Description
My family's story began in Awali, an oil town in Bahrain. Modelled on an American suburban vision, Awali had everything: a hospital, a church, a library, a post office, a cricket club and even a golf course. My grandfather moved there in 1945, seeking new opportunities for his family. It's where my parents met and where I was born.
In the first nine years of my childhood, I lived in seven different countries and attended eight schools, making the question "Where are you from?" complicated. My father tragically passed away after a brief illness, which changed the course of life for my mother and me forever. Though he died when I was ten, the full impact of the grief only struck me years later.
In 2023, I returned to Bahrain for the first time since leaving Awali in 1965, hoping to explore my family's history and my early years. It was a journey that profoundly reconnected me with my childhood in unexpected and revealing ways. There, I discovered two significant traces of my identity: my baptismal record displayed in Awali Church and a framed tournament record for my father, still hanging in the local golf club. Seeing these documents on public display was an overwhelming discovery that affirmed my origins and identity.
