Reflections on the New Emirates Natural History Group in Fujairah

Moza Al Kendi is a student at the HCT—Fujairah Women’s College. She wrote this reflection on her attendance at the launch of the new Emirates Natural History Group (ENHG) in Fujairah.

Busy Start

1^st of February was a very busy day in the first week of my work placement with the Al Khaleej newspaper. My partner, Shaima and I, started the day by attending a press conference for the Taekwondo Championship at 11.00am and then we went to Tanmia (The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority) to cover the open day for employment at Carrefour.

Exhausted but Energized

We were exhausted but excited to attend the inaugural meeting of ENHG-Fujairah at the Fujairah Men’s College. We were there as journalists to cover the meeting but we found ourselves interested in becoming part of this group and that could be because of the energy and commitment that we witnessed from the members of the group that day.

Encouraging Locals

Sheikh Abdulla bin Suhail made a good point about encouraging locals to be members of the ENHG and here is where I couldn’t stop myself from speaking during the meeting. The idea is not about encouraging locals to be part of this group but to encourage locals who are interested in the activities of this group to be a part of it. As locals we hesitate to participate in activities with expatriates because of the language barrier and sometimes because of the knowledge barrier. Many of us feel that expatriates have more knowledge than us, which is true in most cases. ENHG should be a good combination of expertise and the curiosity for knowledge and this could minimize the distance between locals and expatriates in Fujairah.

Always Amazed

I have always been amazed at the various colors of the rocks in the mountains but I knew nothing about geology and I’m always interested in taking photos of animals, birds and the landscape of mountains.

I know very little about the names of birds and animals compared to my husband Abdulla who is obsessed with the mountain environment in his unique way as a bird hunter. He has a philosophy as a ‘kind hunter’ because he doesn’t hurt rare birds or animals.

I do not know what the future holds for ENHG in Fujairah but I know for sure that it is a good start and everyone should be proud of it even if they are not part of it.

Thanks

We are thankful to Mr. David Edwards and all his colleagues for their dedication and hard work in establishing the ENHG-Fujairah.

Thanks to Moza for attending the launch of the ENHG-Fujairah and submitting this excellent article and photographs.

Take a Look

Moza writes: “I’m always interested in taking photos of animals, birds and the landscape of mountains.” Take a look at some of her photos in this photo album.

First Field Trip

Everyone is invited to attend the first Field Trip of the Emirates Natural History Group—Fujairah, which is this Friday morning at Bithnah. See this article for more information.

Further

Visit Bithnah on First Field Trip of New Fujairah Natural History Group, FIF, 13 February 2012.

Fujairah Chapter of Emirates Natural History Group is Launched, FIF, 4 February 2012.

Natural History Group Pledges to Show the Real Fujairah, The National.

Emirates Natural History Group—Fujairah Commences 1 February 2012, FIF, 25 January 2012.

Geoff Pound

More Fujairah news, resources and photographs are posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.

Image: Old house in the mountain by Moza Al Kendi.