Until a year ago, Aysha Khalid was a social butterfly flitting around Dubai. She was also the main party planner of her group of friends. After completing a Bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Manipal University in Dubai, Aysha secured admission to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to pursue her Master's degree in medical biotechnology and bio business.
"When I first looked down at the city of Aberdeen from the aeroplane window, my thought was 'How am
I going to survive alone in a foreign country?' I had always been pampered and protected at home and it was the first time I was staying away from my parents," says Khalid.
"But that year flew by and the people in Aberdeen are wonderful. Our landlady Fathiha cares for us like a mother. She is around my age but has three children, so she is very mature. My best friends, Bindu and Thanu, were doing the same course with me so we had a great time.
"When the date of our Masters graduation was announced I was a bit upset. Bindu's sister was flying in for the ceremony and Thanu's aunt was already in Aberdeen. I would be the only one in my group who would not be having a family member present at the graduation ceremony. I felt like withdrawing from the ceremony. But we had already missed the graduation ceremony with Manipal University in Dubai because we had to join the course in Aberdeen [at short notice] and I had always dreamt of tossing my black cap in the air.
"I somehow convinced my
brother Omar, who was studying
in Huddersfield in Scotland to
take a holiday and come to my graduation ceremony.
"The day before the big event, I was working in the lab when I received a phone call from Fathiha asking me to come home immediately. I feared the worst and went to seek permission from our supervisor Simon Goodyear. With a sly smile he gave me permission to rush off.
"When I got home Fathiha opened the door and shoved me upstairs. The first thing I saw was two big suitcases on the floor. Then, sitting on the bed was my mother! She had made the long journey from Dubai to Aberdeen, leaving behind my little siblings just to give me a surprise on my big day.
I could not believe my eyes. Amidst lots of hugging and crying I asked her how she knew the way to my house. She said that the address was etched in her mind thanks to all the parcels she used to send me.
"The next day, after the graduation ceremony, we had a reception at the atrium. I was busy chatting with my friends when the head of postgraduate courses, Heather Wallace, announced that I had won the A.J. Potter award – for the most promising and dedicated student within the degree programme. I was dumbstruck. My friends pushed me on to the stage and I collected the award and ran off, dropping my bracelet in the process.
I was then called up again because the photographers didn't have the time to take my picture as I was so flustered. The next day I made headline news in the university media releases.
"My mother was only in Aberdeen for three days but I am really glad she was there to participate in my few minutes of fame. My mother, Seema Khalid, is a lawyer by profession.
She is my biggest pillar of support and an incorrigible optimist. If I tell her I didn't do well in a test she will say, "The examiner will turn a blind eye to your mistakes and give you an A." I guess she knows my potential better than I do. My father, Khalid Basheer, is instrumental in guiding me and
has shaped my life.
"I have been offered the post of research assistant from Edinburgh, Oxford and Aberdeen Universities.
I am taking up the tenure in Aberdeen. My success is all due to the love and support of my parents and the blessings of Allah.
If I was granted one wish, it would be to would bring my whole family to Aberdeen. I miss their presence the most in my life."
– As told to Zenifer Khaleel, an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer
