Nicky Vananalagi-Wivou is a library technician at Ras al Khaimah Institute of Applied Technology. Born and raised in Fiji, she lived in Australia for two years before moving to the UAE in 1996.
I was born and raised in a little town in Fiji called Levuka. It's on the island of Ovalau, the old capital. I still think of it as home. Home to me is my culture, identity and family connections.
Life there feels more free, more laid back. Everyone knows everyone else. And if you are from Fiji, you naturally miss the beaches, the sea, and the seafood. One of my sons is there now, working as a pilot on the west side of the island, near the airport.
I left Fiji at 31, for Australia. It was 1994 and I wanted to do something different. Most Fijians leave the islands looking for greener pastures. It was a choice I made with my husband, to move while we had the opportunity. I stayed in Sydney for two years and then we came to the UAE in 1996, my husband, my daughter and me.
I work as a library technician at Ras al Khaimah Institute of Applied Technology. It's different from my last job in Sydney, where I worked for an engineering company. Although I have been here for 13 years, I still wouldn't say it's quite home for me. We are settled and have lived here longer than any other country, yet Australia is more of a home to me - another son lives there.
We are the only Fijians in Ras al Khaimah, but there are more in the other emirates. Some I met at the Rugby Sevens one year. If you see a fellow Fijian in the crowd, you just know. We don't have to be related or know each other to easily become friends. We sit around and speak the language and eat the food, drink kava and eat cassava and seafood cooked in coconut milk. I hate to bring everything back to the food, but the seafood back home is so good. We cook in an oven dug out from the earth - a lovo.
We do things together; in 2006 we celebrated Fiji Independence Day in Al Ain, with friends from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We danced, sang and cooked a lot. It is good to speak the language. I have passed it on to my daughter. We speak it at home. She's been to Fiji many times, but for her Australia is more of a home.
I do miss the family back home, and the feeling of moving around freely. I miss things like the freedom of open speech and the quality and efficiency of services. On the other hand, I appreciate the much lower levels of crimes here in Ras al Khaimah. There is also no traffic, I get to work in five minutes, and my villa is on the beach. I get bored sometimes, as I don't have other Fijians around. I go down to the water when I am frustrated and turn my face to the sea. It's a lonely life, sometimes.
Back home, there is less privacy. People will come up to you in the street to sell you things and there is more petty crime. You have to be more careful. But if someone asked me to go home tomorrow, I would still go.
The culture is very different there because, for us, it is all about ties with relatives, and church functions. There is a real community thing. That is what home means to me. I don't go out much in Ras al Khaimah. I have my own gatherings at home, and I meet the ladies in Al Ain when we have things to celebrate.
My house in Ras al Khaimah is filled with artefacts from home. A tabuwa, or whale's tooth, which is a sacred element in our culture, hangs on one wall, and we have mats that my mother made - traditional tapa mats made of tree bark - as well as shells from the island. There's also outdoor furniture with entertaining facilities, which creates a homely atmosphere.
I have a house in Fiji; it's a great house in the old colonial style with a veranda around it. I wouldn't compare it to anything here. We also have a house in Penrith in Sydney and have bought a plot in Hunter Valley. That is going to be our retirement home, some place nice and sunny.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
More from UAE Human Development Report:
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The years Ramadan fell in May
