For Omani native Mohammed Al Rawahi, the past month has been little short of a nightmare. As the coronavirus pandemic raced across the globe in March, the second-year business studies student at the University of Dayton in Ohio found his days filled with uncertainty.
When his university campus shut down on March 11, Mr Al Rawahi was faced with the choice of staying in the US or returning home. His father was concerned that travelling through airports – it would take three flights to get from Ohio to Oman – could put Al Rawahi at greater risk of contracting the virus than staying put.
“The embassy told us that if you want to come back to Oman you can, if you don’t, you can stay,” he says. His four housemates in Dayton, also students from Oman, decided to go home.
On March 22, Mr Al Rawahi followed suit.
“When I saw the number of cases of coronavirus was huge (in the US) I thought it was better to come back.” This week he finished a mandatory 14-day self-isolating quarantine in a room at his parents’ home in Samail, a 50-minute drive outside the Omani capital, Muscat.
Since departing the US, Covid-19 has exacted a terrible toll across the country, infecting more than half a million people or almost a third of the global affected total.
Like Mr Al Rawahi, tens of thousands of US-based college students from the Middle East have had their lives upended due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than three-quarters of all US colleges have asked their students to leave on-campus residencies, though some, such as Al Rawahi’s, have allowed international students to remain in place if they choose.
With dorm facilities shuttered at short notice last month, thousands faced the choice of either going home – highly troubling considering the unfolding shutdown in international travel – or fending for themselves.
In the academic year 2018-19, the latest for which figures are available, 81,126 students from Middle Eastern and North African countries were enrolled in third level education institutions in the US, according to data from the New York-headquartered Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
The Middle Eastern student body makes up around eight per cent of all foreign students at university in the US, with students from China accounting for more than one-third of the total number. In the 2018-19 academic year, Saudi Arabia sent 37,080 students while the UAE, Egypt and Turkey sent 2,361, 3,675 and 10,159 respectively. On March 23, the UAE requested all of its foreign-based students to return home within 48 hours.
“The Covid-19 health crisis will affect international student mobility in this academic year and possibly for years to come,” concluded a report by the IIE in a survey of more than 230 higher level institutions in the US conducted in February. It continued that international higher education exchange is expected to see decreasing numbers of students travelling overseas and other long-term effects.
For those unable to return to their families in the Middle East or stay on campus, new challenges are emerging.
“The hardest part is keeping to a daily routine,” says Jaber Okayri, a criminologist major at Niagara University in upstate New York, who’s from Jizan in southwest Saudi Arabia.
“But since I am the president of the Saudi Student Association at the university, a lot of students get in touch looking for help.” Mr Okayri, who’s been staying with friends in Indiana since campus closed last month, has co-ordinated between students and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in Washington DC to help the former find accommodation.
All the while, Mohammed Al Rawahi is still paying rent on his room in Dayton albeit with a $100 monthly discount, as the rental contract can’t be cancelled. He is also finding it difficult to continue his studies from home due to internet capability and time zone differences.
"I had an exam at 2am (Oman time) today and the internet isn't stable," he told The National.
Then there’s the long-term, headache-inducing challenges that lie ahead for Mr Al Rawahi and thousands of others. Students face difficulties in conducting enrolment interviews, accessing transcripts and making broader plans for the next academic year. Previously, course credits for online and in-person differ, but with all teaching now taking place remotely, the space for confusion is heightened.
In the short term, many students on scholarships fear their funding could be cut and despite campus life making up an important component of the college experience, most colleges are charging full tuition for this semester.
For many, long-standing plans for graduation ceremonies celebrated with family members flying in from the Middle East are cancelled and with on-campus classes and activities unlikely to resume again before August, the next six months will amount to little more than staring into a laptop screen.
Mr Al Rawahi has no idea when he thinks he’ll be able to come back to Ohio, and that’s the worst part, he said. “I miss the weather, going to campus, the restaurants,” he said, “and hanging out with my friends.
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Naga
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
