s-1
| Right from an early age, I was good at teaching. |
s-2
| My own teachers used to assign me to help the weaker students in class. |
s-3
| From school age, I longed to teach, so naturally I became a teacher. |
s-4
| As far as my profession is concerned, Libya is the third country I've worked working so far, after Eritrea and Ethiopia. |
s-5
| When I first came to Libya in 2009, I was really afraid, but the people were very welcoming. |
s-6
| I was really moved - they say, from cape to Cairo, the African people are so hospitable. |
s-7
| I have experienced this in all the African countries that I've been to. |
s-8
| The people are very welcoming. |
s-9
| The first Arabic word I learned was Marhaba, which means hello. |
s-10
| I used to think it was specific to Eritrea, but they also use it here. |
s-11
| Sometimes, when I teach students, communication is problematic. |
s-12
| I only know some Arabic words, so to overcome the problem, I get some ready-made Arabic notes with help from other teachers in the university. |
s-13
| When I show those notes in the classroom, the students are able to follow me during the class. |
s-14
| I have been lived abroad for nearly twenty years. |
s-15
| India is a land of culture and traditions. |
s-16
| Not the one you see in Bollywood – thats Bombay culture and its different. |
s-17
| I come from a good community that cares about value systems. |
s-18
| For example, my dress code is considered good, and I dont walk like a hippy. |
s-19
| The dress code is also considered important in my profession as a university professor. |
s-20
| I find a few things in common with Libyan culture and Indian culture; we dont shake a women's hands in India, and here some dont shake womens hands. |
s-21
| Im based in a city east of Tripoli, where I teach. |
s-22
| I only go to Tripoli during weekends to attend church. |
s-23
| When I was in Eritrea, I normally helped the pastor. |
s-24
| Im a lay reader, and a musician, so I help the band practice some songs. |
s-25
| I got this gift from my father who was also a musician. |
s-26
| He was very good, and he was bit known for it in my hometown. |
s-27
| Once in 2016, as I was on my way to the airport, I was kidnapped. |
s-28
| My driver alerted the police to what happened, so they managed to release me after two hours. |
s-29
| The same night, the police came to my place and brought me all the materials and papers that were taken when I was kidnapped. |
s-30
| Unfortunately, that day I missed my flight and my ticket was not refundable, so it was a heavy loss for me. |
s-31
| The thing I miss about being away from India is my children, I can go for months without seeing them. |
s-32
| Still, I like my job even if we have been facing problems transferring our salaries out of Libya since 2014. |
s-33
| But I think people here also need my services, so for that, I stay. |