Memories of one of my hometowns before it transformed into the glamorous city it is today. I was always a reader and soon words beguiled me, whispering sometimes; shouting at others. Stuck in my head until I freed them with my pen.

These were the good years, when our family was close. Kabtn Khawaga was faithful to his First Mate V. No matter where we lived in the world, my mother’s world was her home and family. We have very few photos of exotic scenery; she chose instead to capture family celebrations for birthdays and holidays. No matter where we lived, she made a cozy home for her family.

This blog is created for my creative and emotional outlet as I finish a memoir I started for NaNoWriMo 2014. It began with another title, but halfway through, I knew it was going to be about Khawaga Kid and her life as a foreigner through moves, breakup of family, loss of friends. “Who is she?” I heard people ask. “Who am I?” I asked myself.

My first gig as a writer was being Editor of Jumeirah American School’s newspaper, The Desert Sands Rambler. I call my father Kabtn Khawaga in my memoir. He chose to make his secretary his mistress and decreed it was time for First Mate V and her two daughters to leave Dubai so he could be free of family to be an International Playboy. Within seven years, he became an International Deadbeat Dad.