Episode Transcript
Hello. My name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother. She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives, and emotions about this world. In these difficult times in human history,
we need to bring the people of the world together.
And when we hear the voices of women,
when we listen to real lives of women from other countries,
we connect our cultures without differences or stereotypes,
and we get inspired by their stories
to live a better life.
That's what this podcast is all about.
My guest today is Aida Ghazvahanyan.
Aida is a master of chemical engineering who became a makeup artist and a makeup trainer.
Originally from Iran, Aida does her work in Dubai and in Istanbul.
She loves cooking, reading books, and watching movies.
Aida, how are you today?
Hi, Aziz. Hi, thank you for having me for your lovely podcast. I'm good. Thank you so much. How are you?
I feel happy. I feel blessed and very curious about you as a person. So I'll begin with this nice question.
If your friends could describe your personality, what would they say about you?
Okay, at the first, I don't have so many friends. I believe one, two, three close friends is
better than to have lots of friends. So I have like two, three close friends and usually
I'm like their mom. I'm a good listener and they said I'm very kind. This is what
my friends always telling about me.
I love that very very much and I'm curious because you have a unique story originally from Iran and you're working between Istanbul and Dubai.
Can you share your story how you went from an engineer, a chemical engineer into this work?
How was your evolution?
Yeah, it's a little bit complicated because my education is totally different than my job.
So, basically, I moved to Dubai with my family in 2003.
I went to school here.
But for my university, I decided to go back to my country, to Iran, because I love Iran.
And so, I went back to Tehran, and then I started my university in chemical engineering,
and I got married.
Then I got pregnant.
I remember for my project, for my master's, I was pregnant.
So I was finished my study
and I decided to back to Dubai again.
In that same time, my family, they moved to Istanbul.
When I came to Dubai,
I started searching a job for my education, you know.
This is the high position job in Dubai,
but it's not easy to get this job.
First of all, they attach the Mawatan people
who has the same, the passport of this country.
The second, you know, the Asian passport is not valuable.
So that's, I said, let's do something
because I cannot stay at home
and just ask money to my husband or something like that.
So I followed my skills.
I was obsessed with makeup.
I was in love with makeup. I get to the school about makeup, I get the certificate and Alhamdulillah
I follow the steps like very you know in three years I did lots of job and now I become the
trainer. So in this time when I'm in Dubai I'm working in Dubai but every three months I'm
I'm traveling to Istanbul, one month I'm staying in Istanbul with my family and I'm working there as well as a freelancer makeup artist and I'm happy because makeup is my passion, makeup is what I really like.
Yeah, that's why I'm the chemical engineer who's become makeup trainer and who's become makeup artist.
because I never can't find a job in my education, but now I do what I love.
This is important for me.
I agree. That's absolutely inspiring.
And just to ask you, how difficult is it?
Let's say there is an ambitious woman who wants to move from her country to Dubai.
How much competition is it?
Can she, if she works hard enough, become successful similar to you?
or she must maybe network, or it's very difficult, like...
I give up many times in this time.
I give up at the first, I give up many times.
Who listens to me and who has these dreams,
just don't give up.
There is lots of chance for all the people.
There is no competition.
You just need to do your best.
That's it.
You need just follow your dreams
and trust yourself and be confident
and you will get what you want, you know?
And God put the people who will help you.
And now I'm training in one school.
The owner of that school,
she was giving me lots of chance, you know?
She was like an angel of me.
And I'm sure the people who wants to do,
they will find their angel
and they will find who can support them
and help them and they can be better every day.
You know what I mean? Yeah, just you need to trust yourself and you need to be confident and
never give up, never give up. I agree 100%. Yes, it's very, very correct. And to share even more,
you said that you are obsessed with makeup, that you loved it very much from the beginning. Now,
what makes you love your job the most? Is it maybe when you make other women feel beautiful
and you feel so happy? Is it like you're an artist or what? This is one of them. The best things,
now I love it. You know, now I love to be more training to be a makeup artist. When I'm teaching
something to the people and when I'm helping them to find the skills in themselves, it makes me
happy. Because I have students. Lots of them have big dreams and many of them are housewives.
Many of them want to be independent, and when I see I'm the people who's helping them,
it's like, you know, it's a lot of meaning to me.
When I'm teaching from the end of my heart to my students,
and when I see they are happy, and I can see every day they become better,
this is the point for me. It's a lot of meaning to me, you know?
I love it. I really love it.
That's absolutely magnificent. And you said you love Dubai very much.
What makes you love it? Why is it interesting for you?
Because you could have lived in many other places in the world.
What is positive and great for you about Dubai?
OK, actually, what I love about Dubai is Dubai is safe.
This is the most important for me.
OK, love. Life is not easy in Dubai.
You need to work a lot. You need to spend a lot
Everything is very expensive
Everything is very luxury
but
you know
For me, I'm a mom. Okay, and
What is the always in the top for me?
What is the most important for me my kids?
Safety when I'm going to the mall with my kids if even I lost him for two minutes
I'm not get panic, you know, the most things about Dubai I live with is a safety for the
women's for the children's. This is very good about Dubai. And now, for now, I want
to live here. But for future I don't know what is my plan. There is of course there
more options but I think the safest country for me now is Dubai and Dubai is
very close to Iran and I'm who is in love with her country I love Iran a lot
and I'm sure one day when my son become big he is going to university I will
back to my country and I can say okay I lost I done what I have to do I
grown him up. He's now is a big man. He's independent. He can
have his own life. And that time I can go back to my country
because I love Iran. Yeah, this is one of the reasons because
it's very close to my country. But of course, there is lots
of issue in Dubai that I don't like, but I don't want to talk
about it right now.
Of course, I understand fully and completely and you work
very, very hard. You're taking care of your family. You're being
independent and having a lot of work. What do you do so that you
don't burn out from too much stress? Is it the cooking? Is
it socializing with some friends? Is it yoga? What are
things you do so that you don't become overworked and
too much stress that you burn out?
Actually, these are my hobbies. Cookies. Cookies is
duty because my son is a picky and he's not eating outside food and fast food so
every day I have to cook and I'll do it with love because I love it a lot.
Reading and watching movie there are my hobbies but honestly when I'm fully
stressed and I want when I need the break I'm just sleeping yeah this is me
When I'm nervous or when I have lots of pressure, I just jump in my bed and sleep. That's it.
And to ask you, you lived in Dubai. You're originally from Iran. You love your country.
What is the culture and the thinking of a woman from Iran compared to other countries in the world?
Maybe some people don't have friends, women from Iran.
What can you describe to share? How is their confidence?
How is their thinking? How is their personality that is unique to Iranian women compared to other countries?
Yeah, this is a good question. Iranian women, they are very strong.
I don't know you follow the news about Iran and the revolution about hijab.
Yeah, you know, if you want to be a woman in Iran, it's not an easy job, man. It's very hard.
It's like a fight.
So first, I'm so proud of an Iranian woman.
Second, I'm so proud of all the women in Iran.
And if someone doesn't know any idea about Iran, I'm sure if you get Iranian friends,
you will obsess with them because they are all kind.
They are all very confident.
They are all just doing for to help you what you want.
This is what, you know, this is what I get about the Iranian women.
They are very powerful, they are very confident, and they are always good friends for you.
This is my experience with my culture, with my friends, and with my nationality.
This is what I know about us.
That is great. And are most your friends in Dubai from Iran and Persian or do you make friends that are many many friends from other places, other countries, other culture?
Unfortunately, I don't have Iranian friends in Dubai. I had from my school, but now life, you know, life has changed. Everyone has the different lifestyle.
So, no, I have two Arab friends. One is from Libya. She's my closest friend.
And the one is from Jordan. This is my friend from Dubai. I have two friends
from different culture. And then the other friend is from Iran. In Dubai,
unfortunately, I don't have any Iranian friends right now. Yeah.
Thank you, Aida, for this. And to finish, maybe there are women in the world who feel
not so confident, they worry about a judgment of society, of their parents or they compare
themselves in beauty to social media and Instagram girls. What do you say to them as advice to
support their confidence so that they go for their dreams and feel beautiful?
Okay, as a makeup artist, my advice is as a makeup artist who's working with the bloggers
and the famous people. These are all fake. Don't trust. Don't trust the social media.
Don't compare your life, your beauty, your body with the other people. They are all fake.
Just love your body. Love your face. Love what you have. Be confident. You know,
sometimes it's not easy. Just cry, cry, cry, and then get up and then, you know,
build it again don't compare yourself with anyone especially who's in the instagram in the facebook
the bloggers i don't want to say bad to them but most of them they have they showing the fake
things so i'm at the makeup i'm at the beauty i know what is the real i know what is the fact
so no need to compare just love yourself what you are you know and this is my opinion all the
women are beautiful without makeup or with makeup just you have to be beautiful from your inside
you know makeup is just like for two three hours that's it you will wash it just see what
you have inside and never never never compare your life with anyone comparing will destroy you
You know, it's happening to me three years ago,
four years ago, before I start my job,
I was sitting at home.
I was like scrolling that Instagram,
comparing myself to other peoples.
And I said, come on, you spoil your life.
It's not the way.
You don't have to compare yourself with the other people.
Everyone has the people with the many, many problems,
but no one knows.
So yeah, this is my advice. Don't trust social media. Don't compare yourself to the other people and just be confident. That's it. Just trust yourself, love yourself and that's it.
Thank you Aida so much. It was my privilege and my honor to share your perspective, your thoughts. Thank you for participating in this podcast and I wish you, your family, your son and all Persian women,
all the success and freedom and happiness.
Thank you, Aziz. It was my pleasure.
And what I listened about the podcast,
I just want to say I appreciate what you said
about your mom, because I'm a mom,
and I know that feeling.
And congratulations to your mom
to raise up the son like you.
And it was my pleasure.
Thank you for having me.
And yeah, take care.
You are welcome.
