Last week, as I wandered along Edinburgh's Princes Street, my ears picked up on the unmistakable screech of a set of bagpipes, loudly pushing out the notes to Scotland's unofficial national anthem.
As Flower of Scotland drifted above the country's capital city, it made me think about music and travel and how much the two are intertwined.
As much as Edinburgh's clifftop castle, cobbled alleyways and storied history are unmistakably a part of the city's culture, so are those bagpipes.
The skirl of the pipes — those long, slow, high-pitched notes — worked to instantly remind me that I was in Scotland.
A glance at the piper responsible suggested I wasn't the only one, as tourists lined up to take a picture with him, a fantastic souvenir of a trip overseas. And that association of music and nation is definitely not something that's unique to this country.
The link between music and memory
Think about it for a moment. Should you happen to hear a fluttering of flamenco notes, chances are, your mind would drift straight to thoughts of Spain. A few mellow notes of sax can instantly prompt memories of time spent in New Orleans. Music has an intrinsic power to transport us to a place.
Ponder if you will, a time you took a trip and repeatedly heard the same song while there. Whether you love it or hate it, when you hear it again, even many years later, your mind instantly transports you back to that place.
Case in point for me is the hugely irritating La Macarena. Despite having been a hit some 26 years ago, when one-track wonders Los Del Rio burst on to the scene with the tune, whenever I hear this piece of music. I'm back in the Balearics as a nine-year-old child, slurping on ice cream.
Lyrics can cross language barriers
The power of music also has the ability to create meaning in situations where a language barrier prevents the spoken word from doing so. That’s something I noticed on a recent trip to Brazil’s Campo Grande. One evening, some friends and I visited a very small local bar where a Brazilian rap band were playing in the courtyard.
This was a few months before the country's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in and political tensions in the country were running high. My lack of Portuguese meant I couldn't appreciate the lyrics. However, as the night unfolded, despite not comprehending a word of what was being sung, the energy behind the musicians' and the audience's passionate responses made me realise that this performance was as much about evoking political emotion as it was about entertaining.
Music as a long-lasting souvenir
And that's something else that music does — it evokes emotion.
Which brings me back to the bagpipes which, as an instrument, is a bit of a contradiction. On one hand, it's rather irritating — even Scottish ceilidh bands limit its prominence in their sets. But on the other hand, it's profoundly moving and has the capacity to overwhelm like few other instruments can, something that comes down to its reed-like structure, the slow speed at which it's played and its presence at emotional events like funerals and weddings.
Scientists have already proven that musical memory is the last memory we lose in old age – something that now makes perfect sense to me.
Music touches people's hearts and helps create new memories. It can also be one of holidaymaker's longest lasting souvenirs.
Scientists have already proven that musical memory is the last memory we lose in old age — something that now makes perfect sense to me when I think about visiting my elderly grandpa in hospital many years ago.
Despite struggling to remember what he had eaten for lunch, certain songs on the radio had him recanting detailed accounts of his time in India while serving in the British Army. Another oft-played tune on a radio station had him sharing tales of his first date with my late grandmother.
By tapping into some of our purest emotions and urges, music has the power to transport us somewhere else entirely, often from their comfort of our own homes.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
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