I am BRITISH-BANGLADESHI

Much to the detest of the British brown skin haters, I was born on a Saturday evening in a hospital in Worcestershire which makes me, in part, like them: British.

My parents emigrated to the UK from Bangladesh which means when faced with a list of ethnicities, I tick the little box next to Bangladeshi.
But what do these labels mean to me?

They mean a lot because my childhood is very much influenced by both. Bengali was my first language and Bengali food nourished me. British schools educated me and British teachers encouraged my creativity.

But being British & Bangladeshi shaped my past. What’s shaping me now is the belief that I am a citizen of the world.

I am a PUBLISHER

I was at a ‘stay & play’ session a few months ago when a fellow mum asked me, “What do you do?” “Nothing,” was my immediate answer. But then my feisty spirit stood up and I heard me correct myself, “Actually no, not nothing! I’m a mom so that’s a full time job. And I’m a publisher.” I’m a publisher.
I don’t know why I was in denial despite my publishing business existing for a year already. Maybe it was because what I’m doing is something I’m passionate about, it doesn’t feel like ‘work’. So why not just stick to writing & let other established publishers do the publishing? Simple answer: because I have entrepreneurial spirit!

I took a look at one existing publisher’s Submission process and when I learned it could take them 6 months just to respond I thought I’ll do it myself thank you very much! Plus self-publishing would give me 100% creative control.

So with a Bismillah (remembering God) I began.

I sourced and worked with an illustrator to bring my books to life. I sourced & learnt a lot from the printing company in China. I waited in the driveway on a winter’s day to receive the truck delivering my books in print. What an amazing moment THAT was!! The journey hasn’t been a smooth sail but it’s been a passionate & fun one, and still continues. My second book arrived recently and the third is in the illustration stage. I’ve got 8-9 more children’s books written. Once they’ve been printed I’m aiming to open the door & welcome other writers to submit their ideas. But I promise not to take as long as 6 months to reply!

In the meantime, I’m encouraging anyone out there who has a dream of holding their own book in their hands to reach out & ask me or anyone for advice…because I did it. And you can do it too!

I am an ENTREPRENEUR

I still remember the first time I ever took notice of the word ‘entrepeneur’. I was twenty years old, training to be a psychiatric nurse, and was out in the car with my mentor. We were doing a round of home visits. I was telling him about a business idea I had: to sell meals & snacks in workplaces which didn’t have nearby places to buy lunch. “You’re an entrepreneur in the making!” he said.

So what are the characteristics of an entrepreneur & how do I stack up against them?

MOTIVATED TO SUCCEED: CHECK!
PASSIONATE: Bucketloads & More!
CREATIVITY: Just Can’t Help It, CHECK!
FLEXIBILITY & VERSATILITY: Heck YES -I’m a MUMpreneur!
RISK TOLERANCE: CHECK!
DECISIVENESS: YUP!
COLLABORATION: Ready & Willing To Be Like A Bee!
PERSUASIVENESS: Working On It!

On the whole, I’m positive & driven. If there’s a problem I think about solutions & try them out. I’m not afraid of change or taking a risk.
Having an entrepreneurial spirit has led me to try different things…some of them became businesses. Over the next few weeks I’ll be reflecting on them and sharing them with you…stay tuned!

I am a MOTHER

I thought I had experienced some challenging jobs, but nothing prepared me for the toughest role to date: motherhood!

The sleep deprivation. The neglect of self-care whilst the kids look like catalogue models. The lack of nutritious meals. The body image issues. The hunt for and never finding any ‘me-time’. The whole new level of multitasking. The disappearance of a social life. The having to take shortcuts or giving-in. The crying. The CRYING! The feeding issues. The…

Then they smile at you, raising your heart to the sky and back. Alhamdulillah.

And the cycle begins again…

Rayyan is now two and a half, Ridhwan just turned one. I think it’s safe to say I got through the worst. I know that as they grow there will be different needs, dynamics and challenges to face. But I’m now able to sleep a bit better and can dedicate some time to ‘me’ which makes the world of a difference to my performance as a mother.

I am a MUSLIM

I was born a Muslim, and like so many of my generation and background, I was taught by elders and blindly followed. Didn’t stop to question or dig deeper. The only thing that seemed untouched and unaffected by what others said, the thing that was unshakeable, was my sense that there was a God.

9/11 marks a horror. And the opening up of my mind. What exactly IS Islam? What is a Muslim? Like so many, I began questioning. Apprehensively at first. I could read the Qur’an but had only been taught to read in Arabic, not to understand the meaning. Accessing the Qur’an and Hadith in the English language was the key to my search for answers. One sentence led to another.
My journey isn’t over but the more I learn, the more I feel that this religion is right for me.

I was born this way and I made a CHOICE to remain this way.

My name is Rabia and I am a Muslim.

I am a WRITER

I felt compelled to write – to express myself through pen (and now keyboard) – ever since I was a little girl.

One of my earliest memories is of my primary school teacher smiling and telling me that no other student she had ever taught did what I did. What did I do? Whenever she left a comment or feedback in the margins of my workbooks, I used to write back to her!

I guess that was a sign of what would come later in the form of poetry, short stories, blog posts, a novel and now children’s books.

I never once stopped to think ‘I want to be a writer’. I just was one. Naturally.

I didn’t choose to write, writing chose me.

And now I’m here, choosing to share my pieces, past and current, with my children when they’re older…and you.

My name is Rabia and I am a writer. Pleased to meet you…