AJMAN // Achieving success in life is not something a person gets by luck; it is a combination of hard work, overcoming obstacles and timing.
Anas Tanira, a Palestinian business development manager at 360 VUZ, worked hard at his studies at university and also took on a job to provide for his family.
He did all that while also managing diabetes, a condition he has had almost all his life.
And he did it with good humour, giving himself the nickname of Mr Insulin in defiance of the struggle the illness added to an already challenging workload.
“When you work too much, to maintain your life and studies as well, you have to miss something,” he says. “I missed having friends. Instead of having time to chill out with friends, I dedicated my time to my work, study and family.”
The 23-year-old studied mechanical engineering at the American University of Sharjah – working 16 hours a day between study and his job, the latter he took to help his parents pay the tuition fees.
“My main reason to work was to gain experience and get income because both are two faces of one coin,” he says.
The work experience served him well, he says.
“I gained customer service skills working at the university’s library, learnt how to help people reach what they want and how to deal with multinational colleagues from different backgrounds,” he says.
The income was to take responsibility for his welfare and avoid his parents taking out a loan for his fees.
“The least you can do is to feel the responsibility,” he says. “It is not easy but not impossible.”
Some days that meant Mr Tanira only got three hours sleep, working and studying the rest of the time.
“I have gone through all of the obstacles you can think of,” he says. “But look at me, I graduated and I am working now and I am still alive.
Time management was his first obstacle. “Sometimes, I used to sleep in my car when I had work in Abu Dhabi and could not go home or stay in a hotel.”
The second obstacle was his professors. “Most of them never understood that I am a person who supports his family and has responsibilities,” says Mr Tanira.
“In the beginning of each semester, I set up my calendar based on the syllabus.
“But sometimes a professor would decide to change an exam day to one when I had to work.
“Some understood that I had to work but the majority of them used to say, ‘I do not care, you signed up for a full-time university course so I am expecting you to be here like the others’. So I used to miss the job.”
The third obstacle was the diabetes.
“I have had it since I was 3 years old,” he says.
“When I am under pressure and work for hours, I forget to eat or drink something and all of sudden my sugar drops.”
Mr Tanira wants to inspire others to grab every opportunity they can. He hopes to travel and tell his story to other students, or those who would like to be, to show them it is possible to embrace challenges and overcome obstacles while balancing work and study at the same time.
Everything, he says, is doable in life, if not easy.
roueti@thenational.ae
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Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
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Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
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T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
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