We Are NYUAD

I kind of miss the rain. Rain is a part of home for me.

My turtle was named Spica after a star.

I took an animation class in my freshman year and I realized how much I loved the field. You can combine technology and creativity, and being here in Abu Dhabi, I’ve been able to take advantage of the amazing super labs and 3D printing.

Many people don’t know that Sweden is actually one of the leading countries when it comes to pop songs. Swedes wrote or produced about a quarter of all Billboard's Top 10 hits in recent years.

Kaushal: The first time I saw him was in calculus class during our freshman year. He walked in and he had this funky fashion sense with blue shoes, neon hoodie and an orange plaid shirt. Patel: And he always wore boat shoes, and they are all dirty and worn out.

Does Olly (the octopus) speak bahasa Indonesia? No, he only speaks English.

Over fall break, I stayed with locals in Al Ain through “couch-surfing,” which isn’t something I knew about until I came here. The couple that hosted me were expats who teach at a private school in the city and just talking to them over dinner, in the car or just watching movies, I learned so much about Emirati culture and quirky things about this area – I think that’s one of the best parts of being here – the little bits of information I learn each day, which I wouldn’t know anything about unless I ran into people from all these different countries.

"I'm pretty new to the NYUAD community, since I only came here from Cairo last August. I left all my family and friends, so teaching my students about issues like homesickness feels very real for me. It's been a wild ride so far, but I'm not leaving."

I went for an emergency heart surgery on New Year's Day 2011. I was supposed to go under for seven hours but there were complications and they couldn't restart my heart. My doctor did not give up on me. "I knew you'd come back, and you wouldn't give up," he told me later. I had to learn to walk, and do everything all over again. I just set lots of little goals, achieving one step at a time. 

I haven't travelled much, but all my travels helped shaped my personality and the way I think. It really made me much more open-minded. I was seventeen the first time I left my country for the United States, and was out of my comfort zone. The world immediately opened and I saw things differently and on a bigger scale.

I love being in cabs when I’m visiting different cities because you get to know a lot from cab drivers. They often start talking about the current issues – the core issues of the city. Because what else are you supposed to do when you’re driving all day? You think about politics and economics and whatnot.

I started traveling when I was 14, when I was exploring different religions and traditions. I had been a shepherd for a year living in an open barn, lived in a jungle in Thailand with Buddhists, and also in the hills of Jamaica with a Rastafarian elder.

My twin and I have different personalities. We wouldn't be able to study together because we have a different style of doing things. But we get along pretty well and are able to have cool conversations. It’s nice to have someone who is going through the exact same thing that you are.