سلام من ارسلان هست
-Hi -Hi
-Hi everyone -Hi everyone
-I'm Arsalan -I'm Arsalan
Hi I'm Humaira Rahbin and this is my son Arsalan
We are from Afghanistan and I study at the University of Cambridge
Back in Afghanistan I did my Bachelor's in political science
and MA in international relations
and I worked with several NGOs and also international organisations
My latest job was with the Dutch embassy as Gender and Development adviser
and I've worked with as at policy level for women's rights and also gender equality
There's a severe need for women at policy level and also decision-making positions
and that drove me to go for a degree in public policy
because I think we need more experts in this area and especially women experts
Of course it's very different kind of lifestyle in Afghanistan than here
Here I felt that I have the option and also the freedom
to make some decisions that I couldn't make back at home
so that was the first impression I got from here
and the serious thing was that when studies started
I really realised that okay you're in at the University of Cambridge
Settling in at Cambridge and also the department has been very heartwarming and very good
because they understand that there are a lot of international students as well
there are people coming from Japan, from China, from Afghanistan, from Egypt, from Syria
so there are people with different backgrounds and they're coming from different countries
a lot of worldviews, different angles that you can see
sometimes as a person who is a bit experienced and has already done an MA
and also you see a person with a different age or different experience
you can see the world from a different angles
you can find the opportunity to see how they are seeing the world
The level of education is beyond what I expected
it's very high, you have to study a lot
you have to learn and also along with that
there are opportunities that you can connect with different groups of people
make your own networks
participate in events
so yeah a lot of opportunities ready for you to grab and learn and flourish
Luckily I found out about Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship
which supports students coming from conflict zones
countries where it's not very easy for them to continue studying
and also find the opportunity to be in Cambridge
This is organised by Cambridge Refugee Scholarship Campaign
which is run by students at the University of Cambridge
and the students have been super supportive
not just in terms of establishing such a program
but also helping students adapt in a new environment
introducing them to other students at the University of Cambridge
and also helping them settle in
Balancing motherhood with studying, I have my own tricks
to manage my time and also spend time with my family
with my son and also do my studying
and I also understand that you have to put double energy in your studying
so what I do is I stay awake more two hours or three hours in the night
so that way really helps me to not lag behind
The first thing Arsalan said when he arrived in the UK was we are here in London
and let's go to the park, let's go shopping
so things were that easy for him
all he knows is that there is a different environment
but the thing is that the environment is very positive
people are smiling wherever he goes
they're thanking each other for very little favours
it gives him a kind of positive energy so he doesn't feel we are not from here
Maybe it's because he's always been with me in my travels
that's why he is a kind of 'globalised kid.'
Fortunately I come from a family
both my own family and also my in-laws
that they're very supportive of whatever decision I make
and it's right for my future and career and also for my family
so my husband has been super supportive
he supported me to be here, even though I'm alone and he's in Afghanistan
and also my in-laws, my own family, they have been very supportive
we are in touch, they're calling me every day and always they encourage me to work harder
I really miss my husband, the person who is like involved and behind all this success
I know he misses us as well, though we are like in touch on a daily basis
whenever we talk with each other
about how much we miss each other
then we think of the big goal that we are hoping to achieve in life
so that's why we say it's not a permanent situation
we will be back together
Thank you so much everyone for watching I hope you enjoyed it
to find out more about the Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship
and other scholarships, you can click on the link in the description