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Translated by: Eng. Mahjoub Dahair
Actually,
my story ...
... started the year 2000
Stay focused
The year 2000
The year 2000
My family decided ...
... to leave Yemen
and to migrate to the UK
Actually, before I left Yemen
I was just like any young man in Yemen
I had some ambitions
I had some insistence
I had some hope
but
I was surrounded
with a group of people who could not take care of me
ever
They were antipathetic
I was a top talented young man
It is not for praising myself
I used to be an ambitious young man, who possessed initiatives
I used to be concerned in every youth affair in Yemen
But, I had no where to go
This coincided with my family's decision to migrate to the UK
We went to the UK
Actually, the stage of my life in Yemen
I called it ...
... the jelly stage
Or, the chaos of thoughts
Because I had many activities
And I had many ambitions, and many many ...
and I just want to get there
In fact, back to the topic, I kind of distracted you
My family decided to move to the UK
I went to the UK, I sat to myself
I want to take advantage of my past mistakes when I was in Yemen.
It is time I took decisions
It was the time ...
... when I should have been honest with myself
Fathi .... what do you want?
What you wanna gain in life?
What you wanna gain in life?
What do you want to be?
I asked myself this question on a piece of paper
I swear in God ...
I wrote down many things
Just like any young man in Yemen
I wrote down ...
I want a house
I want a car, a job ...
I want to marry
Certainly, the essentials that occupy any young man's mind
The essentials or requirements of a proper life
Yet, all the stuff I wrote down on this paper ...
none of them was the thing that I was thinking of
Is this the thing that I desire? No
On one of these papers that I used ...
I wrote one statement ...
this statement was just casual
I did not intent to write it
I don't know how it just came to my mind
One statement of the stuff I wrote:
"I want to come first"
In what?
The vision was not yet clear in my mind
The target was not yet clear
The working steps also were not clear, everything was not clear
I went on this action
I took decision to continue my study
When I went to the UK, I worked in everything
By the way, there is a big misconception in the Arabs societies ...
... that when a Yemeni or Arab young man goes Europe or America ...
... he finds a world full of flowers. No
Struggle. The same as here, there is a big struggle
and there is a bigger challenge
because, you're challenging professional people
I went on writing this piece of paper
I decided to continue my study
I decided to stop working
because it's going to end up with me as a mere worker. No
I said no
I want to be different
I decided to continue my study. In fact, I was late when I arrived
All students have started their study
I was late for my study
because I had to re-do the baccalaureate
I went to school, and I was told that I just had six months only to do this
In six month I would have to pass the exam of school leaving
Six months only, my language is not good enough
I don't have much experience in this country, I am new to everything
Fortunately, the school helped me ...
... they allowed me to have afternoon and evening classes
I personally went to get enrolled in an institute outside London
in Redden region
Everyday, It took me one hour and a half to get there by train and the same time to get back
three hours in train for the sake of two hours of classes
I went on this hard work
I went on with this insistence
The six months duration has finished
there was the surprise
I came in the first place in the region of Eileen in London
No doubt, this made me in a trance
It's different feeling, because it's caused by success
taste ... magic taste that pushes you forward
a push forward, so that you do your best
and get the best
because there, we ...
... especially in Europe, we get our living out of lions mouths
I went on my study at university
I opted to study media
My family objected ...
... they wanted me to study medicine or engineering
I said to them: No
I told them that it was my decision, it was my journey
I insisted on studying media
I studied media ...
with the same perseverance that I used to have, and the same insistence
In my first year, I came first
In my second year, I came first
In my third year, I came first
In my fourth year ... was the surprise
this is one my tow remarkable years in my life
two golden years in my life ... the year 2000 and the year 2008
the year 2008 was my graduation year
In final year project ...
it's optional for a student to choose his research project supervisor
I've chosen my research topic to be "Global Warming"
The target was how to employ this phenomenon in media
it was a really big research project
actually, a student has the right to choose his supervisor
I have chosen Mr Fred Weimer
Mr Fred Weimer ... everyone warned me about him
They said: He has a Jewish origin
Fathi, attention
He is an arrogant person, he is a tough man
He is .... I don't know what ... and so on
In fact, I don't believe in conspiracy theory at all
I don't judge people depending on their doctrine
neither on their look or color
or what their thoughts are. No
I got rid of all these bad weird thoughts when I've left Yemen and went to UK
I dealt with him as a person
I said to them: no
He is the head of department, and I've chosen him to be my supervisor
I went to his office, I submitted him my research topic proposal
He said: are you kidding me Fathi?
I said: No, I'm serious
I said: No, I'm serious
He said: this project takes six months ...
... and involves three students beside you
I said: I will do it
He said: it's up to you
look, you will have to come back after two months ...
in case the project has not done yet ...
I may try to reduce the project and make suitable to your abilities
Yet, this man had no idea how big my prospects were
I insisted on this work, and went on in my research
I'm telling you a secret
I accomplished 50% of the job during summer vacations of my third and fourth year
I met him after two months
I said to him: I'm here at this stage
He said: well done Fathi, go ahead and finish your project
well done, excellent Fathi, go ahead and finish your project
In this duration, I had a bad incident
Unfortunately, my mother had a stroke
consequently, she's taken to the hospital
This obliged me to leave everything behind and take care of my mother
so, I did this, and took care of my mother
Mr Fred Weimer himself ... the one whom everyone warned me about ...
... called me everyday to learn about my mother's heath
He said to me: Fathi, don't worry
when you're back, we will sort this out
I was six weeks late
Every lost day was my responsibility
After six weeks, my mother felt better
So, I went back to London
Very late of course
I went to Mr Fred Weimer and told him that I was late
he said to me: I can extend the period tow additional months so that you can finish up your job
I went on with my project with the same perseverance
The surprise was that ...
... my graduation project in the year 2008 ...
... came in the first place at my university, and it got the best award
My project got the best prize in London called "Eskay Green Award"
My project came in first place in "New Designer's Youth Animations"
My project got the best prize in London festival film
Surely, having this trance of success ...
... pushed me forward to do my best and go on
Once, I was taking the train to Redden region
the train stopped in "White City Station". People who are familiar with London might know it
There was a well known building
One of the biggest buildings in London
My colleague "Ger breed" was beside me
I asked him: what is this building?
He answered: this is BBC building
I said: WOW!
I said: Ger Breed, one day I will be working here
I said: Ger Breed, one day I will be working here
He smiled
He said: OK!
You know this, when they don't believe it, and say OK for not breaking your heart
got it?
I was quite serious
I was not joking, he thought I was joking
I was serious
In the year 2008 after graduation, and after my project success ...
... I had a job in BBC English as a training journalist
Tow years later, I became a journalist in BBC Arabic ...
and the main producer of a program called "Discussion Point" and I hosted Nadia Althakkaf
From all these, I've got a good experience
five to six years in media
then I attended a conference in Sorbonne university in France
and I got a license in training in modern media
My accumulated experience during five years, and my license in training in modern media ...
provoked inside of me an obsession to raise up media
and to contribute in improving media
I discovered that there was a gap
There should be serious and effective initiatives in improving the media
I founded my own training center in London
in order to be able to contribute positively in the process of media developing
This became my long term project
At the end this journey, I came out with four benefits
the first one is the insistence
Insistence
Never look behind
Do your best
Because in the past when I was in Yemen I did not have a clear vision
My vision and everything was not clear, I was in a vague situation
There wasn't any determined goal
So, there should be a well defined goal
Clear vision, defined goal
then taking practical steps toward achieving goal
After that, depending on God and trusting him
I will end up this presentation with a quot of Mr Fred Weimer
He said to me: Ambitious and desire are the roots of success
Ambitious and desire are the roots of success
Thank you very much