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 life.
Too many women in this world feel alone.
They worry about the judgment of others and they struggle with their mental health.
But when they listen to the Rare Girls podcast where empowered women share their voices and
tell their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to
overcome all insecurities they will feel.
It is a safe space to find their confidence, to remember their unique beauty and to feel
their self-worth.
And they will connect with the sisterhood of rare girls who encourage their success
and support their dreams.
That's what this podcast is all about.
My guest today is Ruqayyah Ahmed.
Ruqayyah is originally from Ethiopia and she's living in Dubai, the UAE.
She is working as a fashion and beauty model and in a beauty lounge and certification.
Ruki, how are you today?
I'm good Aziz, how are you?
I feel positive, I feel blessed, I feel very happy and looking forward to know more about you.
So, if the people that love you and know you could describe your personality,
what would they say about you?
They told me like I have a strong personality and they told me I'm strong. That's my...
Thank you. And to know even more because there are many women who don't feel strong.
Maybe they worry too much that life is dangerous, that other people will judge them.
How did you grow your ability to be strong and what's your advice for other women to find
How to be strong?
To be strong, like this one, we need it in life.
It will teach us.
And the second things, like in life, we have to choose friends,
which is really for us to make us strong,
to make us believe we are strong enough.
And like we have to choose our friends at work or everywhere.
Perfect.
There could be some women who maybe they go from their country
to go to Dubai for work.
maybe they don't know many people.
What is also your opinion about the things
to look for in friends in Dubai?
What are some things that it's important to find
so that you choose the right friends
and not the wrong friends?
Yeah, focus first of all, focus for what you come here.
All of us, we have dream to come here.
We have plan why we come here.
So first of all, don't forget why you come from
and focus your dream, and when we have friends or women, we have to be careful.
Thank you. And you're originally from Ethiopia.
Can you tell a bit more about your country, the culture, how the women's life there is,
and how it was maybe similar or different when you moved to Dubai?
Did you have a culture shock?
In Ethiopia, like now I feel it's better, not like before, like our mothers or grandmothers,
their lives, not like now what we have, mostly they don't get education, some parts, not all
over, some still like they are not educated, they are not getting what the girls they have
to get, that is the thing there. We shall like, it will be better in Ethiopia, but
The culture, of course, is different.
In Ethiopia, we don't have like in Dubai culture.
We are like social life strong.
We have strong social life
and like it's really totally different
when I compare from Dubai to Ethiopia.
Thank you.
And you are working within the beauty
and the fashion world.
Can you speak a bit more about that?
You as someone who is working there,
How do you keep yourself confident if you can compare yourself often to many other women and models in Dubai?
Actually, in the beauty industry, I'm still a beginner.
So I'm working like my full-time work is in beauty launch.
Alhamdulillah, I love my work.
But what we know, no need to compare ourselves.
We have to accept who we are and we have to believe we can do it.
And for me, friends, they lead me to do it.
They lead me to feel I'm beautiful.
They lead me like it's friends support actually to be here.
They inspire me.
They give me the idea.
They push me to do it like that.
Great.
And to know more, because in Dubai,
you can find people from all countries in the world.
There is such a huge mix.
Do you often make friends with people from Ethiopia
or from that part of Africa? Or are your friends from every continent and many different countries?
Tell me more about this. Actually, my friend is there from Ethiopia and I have like colleague
friends for so many countries. I meet because of work. I meet because of social life. That's
why I get friends here. Thank you. And you spoke about social life. It's important. Yeah.
You work a job that is hard where there is a lot of competition and you work
many hours. Some women can think, oh, I work so hard, I'm too tired, I don't have time for social
life, but then their mental health suffers. So how do you create time for socializing,
for enjoying your life while you're also focused on your work and progress as well?
Actually, I'm one of them, like I'm not too close to get people or I'm not active to meet
people, but time and you will get some person, you will meet them and they will keep you to learn
how to like activate in social life and at the same time you will notice you need social life,
you need people, you need friends. Yes, it's very very very important and can you share
your story? Why did you choose Dubai? Why not any other place in the world? What was your
to Dubai? Actually, as a plan, I don't have the plan to go out of my country. So some reason I
come here. After that, really I love Dubai, to live Dubai and I don't have any like idea to move
from Dubai. Like now I like it, like you would work, you will get, like really this time I
like to stay in Dubai. Thank you. And how do you, you know, some people will feel the food
Ethiopia is very delicious and it's not exactly similar to food in other countries. Do you cook
for yourself Ethiopian food? Is there Ethiopian restaurant? Do you tell your parents and family
to send you spices exactly like Ethiopia? How do you miss the Ethiopian food when you are living
in Dubai which is very different? Yeah actually family also sometimes when they get someone's
They send me so painful sometimes I cook and sometimes there are so many restaurants in
Dubai.
I visit there.
Actually, there is a delicious food we have here.
Perfect.
And you decided to start in the modeling world recently.
Can you tell me the story about that?
Is it your friends that recommended it?
Is it some model agency that saw you and said, oh, you should be a model?
Like tell me more about that.
Maybe some women who are thinking about becoming models but they didn't start or don't know
can learn something from your story. Actually since like a long time I get one photography
sold me can I can I get you for photoshoot I said really I'm good enough for modeling like
and after that it doesn't work that one trend they inspire me like at work at my friends out
of the work, they inspire me to be a model.
After that, I get one agency to try.
They told me, yeah, you can try with us.
So friends and inspiration,
they let me to try it and to start it.
I like that.
There could be some women sometimes
who find opportunities to do something new,
but they have anxiety, they worry too much.
They think, oh, if I make a mistake,
people will judge me.
What is your advice to them?
And how do you get the confidence to do these new experiences
instead of being shy or worrying too much?
Actually, I go to school, modeling class.
There I get some classes how I will get my confidence
because I'm the shy person, so it was hard.
So class and the friend is an inspiration
and I'm focusing on some video I'm watching in YouTube.
So it's led me to be a lot better, not perfect, but better.
Thank you. And Ethiopia has a lot of beautiful nature in Dubai, not a lot.
So where do you go to feel the nature, to connect with the nature in Dubai
so that you don't feel like you are only in buildings all the time?
It's not very good for mental health.
Yeah, I go actually Lamir Beach sometimes.
now it's hot, I didn't go but some beaches I go and my day off I go friend's house like
we'll do Ethiopia coffee, we'll talk, we'll laugh like that. I will spend my time like that.
Thank you and in Ethiopia the weather is very different to Dubai. How did you adapt
or what do you do? Do you stay in front of the air conditioning every day?
You sleep hug in it or what do you do so that you survive especially now you are there
in the middle of the summer and it's very, very hot.
Yeah, really now, really hot.
But in Ethiopia, even it's hot season,
but it's not like this.
You can walk, you can, like, it's fine.
Here, totally different, the weather,
that we are surviving, we cannot do anything.
Thank you for that.
At the same time, what is your big goal in Dubai?
You said that it's important to remember
what you are there for.
Is it that you're saving money in order to start,
maybe your own small project?
Is it to send money to your family back home?
Is it for you to have a better life?
Like, what is your big goal and vision in Dubai?
My big vision, like to give my parents a nice life
and at the same time, also for myself.
That's what is my big goal.
Well, I'm happy for you and I really wish you that.
And you said that sometimes when the weather is better,
go out with your friends, socialize.
What are some of your favorite places in Dubai?
Where do you like to go that feels happy for you?
I like to go Lamia beach.
That's it.
It makes me happy.
That's my favorite place.
Thank you.
And how do you keep your positivity
when you can be in a far away country?
Maybe you miss your parents,
you miss your usual places and you're working a lot
and then maybe you're tired, you go to sleep.
How do you keep your mind positive when sometimes life becomes difficult in the foreign places where you come from Ethiopia?
Actually, when I feel depressed or something, I like to listen.
If you know Ustad Mufti, he has so many videos, he will let you feel like you are okay.
Like I like to listen to his videos and yeah that's all. I do like that some motivation
videos I will see or I like to talk with friends like I'll do I just call them I want to cry
even I want to talk I will talk with them and I will finish I will say I'm okay now.
Yes it's very very important thank you for that and now that you started modeling what
is some interesting goal you can have? Do you want to be on a magazine? Do you want to be on
billboard? What is something that if that happened it can be a nice goal for you in modeling?
Magazine. Any specific one? Like what is your dream that you can share with us?
My dream like still not actually but inshallah like I want to work as a modeling that's my
goal and in beauty launch also what I'm doing I want to be in a perfect position inshallah.
That's my big goal. That's great. And you went to modeling school. What are some things that you
have learned that maybe you didn't learn before or in Ethiopia that, for example, I don't know,
maybe you did not wear high heels a lot in Ethiopia and now you practice every day.
Maybe it's about the different things. Can you share a bit more? What are some interesting
things that you discovered from the study and the model school.
So maybe other girls who want to try but didn't can be inspired.
Actually, it's from zero.
I started for wearing here.
I like to wear.
It's not first time.
But from class, from so many, I get so many knowledge from there.
But that's not my like that's why it's not like big things for me.
Now I'm surprising.
Sometimes I apply for casting like when you apply or we don't have experience like they told me for casting something I will which is I cannot accept it.
This is my big challenge.
I understand. Thank you.
And just to describe your day, let's say you can share your perfect day off in Dubai when the weather is better.
What would you do would you wake up at 11 a.m. or 12 because you're so tired you want to rest and then you want to go to the beach or like what would be your ideal day off that will represent a happy day for you?
If I go maybe I will swim maybe I will read my book even in my room if I read book or I do something that day I will say it's perfect the day for me.
What kinds of books are you interested in? Is it motivational books as well or stories or romance or what are books and do you read them in English? Do you read them in Ethiopian language? How do you consume the books?
It is Ethiopian language. Sometimes it's English but it's returning by Ethiopian like but it's sometimes a story and motivation. That's one I like to read.
Thank you so much, Ruqayya. It was my privilege and my honor to have you on this podcast. I wish
you success in your work, in your modeling career, to always be happy and to meet with your friends
and go to the beach and in perfect weather all the time. And thank you again for participating.
Thank you, Aziz. Really appreciate it. Thank you.
