MY HOME BASE
Because Dubai is so international, you have the best restaurants and shopping imported from across the West and East. You can get a dose of Manhattan at Shake Shack for lunch and have delicious home-cooked Indian food and ride a traditional Emirati abra (boat) by dinner. Plus, you’re central to Europe and Asia — I’ve been fortunate to take weekend trips to Russia, Jordan, and India.
THE LEARNING CURVE
It’s definitely a world of its own and since I didn’t study fashion, it’s been important for me to quickly learn the vernacular of the industry — whether that’s the details of the garments shown during the international fashion weeks or familiarizing myself with key designers and influencers.
MY INITIATION
During my junior year, I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy. I took a creative writing course there that really cemented the fact that I wanted to pursue writing professionally. Each day, we had to read aloud a story we had written as homework, and although I was terrified of this exercise and absolutely dreaded my turn to share, it forced me to get comfortable with sharing my writing publicly.
WRITING AS MY PASSPORT
I find writing very therapeutic. It’s always helped me make sense of the world and how I fit into it. Before I worked as an editor, I wrote personally. I originally questioned whether I would be able to make a living off of writing alone. I can remember graduating from college and going on interviews where I would be asked the same question with the same skeptical faces over and over again: “What exactly do you plan to do with a literature degree?” So far I’ve been able to travel the world because of that degree.
OFF THE CLOCK
One of my favorite quotes is “I’m homesick for countries I’ve never been to before.” I’m dying to get to Tokyo and Croatia in the upcoming years. When I’m not writing for Savoir Flair, I’ve also been working on writing a book about my experiences living in the Middle East. Even if I’m the only one to read it, it’s been a great way to document my time here.
