maryam Al Zarooni - UAE

Being part of this unique conference opened my mind to so many issues that I was not aware of. Spending time with 50 multinational female students from all over the world gave me the experience of interacting and discussing issues related to women which interested me. I was inspired by the guest speakers, and how they shared with us their successful stories and how they reached to where they are now. As I was a buddy of one of the international participants, I had the chance to look closer at her culture and I was inspired by that. Talking to her and sharing ideas and moments together was one of the things that I enjoyed doing at this respected conference; Insight Dubai. I am looking forward to participate again next year.

		Conference for young women around the world 18 - 23 March 2012 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Registration Photo Competition Photo Gallery Blogs Videos Archive
	Students Quotes 2008 International Participants Quotes Rashidah Suleiman - USA "Dear Rashidah, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in Insight Dubai, an interactive leadership conference hosted by the Dubai Women's College from March 23 through March 28, 2008." These were the words that stamped my passport of approval to challenge myself , step out of my comfort zone, and visit a land that would change my perception of women and the Middle East. Not even the flu I caught the week of my departure would stop me from getting to JFK. A women's conference for a week in the Middle East, everyone I told that knew ‘Rashidah’ refused to believe that I was going. What motivated me to attend Insight Dubai was my personal war against ignorance. Growing up in the diverse city of New York, I’ve seen ignorance and lack of tolerance as the cause of confusions. I knew that going to Insight Dubai would be yet another opportunity to travel abroad and bring back the knowledge that many people I knew would have gravely desired to experience, yet circumstances would not allow. This was also a critical necessity for me to encourage my peers to challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zone of the US while there is an opportunity I did not know what to expect before arriving, yet I found myself questioning my beliefs and how "American" my thoughts were by the second day of the conference. One of the girls from the UAE stated that when she thought of western ideas and what role women should play, she automatically viewed it as a compromise to her culture. I realized the dichotomy of our worlds and perhaps what I see as 'correct' was rather the way I was trained to think. Very often I questioned our purpose of attending the conference, was it to inspire the UAE girls or were we supposed to awaken each other? Most of our discussion focused around cultural disparities, we learned that many of the policies that work in one country would not necessarily work in another society because of how different our worlds were. Despite the discrepancies, we shared the same desire as women to show our faces in the government and a variety of professions, but everyone dispelled many preconceived beliefs everyday through her interactions and participation. I left the conference with a higher level of respect for the traditions and values of the women in the UAE. Media is an amazing tool. America's perception of women in the Middle East is that of an oppressed culture of women who are objectified; yet the reality is that we've objectified them more than their tradition has! Aside from the mental evolution that I was going through, there were many amazing first time experiences that I had. We went dune bashing in the desert; road a camel; visited a ski-resort in one of the world’s largest malls; visited an oil refinery; met Dr Houriya Kazim; UAE’s first women surgeon; visited the Royal Emirate’s palace; visited the 3rd largest mosque, Seikh Zayed; swam in the clearest sea I’d ever seen; and ate delectable Middle Eastern cosines, and much more.Dubai is a beautiful state in the United Arab Emirates that is obviously wealthy and still emerging. It is inevitable that in twenty to thirty years, it will be one of the top travel spots in the world. From its record breaking tallest and richest buildings, to the open market for tax-free businesses, Dubai seems to offer a great deal of opportunity. Thank you all for this wonderful conference! Ieva Servaite - Lithuania “The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” (Flora Wittermore) This year I traveled to Egypt, Paris, around Europe and then of course to Dubai. I used every chance I had to see new places and live with different people. Each country I’ve been to touched me in a way, but Dubai made a major impact. Dubai was the journey of my life and to my mind and my soul. I can truly say I started to understand the different mentalities coming from different parts of the world. When I first came, I didn’t know what to expect, but while leaving my tears were running like a waterfall, because in this conference not only did I learn about peace, about leadership, how to reach your goals and be efficient, I also saw so many women all around the world who are facing the same problems we all face and even more, others who are climbing their career stairs so quickly. What is more, I am so amazed to see Dubai and to know the people of this astonishing city. It is said that it’s always better to see for yourself at least once, than to hear for a thousand times! Never in my whole life I saw such a warm welcome and nurture. To sum up, I would like to say that the Insight Dubai 2008 conference was a challenging and wonderful experience that all young women like us must go through. I would love to do it again! Sujan Gurung - Nepal The week I spent in Dubai has been so wonderful not only did I make wonderful friends, I also learnt valuable lessons. It opened up my knowledge of the world around me, the struggles we face as women and the struggles we overcome to make the world a better place. The conference has made me aware of the things happening around me, I am more confident to speak up and my self esteem got a boost up. I think as human being we tend to have pre conceived notions about places, culture and people be it positive or negative. I learnt that it’s only after meeting the people and seeing the places first hand that you can make up an opinion. Thus the most important thing I took from this conference was to be open minded and not to garner biased opinion without first hand knowledge and experience. After a week with around 100 girls I realized that how different we are from the clothes we wear , to the languages we speak to the food we eat but beneath it all we were all the same had the same dreams , same aspirations , same challenges and same hope for the future. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful "Insight Dubai 2008" week. I had so much fun and learnt a lot about the UAE culture, made friends who I will cherish for ever and also I learnt a great deal about myself too. The conference was everything I hoped for and much more.......... Thank you once again so much for giving me an opportunity to live one of the most enriching experiences of my life Lima Ahmad - Afghanistan I am back to home Kabul and I already miss all of my friends from so many parts of the world who I met at the conference. We all promised to keep in touch and to find out how to work together in the future. Eenas El Sheakh – Egypt Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate at Insight Dubai. It was a great pleasure to meet so many lovely people from all around the world. The conference was very well organized and all the subjects that were discussed were very interesting and productive. The conference has given me further insight to other cultures, to which I was not yet exposed, and has made me believe stronger in the ability of women to be leaders in all fields. Thank You all! Mejzgaan Orakzai - Pakistan Attending Insight Dubai 2008 was an exceptional learning experience for me. The diversity of the group encouraged cultural exchange and it proved to be an excellent platform to exchange ideas. I became more receptive to the problems faced by the women in my country and worldwide. I returned home with a desire to work for the empowerment of women and to help promote peace. Zainab Marvi - Pakistan One word to describe my feelings about Insight Dubai 2008: "WOW!!" Seriously, I can't put it into better words! The conference was inspiring and enlightening at so many different levels. I am specially inspired by the numerous Emirati women entrepreneurs, mainly because I myself come from a country with a similar societal and cultural system and to see women achieving and succeeding in professional fields was very motivating. The Insight Dubai Conference gave me my first taste of international exposure, helped me achieve a higher level of personal development and self-actualization, increased my global awareness, enhanced my leadership skills and introduced me to the beautiful city of Dubai. I'm ever so grateful for having the best experience of my life. Desiree Wappler - USA Participating in the Insight Dubai conference not only gave me the opportunity to learn more about Arab and Islamic culture and religion, but the fact that so many international delegates attended allowed me to discuss global issues from local perspectives of the respective countries represented. Not only was it a great educational experience, but on a more personal level I have gained many wonderful friends from all walks of life as well as unforgettable memories of the time spent together. Susan Mbabazi - Rwanda Such an experience was moving to me personally. My impression about the Arab and Muslim world was made through news and negative stories that we hear but being there was a big surprise where it totally changed my bad perception. Through the conference I met new friends from different parts of the world, I loved the good hospitality, great intellectual speeches and discussions during the conference, the rich culture with style and the delicious food. Thank you all! Aida Osmonova - Kyrgyzstan I’m very honored and delighted to have attended the Insight Dubai Conference, because the experience I gained here appeared to me fruitful and fantastic. Insight Dubai enabled me to deepen my knowledge about the Arabic world and discover many new things about other cultures, which were represented by conference participants. One of the most unique aspects of the conference I found was its capacity to create an extremely friendly and warm atmosphere, which not only enhanced our active interaction with each other but also made each of us feel at home. We all were like a big friendly family discussing crucial issues of our lives and most importantly coming up with mutual solutions. Since my arrival from U.A.E I’ve been sharing my wonderful cultural experience from the Insight Dubai with my friends and family in Kyrgyzstan. DWC Students Quotes Alyaa Ali - UAE “It was such a nice experience to meet different ladies from different countries. I learned how to communicate with them and I know how to improve myself in speaking. What I like most about Insight Dubai is that some of the participants start out having a bad image or idea about UAE society and the Islamic religion but after they visit Dubai and after the discussions they change these ideas and understand us more. Dealing with them allows us to make new friendships and continue sharing the experience and getting to know them more. In fact, I like Ms. Aatika so much because I like how she behaves with all of the group members, she has a good personality and I never got bored in our discussions. We didn’t even have a break for more than 1 hour but we felt excited all the time. What I found a little difficult was that most of the subjects are considered political issues and some of them are studying political science so they understand the topic better than us”. Ayesha Al Muhairi - UAE “Attending the conference was a really great experience for me. I got the opportunity to communicate with international colleagues. In fact I had the opportunity to recognize more the history of development in Dubai. Also, attending the conference gave me the chance to gain valuable insight for Dubai. In fact this conference is one of the most unique conferences since it has Arabic and Islamic themes introduced to the foreigners and for us. In fact one of the most important experiences is to be part in the panel discussions regarding local issues such as promoting peace, women’s leadership in the Middle East. Furthermore I believe that visiting special places in Dubai gave me an opportunity to introduce my country’s sights and let the foreign participants understand the local atmosphere. All in all I would really like to participate in the next year’s conference to met new people and exchange the knowledge and experience the real life”. Maryam Al Zarooni - UAE Being part of this unique conference opened my mind to so many issues that I was not aware of. Spending time with 50 multinational female students from all over the world gave me the experience of interacting and discussing issues related to women which interested me. I was inspired by the guest speakers, and how they shared with us their successful stories and how they reached to where they are now. As I was a buddy of one of the international participants, I had the chance to look closer at her culture and I was inspired by that. Talking to her and sharing ideas and moments together was one of the things that I enjoyed doing at this respected conference; Insight Dubai. I am looking forward to participate again next year.