First of all I would like to dedicate a heartfelt THANK YOU to all my readers. Without your support and feedback, I would not be as psyched to keep the content flowing as I am now. I have received much love from you guys and THE FEAR has now surpassed 45,000 hits, with 5,000 of those hits occurring in the past few weeks alone! To show my sincere gratitude, I will work harder to provide more content and updates.
Hence, this entry will be the first of (hopefully) many entries where I will be FEATURE-ing people. The [FEATURE] series will serve as a more editorial-esque entry, where you will see a more formal (but not uptight) method of writing, especially in the format.
The people that I will feature at THE FEAR are people who I know personally and I regard as inspirational and motivational. They are people who work hard to balance their everyday lives with their passions, pursuing their lifelong dreams while also keeping everything in perspective. Therefore, I hope by sharing their experiences and thoughts, we can all learn from them and motivate ourselves to live life to the fullest and not let go of our dreams, as well.
For my very first feature, I would like to introduce to you a wonderful old friend of mine.
Born December 4th 1992, Nur Haniesha Eliza bt Rahman, or popularly known as Haniesha, is a Selangor native who is currently studying Medicine at University College Dublin, Ireland. We met at a My Chemical Romance concert back in 2007 through a mutual friend and we've been keeping in touch ever since. When she's not busy learning about ways to save people's lives, she devotes her free time to traveling and diving into foreign cultures and lifestyles. Throughout her life, she has been to more than 20 countries, where most of them are in Europe and Asia. Some of her most recent travels were to Spain, Morocco, Italy, Cambodia, The Netherlands, Greece and Turkey. Fortunately she was back in Malaysia for a while and I got the chance to meet up with her to talk about her experiences.
Haniesha is a wonderful bundle of joy, loves to get to know people and exudes endearing bubbliness. She describes herself as funny, adventurous and outgoing (obviously). Her friendliness is evident because everywhere she goes, she would talk to the locals there; to just get a sense of what it's like to actually live at the places she visits. For Haniesha, traveling isn't just about going somewhere for an allocated amount of time for the sake of just stamping your passport. Traveling, to her, is about being there, learning about the norms, engaging in the daily routines and venture into the deeper parts of the country. She highly prefers traveling into more rural areas because that is where the real culture is preserved. The whole time I was talking to her, I was reminded of how most (if not all) National Geographic photojournalists would also have this sense of longing for a deeper dive into culture and local society, where they travel for the sole purpose of opening their eyes to a world formerly unknown and to also educate themselves in the meaning of true travel. I honestly think that she would fit the job perfectly.
Besides that, from her experience, she discovered that some of the locals she meets are in fact fellow travelers that fell in love with the place and decided to settle down and work there. Listening to other travelers' experiences is something she enjoys extensively and it has brought her a lot of inspiration, as well. Her biggest inspiration is her older brother, who she regards as "more culturally aware". Her brother is also very well-traveled, having gone on abundant trips abroad because he represented his institution in international debate competitions. He also has a Master's degree in Anthropology, so it is understandable why her brother also loves to indulge in foreign culture.
I believe that Haniesha's urge to keep traveling is attributed to her upbringing. She moved to France at the age of 1, then from the age of 2 till 4, she would alternate between France and Japan. When she was 4, she moved to Japan till she was 6. Of course, at the time she did not travel by herself. Her father had to constantly move because of work, so the whole family followed. When she finally came back to Malaysia to begin school, she would still travel to Japan every end of the year to meet her father. This was when she was in Standard 4, 5 and 6. At the end of Form 1 and Form 2, she would travel to South Korea. She only started traveling by herself (without her parents) when she started going to UC Dublin and that really opened her eyes to a world of new experiences and lessons. Therefore it's quite safe to say that Haniesha has been traveling since forever!
Here is a list of places she's been (so far):
One does not travel around the world without proper prior preparation. Haniesha usually travels with two other friends and she does most of the planning. As a student, there are a lot of aspects that she has to take into account such as time, budget and transportation while as a Muslim, there are things like availability of Halal foods and where to perform prayers. Despite these seemingly restricting factors, she takes on the challenge with an open mind and does not let them deter her passion for travelling. The travels she goes on are well thought out and are never without thorough time and financial management. Calculated risks are also a big part of traveling, but she says that at the end of the day, the experiences she gains are worth the risk. "Buy experiences, not materials" is one of her mantras that drives her. Personally, I know that most people would create excuses to justify not traveling to a certain place, and yes they sometimes may be true, but with determination and enough adventurousness, traveling anywhere becomes possible.
Despite her numerous travels, Haniesha is bent on visiting more places, meeting more people and learning more about foreign culture and lifestyle. She wishes that she can do more and spend more time at a specific place rather than country-hop. She admits that cramming many countries into one trip burns her out quickly as there is no time for rest and relaxation. There is always another place to go, another attraction to see, another train to catch. Because time is short and money is scarce, she doesn't have the luxury of staying at one city for a long while to really get into the daily routines of the local community. She admits that she's envious of other travelers who decide to quit their day job and just travel, where they sometimes settle down in a country that they fall in love with.
South Africa. Australia and New Zealand are some of the places she hopes to visit in the future. She aims to visit as many countries as she can while she is still young and free to roam. Someday, she wants to retire from traveling, settle down, get married and focus on her family. But until then, this globetrotter will not seize to trot the globe.
Getting to know and listening to Haniesha talk about her experiences was one of the best things I could have ever done. Although I only had two hours to spend with her, I had learned so much. I wish Haniesha all the best in her future travels.
To follow Haniesha on her travels and to read about her experiences, do proceed to the links below:
To look at some portraits I took during the interview, do visit my Flickr gallery here.
Thank you for taking the time to read my very first [FEATURE] article! Do drop some comments below for any feedback you would like to give.
Hence, this entry will be the first of (hopefully) many entries where I will be FEATURE-ing people. The [FEATURE] series will serve as a more editorial-esque entry, where you will see a more formal (but not uptight) method of writing, especially in the format.
The people that I will feature at THE FEAR are people who I know personally and I regard as inspirational and motivational. They are people who work hard to balance their everyday lives with their passions, pursuing their lifelong dreams while also keeping everything in perspective. Therefore, I hope by sharing their experiences and thoughts, we can all learn from them and motivate ourselves to live life to the fullest and not let go of our dreams, as well.
For my very first feature, I would like to introduce to you a wonderful old friend of mine.
Haniesha Eliza; Med Student and World Traveler
Born December 4th 1992, Nur Haniesha Eliza bt Rahman, or popularly known as Haniesha, is a Selangor native who is currently studying Medicine at University College Dublin, Ireland. We met at a My Chemical Romance concert back in 2007 through a mutual friend and we've been keeping in touch ever since. When she's not busy learning about ways to save people's lives, she devotes her free time to traveling and diving into foreign cultures and lifestyles. Throughout her life, she has been to more than 20 countries, where most of them are in Europe and Asia. Some of her most recent travels were to Spain, Morocco, Italy, Cambodia, The Netherlands, Greece and Turkey. Fortunately she was back in Malaysia for a while and I got the chance to meet up with her to talk about her experiences.
"Cinque Terre @ Italy. Beautiful. There are 5 cities connected to each other by train and no vehicles are allowed in the city. This is city number 2, Vernazza, the most beautiful one.", Italy
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
Haniesha is a wonderful bundle of joy, loves to get to know people and exudes endearing bubbliness. She describes herself as funny, adventurous and outgoing (obviously). Her friendliness is evident because everywhere she goes, she would talk to the locals there; to just get a sense of what it's like to actually live at the places she visits. For Haniesha, traveling isn't just about going somewhere for an allocated amount of time for the sake of just stamping your passport. Traveling, to her, is about being there, learning about the norms, engaging in the daily routines and venture into the deeper parts of the country. She highly prefers traveling into more rural areas because that is where the real culture is preserved. The whole time I was talking to her, I was reminded of how most (if not all) National Geographic photojournalists would also have this sense of longing for a deeper dive into culture and local society, where they travel for the sole purpose of opening their eyes to a world formerly unknown and to also educate themselves in the meaning of true travel. I honestly think that she would fit the job perfectly.
"Me and my travel buddy + best friend, Sabreena after befriending with the Greek Yogurt guy, Thanos.", Greece
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
"Befriending the locals.", Morocco
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
Besides that, from her experience, she discovered that some of the locals she meets are in fact fellow travelers that fell in love with the place and decided to settle down and work there. Listening to other travelers' experiences is something she enjoys extensively and it has brought her a lot of inspiration, as well. Her biggest inspiration is her older brother, who she regards as "more culturally aware". Her brother is also very well-traveled, having gone on abundant trips abroad because he represented his institution in international debate competitions. He also has a Master's degree in Anthropology, so it is understandable why her brother also loves to indulge in foreign culture.
"Went with my brother who is a much more avid and culturally sensitive traveler than I am. He taught me so much on this trip. It was my first time travelling with him, just the two of us.", Cambodia
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
I believe that Haniesha's urge to keep traveling is attributed to her upbringing. She moved to France at the age of 1, then from the age of 2 till 4, she would alternate between France and Japan. When she was 4, she moved to Japan till she was 6. Of course, at the time she did not travel by herself. Her father had to constantly move because of work, so the whole family followed. When she finally came back to Malaysia to begin school, she would still travel to Japan every end of the year to meet her father. This was when she was in Standard 4, 5 and 6. At the end of Form 1 and Form 2, she would travel to South Korea. She only started traveling by herself (without her parents) when she started going to UC Dublin and that really opened her eyes to a world of new experiences and lessons. Therefore it's quite safe to say that Haniesha has been traveling since forever!
Here is a list of places she's been (so far):
- France: Paris, Strasbourg, Nice, Cannes, Monaco
- Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Singapore
- England: London, Manchester, Cardiff
- Spain: Andalusia, Barcelona
- Portugal: Lisbon, Porto
- Greece: Athens, Santorini
- Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia (Kapadokya), Antalya, Pamukkale
- Morocco: Marakech (Marakesh), Fes (Fez), Chefchaouen
- USA
- Italy: Rome, Venice, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Florence
- Mecca (Makkah)
- Medina (Madinah)
- China
- Hong Kong
- The Netherlands: Amsterdam
- Austria
- Germany
- The Republic of Ireland
- Northen Ireland (UK)
- Czechoslovakia (when it was still Czechoslovakia)
"Went to the Blue Walled City called Chefchaoeun. Not easy to get there!", Morocco
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
"Lights sold at the Djmaa Al Fana", Morocco
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
"Went to Greece recently during summer (May). Thats me at Santorini Island, at the capital town called Fira.", Greece
© Haniesha Eliza, 2014
One does not travel around the world without proper prior preparation. Haniesha usually travels with two other friends and she does most of the planning. As a student, there are a lot of aspects that she has to take into account such as time, budget and transportation while as a Muslim, there are things like availability of Halal foods and where to perform prayers. Despite these seemingly restricting factors, she takes on the challenge with an open mind and does not let them deter her passion for travelling. The travels she goes on are well thought out and are never without thorough time and financial management. Calculated risks are also a big part of traveling, but she says that at the end of the day, the experiences she gains are worth the risk. "Buy experiences, not materials" is one of her mantras that drives her. Personally, I know that most people would create excuses to justify not traveling to a certain place, and yes they sometimes may be true, but with determination and enough adventurousness, traveling anywhere becomes possible.
"Always be aware of your belongings, flight details, keep Virgil and be alert at all time of the road and surroundings. It's nice to get lost without having to worry but at the same time keep track of things 'cause no one likes being in a tough predicament."
Despite her numerous travels, Haniesha is bent on visiting more places, meeting more people and learning more about foreign culture and lifestyle. She wishes that she can do more and spend more time at a specific place rather than country-hop. She admits that cramming many countries into one trip burns her out quickly as there is no time for rest and relaxation. There is always another place to go, another attraction to see, another train to catch. Because time is short and money is scarce, she doesn't have the luxury of staying at one city for a long while to really get into the daily routines of the local community. She admits that she's envious of other travelers who decide to quit their day job and just travel, where they sometimes settle down in a country that they fall in love with.
South Africa. Australia and New Zealand are some of the places she hopes to visit in the future. She aims to visit as many countries as she can while she is still young and free to roam. Someday, she wants to retire from traveling, settle down, get married and focus on her family. But until then, this globetrotter will not seize to trot the globe.
"What is/are the most valuable lesson(s) you've learned on your travels?"
"Not to be stereotypical towards other people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and whatever because people are people, some will be mean and some will be very nice. You will be surprised to the extent they would go to help others. So we should stop making assumptions and judgements but at the same time be careful when travelling as anything can happen and you can't merely trust everyone."
Getting to know and listening to Haniesha talk about her experiences was one of the best things I could have ever done. Although I only had two hours to spend with her, I had learned so much. I wish Haniesha all the best in her future travels.
To follow Haniesha on her travels and to read about her experiences, do proceed to the links below:
To look at some portraits I took during the interview, do visit my Flickr gallery here.
Thank you for taking the time to read my very first [FEATURE] article! Do drop some comments below for any feedback you would like to give.
“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” – The Prophet Mohammed
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