Hello Canada! (french and english version)

Version française en bas :)

Bad picture of Canada's parliament by night

I would have laughed at anyone who would have told me that I would leave California for Canada during winter break. I always thought of Canada as a place of extreme weather where winter brings ice and summer fire; but I thought I would only go there for fire summer. Then here I am, writing this article in the cold Winnipeg. But before landing here, I had two amazing stays in Ottawa and Toronto. 

From Las Vegas to Chicago

I wasn’t very enthusiast about having two stops on my way to Ottawa, the first one in Las Vegas and the second one in Chicago. However, I sat with two incredible men from Las Vegas to Chicago, who made me appreciate the trip. They were both American, the first one was an ex-policeman of 60 years old currently working in construction while the other one was a pilot in the US Air Force. They talked about family, politics and travels. One of them talked so well of his wife that I caught myself wishing I get a husband as proud as him to talk about me to strangers. I have learned that people may face the same issues like me independently of whether we come from the same country or same generation. 

I landed in Ottawa and was received by a girl I had never met before. We first talked to each other on Facebook because we had a real life common friend. I have learned to know and love her and she invited me to the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention 2015 in Toronto. - So this is the first reason why I am currently in Canada - The 3 days of the convention were just amazing! I listened to many inspiring speeches about love, compassion, justice, faith, charity, honesty… Speakers came from all over the world to spread the importance of loving and caring for people no matter their race, religion, gender… I am grateful to my friend for the experience. Maeva is one of the incredible people I had a chance to see in real life beyond the social networks and it strengthened the idea that friendship via internet is possible.

In Toronto, I had the opportunity to experience Airbnb for the first time. With my friend and her younger sister, we booked a beautiful studio in Toronto Downtown for 4 nights and I think I can speak on the behalf of my roommates to say that we enjoyed the place. I would therefore recommend you Ray if you are looking for an apartment to stay in the city. 

The view  in Toronto from the Airbnb studio

We arrived in Toronto on December 24th and decided to see Niagara Falls by night. Our UBER driver was quite surprised when he learned our destination but was happy to give us a ride full of stories. He told us about his country of origin Iran and invited us to visit it one day. He told us about the weather, the people, his families, his broken heart stories. We enjoyed the ride and the sight. 

Finally, these holidays are already among the best ones of my life and I can’t wait to start applying and share everything I learned at the RIS convention. See you soon! 

Bienvenue au Canada! 

J’aurais éclaté de rire si quelqu’un m’avait dit que je quitterais la Californie pour le Canada pendant les vacances d’hiver. J’ai toujours considéré le Canada comme un pays aux conditions météorologiques extrêmes où l'hiver apporte la glace et l'été vient avec le feu; mais je pensais que je m’y rendrais uniquement pour le feu l'été. Pourtant aujourd’hui je suis en train d’écrire cet article dans le froid de Winnipeg. Mais avant d'atterrir ici, j’ai effectué deux séjours incroyables à Ottawa et à Toronto.

Je n’étais pas très enthousiaste à l’idée de faire deux stops pendant mon voyage vers Ottawa ; le premier à Las Vegas et le second à Chicago. Cependant, je me suis assise entre deux hommes incroyables pendant le vol de Las Vegas à destination de Chicago, qui m'ont fait apprécier le voyage. Ils étaient tous deux américains, le premier est un ex-policier de 60 ans travaillant actuellement dans la construction tandis que l'autre est un pilote dans l'US Air Force. Ils ont discuté famille, politique et voyages. L'un d'eux parlait tellement en termes élogieux de sa femme que je me surprise à souhaiter avoir un mari aussi fier de parler de moi à des étrangers. J’ai appris grâce à eux que l’on peut faire face aux mêmes difficultés, joies et peines peu importe que l’on vienne du même pays ou que l’on soit de la même génération.

Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention

J’ai débarqué à Ottawa et j’ai été reçu par une fille que je n’avais jamais vue en vrai. Nous nous sommes connue via Facebook parce que nous avions une amie « réelle » en commun. J’ai appris à la connaitre et à l’apprécier pendant plus d’un an avant de la rencontrer au-delà de l’écran. Elle m’a invité à la convention Reviving the Islamic Spirit 2015 à Toronto. C’est donc la première raison pour laquelle je suis actuellement au Canada... La convention qui a duré du 25 au 27 décembre était tout simplement incroyable! J’ai écouté des discours sur l'amour, la compassion, la justice, la foi, la charité, l'honnêteté ... Les orateurs sont venus de partout dans le monde pour prôner l'importance d'aimer et de prendre soin des autres, peu importe leur race, religion, sexe... Je suis vraiment reconnaissante à mon amie pour cette expérience. Maeva est l'une des personnes incroyables que j’ai eu la chance de connaitre grâce aux réseaux sociaux. Elle renforce l’idée selon laquelle l’amitié via internet est possible. 

Toronto

À Toronto, j'ai eu l'occasion d’expérimenter Airbnb pour la première fois. Avec mon amie et sa sœur cadette, nous avons réservé un superbe studio à Toronto Downtown pour 4 nuits et je pense que je peux parler au nom de mes colocataires pour dire que nous avons aimé l'endroit. Je vous recommande donc Ray si vous cherchez un appartement où rester dans la ville.

Notre conducteur Uber

Nous sommes arrivées à Toronto le 24 Décembre et avons décidé sur un coup de tête de voir les chutes du Niagara. Notre chauffeur d’UBER a été très surpris en apprenant l’endroit où nous voulions nous rendre mais a été ravi de nous y conduire en nous racontant plein d’histoires sur l’Iran, son pays d’origine. Il nous a entretenues de la météo, de la population, de sa famille, de ses goumins histoires de cœur brisé. Nous avons apprécié le voyage et la vue des chutes.

Enfin, ces vacances sont déjà parmi les meilleures de ma vie et j’ai hâte de mettre en pratique et de partager tout ce que j’ai appris à la convention Reviving the Islamic Spirit. À bientôt!

Challenge the slums with the Hult Prize!

“If you can create a real business, the beginning of a prototype, you can change the world.”

Muhammad Yunus - Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Last Saturday was the internal competition of the Hult Prize at the San Francisco campus of Hult International Business School. In case you never heard about the Hult Prize, it is the world largest student competition for social good. It was initiated in 2009 by Ahmad Ashkar, a former MBA student of the Hult International Business School. Every year, the team with the best idea (chosen by the judges) to tackle a specific global issue receives $1 million to develop a social enterprise. This year, the challenge is Crowded Urban Spaces. 

Started at 9:15am, the competition saw the participation of sixteen teams of three or four members from undergraduates to MBA students. The teams where divided into four groups and presented their innovative ideas to “build sustainable, scalable, and fast growing social enterprises that double the income of 10 million people residing in crowded urban spaces, by better connecting people, goods, services and capital.” The public could not have access to the first pitches of the day but after that round he judges chose a winner per room for the finals. 

One of of the final four with the idea of using dechets to create building blocks: Team Jengo

After the lunch, the jury announced the winning team per room and right after hearing their name, the members of each team had 10 minutes to convince all the judges that they were the best to represent the school at the regionals. At that point, every detail could have made a difference and it actually did… I was glad to see that two of the teams in the final round were from the Master of Social Entrepreneurship program and that the winning team was one of them. Composed of students from France, Uganda, Japan and India, Slum Dunk made the difference with their Musana Carts. 

Taliey Bita facebook account

Slum Dunk developed the idea of providing simple and affordable, modular and solar powered business carts to street vendors in Kampala, Uganda. The goal is to provide street vendors with access to energy, capacity and mobility in order to double their income and empower them by facilitating infrastructures within the informal economy. 

Group hug for the winning team: Slum Dunk

I believe that one of the reasons why Slum Dunk won the competition was the considerable amount of researches they have done and the feedbacks they got from their targeted population. As I already mentioned in my previous article also about tackling the issue of slums, it is not just about providing a solution, it is about bringing something that people would be interested in. And in order to have an effective solution, the people directly concerned have to be part of the process to find that solution.

Winning Team: Slum Dunk

The other teams also had great ideas that they can proofread and present again online for a chance to continue the journey. If you want to learn more about the Hult Prize, previous challenges and winners, or how you can participate, please feel free to check the website.

One the final four, all from the MSE program: Team Synergy

The most energetic team and holding the second place: Team Chakravyuh

Patine à tes risques et périls ! Skate at own risk!

English version at the bottom! 

Comme si elle avait deviné que je voulais m’imposer des challenges, mon amie m’a invitée à faire du patin à glace. Au tout début elle a cru que je plaisantais lorsque j’ai accepté et que j’ai suggéré qu’on y aille le jour même. C’était une première fois pour moi et alors que je la croyais experte, Tati était également à ses débuts même si contrairement à moi elle n’avait aucunement besoin de tenir la rambarde. Je vous raconte cette expérience parce que j’en ai tiré trois leçons. 

Tout d’abord lorsque nous voulons tenter de nouvelles expériences ou entamer de nouveaux projets, il est normal d’avoir des appréhensions et de craindre l’échec. Toutefois comme l’a dit Nelson Mandela, le courage n’est pas l’absence de peur, mais la capacité de la vaincre. Il y a des risques, et il y aura des signes visant à vous décourager mais c’est à vous et vous seuls de prendre vos propres décisions. Ne dit-on pas que qui ne risque rien n’a rien? 

Ensuite je me suis rendue compte qu’il n’y a pas de mal à demander de l’aide. Croyez moi, j’ai beaucoup de mal avec cela. C’est stupide je le sais mais même pour demander mon chemin j’hésite quelques fois. Résultat, je me retrouve souvent dans des situations déplaisantes que j’aurais pu éviter facilement si j’apprenais à me reposer sur quelqu’un d’autre. Chaque fois que je vacillais, j’avais le choix entre tenir la rambarde ou tenir la main de mon amie. J’avoue que j’avançais beaucoup plus facilement en choisissant la seconde option. Dans la vie de tous les jours, qu’on le veuille ou non, nous aurons besoin d’appuis pour aller de l’avant : Dieu, la famille, les amis, des experts…

Enfin, je me suis souvenue que c’est en tombant que l’enfant apprend à marcher. Cela est également valable lors de l’apprentissage du vélo, du surf ou du patin à glace. Je suis tombée une seule fois (il n’y a malheureusement pas de photo) parce que je suis restée trop longtemps accrochée à la rambarde. Mais cette chute je l’ai désirée car je savais que sans elle jamais je n’aurais réussi à me tenir sur la piste sans appui. Je ne suis pas devenue Kristi Yamaguchi en une séance mais j’ai appris à me tenir sur les deux pieds après m’être retrouvée sur les deux fesses…

Et vous, quels risques allez-vous prendre demain ? A qui allez-vous faire appel pour vous tenir la main ? Êtes-vous prêts à tomber pour triompher ?

      

Skate at own risk!

As if she knew that I wanted to challenge myself, my friend invited me to go ice skating. First she thought I was pranking her when I accepted and proposed to go the same day. It was my first time to skate and although I thought she was already an expert, Tati was also at her beginnings. However she did not have to keep holding the railing. I am telling you this experience because it taught me three lessons I want to share.

First of all, it is normal to apprehend or fear failure when we plan on trying new things or beginning a new project. However, as Nelson Mandela said, courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. There are risks and there will be signs trying to discourage you but it is on you and you alone to make your own decisions. Do not they say that nothing ventured, nothing gained?

Secondly, I realized that there is no harm in asking for help. Believe me, I have many difficulties with that. Although I know it’s stupid, I even hesitate to ask for directions to strangers. As a result, I often find myself in unpleasant situations I could have easily avoided if I learned to rest on someone else. Each time I was swayed I could either choose holding the railing or holding my friend’s hand. I admit that I went much more easily by choosing the second option. In our everyday life, whether we like it or not, we will need support to move forward: God, family, friends, experts ...

Finally, this experience reminded me that the child learns to walk through falling. This also applies when we learn biking, surfing or ice skating. I fell once (unfortunately there is no photo) because I stayed too long attached to the railing. But I have desired this fall because I knew that without it I would have never managed to stand without support. I did not become Kristi Yamaguchi in one session but I learned to stand on both feet after I fell on my buttocks…

And you, what risk are you willing to take tomorrow? Who will you call to hold your hand? Are you ready to fall in order to triumph?

Hope for slums: Small actions change lives.

http://oslantis.com/projects/hope-for-slums-3/

One of the things we forget to be thankful for is the blessing of living in a comfortable house. If you are reading this, there is a strong possibility that you have access to a decent house and many amenities that are not accessible to millions of people in the world. Last thursday was Thanksgiving and we were supposed to be thankful for every blessing in our lives. Were you thankful for not having to worry about poor living conditions?

In the world, 863 million people live in slums and this number is expected to rise to 2 billion by 2030. For those who are not common with slums, they are “heavily populated urban areas characterized by substandard housing and squalor.” People living in slums lack some of the basic needs to live decently and are exposed to diseases that can be avoided if we decide to act. We love complaining but we rarely think about a way to change things and improve other people’s lives. Sometimes we believe that we are not strong or powerful enough to make a difference. Well, we need to understand that small actions can make a difference.

One of my friend told me about her team project to solve one of the world’s biggest issues. One person can make a change but a village can have a bigger impact. Therefore, they are working to create a challenge that brings people together to improve the lives of slums inhabitants. Their objective is to gather on one hand people who want the problem to be solved and on the other one, people who have creative ideas that can help solving it. One of the things I like about their idea is that they are looking for projects that take into account the culture and social foundations of the slums communities. They want ideas that involve working with the people who will be affected by the change instead of imposing a pseudo solution that will not be useful to the communities. If you want to learn more about their project, be inspired and make a change, you can follow the blog Hope for slums and you also have the opportunity to make a donation for the crowdfunding here.

Will you be the one continuously complaining about not being able to make a big change or will you start with smaller actions to make a difference?

Links:
http://oslantis.com/projects/hope-for-slums-3/
http://claudiapfaffenlehn.wix.com/hopeforslums

I have decided! J’ai décidé!

Version française en bas !

I came to realize recently that I am not spontaneous enough. I took a lot of decisions that I did not apply. I told myself that I would like to do this or that and the next day I forget about it or keep pushing it until I finally don’t achieve it. I'm not talking about extreme things like jumping out of an airplane in flight (which I had planned to do before backing up) but I'm referring to things much simpler such as talking to a stranger in the streets or in the elevator, taking a class out of school to learn something new, trying a new physical activity… 

I have a friend who is an extrovert and an expert in public speaking. Every time we take a Lyft together, she is always first to engage the conversation. We went together at the ATM and by the time I was done with my transaction she was already friend with a security agent standing near us. By hanging out with her, I have learned and I am still learning to talk to strangers. The easiest one being Lyft driver, I always start the conversation with the same question: Are you from San Francisco? Therefore, I learned that some of them were from El Salvador, Egypt, Oakland, Tibet, India and many other places ... Where am I going with this story? Well I have decided to stop procrastinating these little pleasures I can have in new experiences. 

I decided it was time to have a chat of at least 2 min with strangers and that they would probably not bite me. I wanted to improve my spanish so I look for an institution that provides spanish classes. I decided to write an article every day, regardless of whether or not I post it on my blog. I decided that I would read at least a book every week and try to summarize it. I have noted somewhere that I will learn how to code. I don’t know when yet, but I will in chaa Allah (procrastinating again). I have decided to post a photo of things I see or live every day. And finally I have noted that I will enjoy a physical activity during a minimum of 10 minutes each day (dancing, running, walking ...). 

Ok, I admit that I have only noted some of these challenges and not started yet but this time, I will do my best to fulfill the promises I made to myself. I will learn to set goals and reach them or die trying to. I just wrote the first article of a series of multiple ones and for me it’s already a great way of starting! And you, what challenges are you going to set for yourself? What are you planning to do to get out of your comfort zone and experience new pleasures?

Yes I can fly!

J'ai decidé!

Je me suis rendue compte que je ne suis pas assez spontanée. Je prends beaucoup de décisions que je n’applique pas. Je me dis oh tiens ! Je ferais bien ci ou ca et le jour suivant je ne le fais pas, le remettant toujours à plus tard pour ne finalement rien accomplir. Je ne parle pas de choses extrêmes comme sauter d’un avion en plein vol (ce que j’avais prévu faire avant de me dire qu’il ne fallait pas être folle non plus) mais je fais référence à des choses beaucoup plus simples comme aborder des inconnus dans la rue ou dans l’ascenseur...

J’ai une amie qui a vraiment la langue facile (façon de parler) pour échanger avec des étrangers. Chaque fois qu’on emprunte un Lyft ensemble, elle est toujours la première à engager la conversation. On va ensemble au guichet automatique et le temps que je finisse ma transaction, elle a fait ami-ami avec l’agent de sécurité posté juste à côté. À force de la côtoyer je crois qu’elle a déteint un tout petit mais vraiment tout petit peu sur moi. Au point où j’arrive à présent à converser avec les chauffeurs de Lyft en lançant toujours la même phrase : Are you from San Francisco ? Et ainsi j’ai pu savoir que certains d’entre eux venaient d’El Salvador, d’Égypte, d’Oakland, du Tibet, de l’Inde et bien d’autres endroits… Ou est-ce que je veux en venir ? Et bien j’ai décidé de ne plus remettre certaines choses à demain...

J’ai décidé qu’il était temps d’avoir une conversation d’au moins 2 min avec des inconnus et qu’ils n’allaient surement pas me mordre. J’avais envie d’améliorer mon espagnol alors j’ai noté quelque part que je vais m’inscrire à des classes d’espagnol. J’ai décidé que j’écrirai un article par jour, peu importe que je le poste ou non. J’ai décidé que je lirai un livre par semaine et que j’en ferai le compte rendu. J’ai noté que j’apprendrai à coder. J’ai noté que j’apprendrai l’arabe. J’ai décidé de poster une photo sur Instagram et autres chaque jour. Et j’ai noté que j’exercerai une activité physique d’au moins 10 minutes chaque jour (danse, course, marche…). 

Ok, j’avoue que j'ai juste noté certains objectifs et que les entamer est une autre paire de manche mais cette fois, promis je m’y mets. Je vais apprendre à me fixer des challenges et à les accomplir. Je viens de finir mon premier article et c’est déjà un excellent début selon moi. Et vous, que voulez-vous faire de nouveau ? Quels challenges allez-vous vous fixer pour sortir de votre zone de confort et expérimenter de nouveaux plaisirs ?