Emirati restaurateur finds her passion

DUBAI // At just 22, Ahlam Bolooki had already accomplished a great deal – she was a restaurant owner and had worked with the pre-opening team at The Ivy in Dubai.

“I had spent a couple of weeks observing the sister restaurant in London,” she said. “I had gone to understand the restaurant operations and history of the brand in its original location.”

Now 24, the Emirati is a specialist in restaurant marketing at Jumeirah Restaurants.

“As much as I love the adrenaline rush of working in a bustling restaurant, I am a visual and literary creative person,” she said.

“Now, I can enjoy both worlds. I still work very closely with the operations of multiple incredible restaurant brands, insanely passionate chefs and restaurateurs, and also get to take that knowledge into communications and nurture my creative muscle.”

Ms Bolooki has learnt a great deal professionally over the past year.

“Understanding people is a big part of my everyday job,” she said. “It is all about communicating to our audience in a way that’s beneficial and relevant. To do so successfully, my job requires me to understand their lifestyles, behaviours and interests.

“Professionally, that’s a lesson that you can never stop learning and is the one that stands out.”

Working in the hospitality business has made her more mature.

“I’ve discovered that, although change can be worrying at times, I have proven to be flexible at adapting to it and life moves forward,” she said.

“I have learnt that communication is everything and to always consider the mindset of the people I communicate with before deriving conclusions, which has also taught me patience.

“Above all, no matter what I do in life, as long as I’m being true to myself, life will lead me exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Ms Bolooki has also developed a passion for writing.

“I write about all the realisations that come to me as I live my life,” she said.

“I began to write with the mindset that my children and grandchildren will read it one day and go through life with all the difficulties figured out, as I would have stripped the complicated matters down and simplified the core for them.

“My most important realisation in life so far has been to find serenity and gratitude in the now, rather than wasting precious days of our short lives nostalgic about the past or in anticipation of a brighter future. Those two lessons have changed my life.”

cmalek@thenational.ae

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Important questions to consider

1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?

There are different types of travel available for pets:

Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin

Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.

2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?

If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.

If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.

3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?

As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.

If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.

If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.

4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?

This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.

In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.

5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?

Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.

Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.

Source: Pawsome Pets UAE

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