However, the thing that me wanted to share was not about me "Dammam Experience" (which will be shared later under a different topic, insyaAllah), but a chance meeting during the transit with a Malaysian student on his way to Cairo, also taking the same flight from KLIA.
What made it interesting, the chance meeting was caused by the curious student who had recognized me colleague, Mr Iqbal, as the "Mat Salai" (a popular burger chain) burger man that he had just met at UMP (University Malaysia Pahang) during a student's carnival about a week or so before the chance meeting in Bahrain.
After getting the confirmation from me colleague that it was really him - the "Mat Salai" burger man that the student met, me got to talking about what me was doing in Bahrain while waiting for our flights.
Coincidentally, the student was on his way back to continue his second year medical study at the same University where "me Adek" is studying too! That got me excited as me never thought of meeting "her colleague" this far out - as it turned out, this is a normal route many Malaysian students are taking for a cheaper flight to Cairo via Bahrain or Dubai.
As to why me was there too, me told him about me mission going to meet a potential business partner in Dammam to be followed by a short visit to the holy cities of Mecca and Al-Medina Munawarrah for Umrah and Ziarah - InsyaAllah. And me is bringing along the "Mat Salai" burger man who also happens to be me Technical & Sales Manager!
As me explained to him, it was not difficult for me colleague to be both a Manager and a "Mat Salai" burger man if we love doing what we are doing. It is not because of his salary as a Manager is too low (maybe so!!...), but more importantly because of his entrepreneur spirit, no matter what we do, as long as it is "halal" and the money is good.
Me pointed out that one of the major reasons why our brethren back home are "less economically endowed" than the other sections of the community was because of the missing entrepreneur spirit in us, many of us would rather be employed than working on our own or doing anything that we considered as "less dignified" - such as selling the "Mat Salai" burger!
The other thing, which is more severe and more delicate to address is to get rid of the "Tuan" mentality. Mostly, we would shy away from those "sources of incomes" or careers that could severely undermine our status as the "Tuan" of the land - even though as "Tuan", we are nowadays often less well off than our "Subjects".
In short, me did mention to him that the change must start with us NOW if we do not want our future generations to be among those "unfortunate souls" living in their own country, where they have everything but nothing.
Yes! We need to start now and set our future course of actions along the line of doing business no matter what our vocations are - we must have that entrepreneur spirit back in our midst even if we work as a Doctor or an Engineer - more so, we must have that "Muslim" touch just to make it right.
As for meself, me told him that it has taken me nearly ten years to get where me is now - and going overseas is just the beginning of more exciting things to come..but if me didn't start ten years ago, maybe me would also be like many of our brethren back home - saddled with an economic profile that could not get us anywhere....
And on that note, me parted ways with the student and me wish him all the best in his study and hope one day he will be a great "entrepreneur" doctor himself..Ameen.
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