Meet Nour!
Nour is a 2nd year student doing a double major in Political Science and Health Studies, and a minor in Equity Studies. She is a proud Arab Muslim and she loves dogs. Nour leads with empathy and compassion because she believes that spreading hate is counterproductive. In times of conflict, she tries not to fight fire with fire but rather tries to approach the situation carefully. Nour is pessimistic and dislikes that about herself but finds herself unable to change this aspect. The childhood bullying that Nour experienced greatly contributed to the way she thinks and views herself, and though it has been a gradual process, she is trying her best to undo the negative effects it has had on her as she knows she is deserving of friendship, love, and kindness from others and herself.
Moving On From…
Nour is an international student from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates who was at first excited to be at U of T until the loneliness quickly got to her. She realized that she had to start all over again– she had no friends, no connections, constantly felt out of place and lost, didn’t know what her next step was, no one knew her, and she didn’t know anyone. Back in Abu Dhabi, Nour loved to be alone because she knew she had her friends and family close by. But coming to university, she dreaded knowing that there would be days when she wouldn’t have anything to do and would be alone. So Nour decided to get involved with clubs and became the stage manager for the St. Michael’s College production of Hairspray, which is where she met her amazing friend group.
In addition to the loneliness, she was shocked at the fast-paced environment she found at U of T. In high school she knew what her teachers wanted but coming to university, she didn’t know what her professors wanted as each of their expectations differed. The grading scale here was different from the one in Abu Dhabi, and she found it very difficult to get used to it.
November 15th, 2017 was the day Nour woke up hating life and all the decisions she’d made– leaving Abu Dhabi and coming to U of T. She spent that entire day crying in her room as she had hit rock bottom. After that day, things slowly started to pick up and Nour believes she needed that downfall in order to get back up again. If you had told Nour last year that she would be happy with her life now, she would have told you that you were lying. But she’s glad to know that’s no longer the case as she’s currently happy with where she is in life.
Nour’s Take Home Message
“Life may currently be hard and will only get much harder. But go with it. Trust me, it’s worth it. And talk to mom more. She’s there to support you in any way she can”- to her 1st year self
“You’ll grow in ways that you never thought were possible. Your circumstances will end up shaping you into a person that you never thought you’d be capable of loving. Life isn’t going to get easier, and you’ll face various hardships. However, because of the new person you’ve become, these hardships won’t hurt you as they once would’ve been able to” – to the people reading this