August 2011

Hospitality ... Emirati style!

Mr. Ali Kabous Alzaabi's grandchildren and my twins playing together. Photo by Moremi Akinde

The editor in the shela she wore during a recent Iftar observance. Photo by Anton Ewlyn Fernando

We enjoyed legemaat, which is made by frying flour balls, sweetened with date syrup.

Hrees is an Arabic chicken soup that is often eaten during Iftar.

We said "Bismillah" before taking the first taste of khela dates to break the fast.

Threed is an Emirati dish made from mutton and seasoned with spices and vegetables.

By Adeyela Bennett

This was my first summer in the UAE, and I enjoyed every minute of it … heat and all! Yes, I missed my family‟s Fourth of July barbeque to celebrate America‟s Independence Day and our annual visit to my in-laws in Washington, DC. I really missed my customary joint birthday party with my older sister, with whom I share an August birth date.

What I gained, though, is an enriching cultural experience.

The family of Mr. Ali Kabous Alzaabi, an Emirati businessman, invited me to join them for my very first Iftar observance on Friday 19th August (19th day of Ramadan in the Arabic calendar).

As I took my shoes off and entered their palatial home, each woman – eight sisters and one sister-in-law – warmly greeted my daughters and me with so many kisses on the cheeks that I had to choke back tears of happiness. I don‟t know if I have ever been greeted so lovingly. I felt welcomed, and not at all like a stranger.

After exchanging extensive greetings and responding to queries about the wellbeing of each member of my family, we sat down to eat. We broke the fast at sunset, around 7:30 pm, by first saying “Bismillah,” (“In the name of Allah”).

We then shared fresh, sweet dates from a communal bowl, drank laban buttermilk, and sipped may mdakhan, water containing the smoke of freshly cooked gum sap from a local tree. The aroma from the burnt gum also purified the room.

The women all sat together, while the men ate at another relative‟s home. We sat in a circle in the majalis and used our fingers to feast on a large assortment of Arabic meat, vegetable and grain dishes. We laughed and talked about life and love as we shared bowls of salad, seasoned rice, threed (a local dish prepared with mutton and seasoned with vegetables and spices); hrees (chicken soup); and legemaat (fried flour balls sweetened with date sauce).

Even though there was more than enough food to go around, friendly neighbours brought more and, likewise, my friends shared large bowls of their favourite dishes with them. In the Ramadan spirit of charity, they also gave two large bags full of salad, rice, cheese sandwiches, samosas, chicken and beef to needy families.

After the meal, a group of us walked to the neighbourhood masjid for Esha, the last prayer of the day. I sat at the back of the women‟s section while the other women and girls quietly prayed in unison.

Near the end of the hour-long service, the imam said a special prayer in honour of HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE‟s founding president. As it turns out, Father Zayed passed away on the 19th day of Ramadan seven years ago. Starting this year, the anniversary of his death will be marked annually on that day.

As we strolled back to the large home that housed several generations, from an ailing great grandmother to an infant, I marveled at the closeness of the sisters and sister-in-law. I‟ve socialized with them several times and, each time, they treat each other with great respect and admiration. I sometimes forget which child belongs to which mother, because they all take turns holding, kissing and disciplining all the children. I don‟t know if American-style nursing homes exist in the UAE, however, I do know the bedridden matriarch lives right there with the family.

I was pleasantly surprised later when the ladies generously presented me with gifts from a recent pilgrimage to Mecca. I modeled the new full-length purple kaftan and accepted the compliments as the sisters all raved about how much weight I had lost during the Ramadan fast. The family also gave me other articles of elegant clothing, sweets, and books to help me better understand Islamic and Emirati culture.

We sipped cup after cup of hot coffee and tea, while nibbling on chocolate and a variety of home-made sweets, as we chatted about the similarities and differences in American and Emirati culture. Finally, around 2 am, I called my sleepy husband to pick me up. Several of the sisters kindly sent SMS messages during my family‟s early morning drive to thank me for coming and to make sure we returned home safely.

While I dearly miss my family back in the US, I gladly accept the love and friendship this Emirati family generously offers me. I look forward to celebrating Eid Al-Fitr with them for three days after Ramadan ends, and inviting them to my home for an American Thanksgiving feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, collard greens, sweet potato pie, and cranberry sauce in November.

Ministry of Higher Education & Edexcel Accredits Software Program

The first three "batches" of national graduates from the Higher Diploma in Computing Software Development programme with Emirates Group executives.

The National School Leavers Program provides a 54-month formal academic and vocational program for UAE nationals who aspire to become software

engineers.

Students earn a Higher Diploma Degree in Computing Software Development after two years of rigorous course work at the Aviation College, followed by six

months of intensive Java training and other courses during the EGIT “transITion Phase.”

By Jill Stockbridge

Emirates Aviation College‟s Higher Diploma in Computing Software Development recently received stamps of approval from two ma jor academic bodies. The UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, accredited the program. Likewise, Edexcel, a UK accreditation body, recognized the program as a Higher National Diploma. Future graduates, as well as the 60 previous graduates, will also have their HND certificates attested by the ministry.

“The Ministry of Higher Education accreditation is important to attract and retain the best and the brightest UAE national school leavers to the Emirates Group IT internship programme,” said Amal Mohammed Ahmed, EGIT Programme and Development Manager.

Beginning in September 2011, the Higher Diploma course will also be open to fee-paying, non-national students.

“We feel that this will benefit our interns in a number of ways,” Amal said. “The self-funded students may be keener than those who are sponsored and it will introduce a healthy element of competition. It will also help to improve the standard of English among the students and will also allow our national students to become a little more cosmopolitan. We have sometimes found that when graduates begin work at EGIT they experience a culture shock from being among so many different nationalities. This way they can be eased in gently. We will keep a ratio of approximately 15 Emirates interns to five expatriates in each batch.”

Mercator's wins this year

CEO Shinichi Inoue unveils Japan‟s first low cost carrier, Peach Aviation.

Mercator signs Air Nuigini (l to r): Duncan Alexander, Vice President Mercator; Wasantha Kumarasiri, Chief Executive Officer, Air Nuigini; and Patrick Naef,

Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Group IT and Head of Mercator.

By Thaisa Alvarez

Mercator has continued to consolidate its position as a leader in business technology solutions and services to the global airline industry. Since the beginning of this year, Mercator‟s sales team signed nine new business contracts for its solutions in key markets across the Middle East and Africa; the Americas; and Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.

From January to June 2011, Mercator won business with Swiss International Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Camair Co, SkyWork Airlines, Peach, Strategic Airlines, Transglobal Cargo Centre‟s and Air Nuigini. This is a commendable achievement given the challenges in the current economic and political landscape faced by the aviation and technology industries across the globe.

Mercator‟s new-generation passenger services system for low-cost and hybrid carriers, Avantik, was a notable success with four contract wins. Awareness of Avantik and its benefits continues to grow worldwide. Mercator Asia commenced 2011 by signing SkyWork Airlines and Pacific Royal Airways. SkyWorks, based in Berne, Switzerland, and Jakarta based start-up, Pacific Royal Airways, signed five-year contracts.

Mercator signed its first contract in Japan with its national low cost carrier, Peach. The airline will service the domestic market, using Avantik to manage its operations. Mercator also signed new Australian carrier Strategic Airlines.

Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea, signed an agreement in late March to deploy Mercator's integrated passenger reservation suite, Jupiter, across its network which includes more than 28 domestic and international destinations in Asia, Oceania and Australia. Air Niugini is the first airline to employ Mercator‟s passenger service solution in the Oceania region, making it the tenth PSS customer. Switzerland‟s national carrier, Swiss International Airline, contracted Mercator to manage its staff travel using TRIPS. This landmark deal signifies the launch of a new product in-market with Swiss being Mercator‟s first customer for the technology.

Mercator‟s Revenue Accounting Bureau service, RAPID, has had two notable wins. First, Mercator was awarded an extension on its existing contract with Malaysian Airlines for three more years. Mercator‟s services have often been cited by their CEO and CFO as „key success factors‟ and achieved a significant milestone this quarter by processing its 100 millionth coupon. Mercator also proudly welcomed Cameroon-based start-up Camair-Co.

Mercator‟s new generation air cargo ground handling system, SkyChain Handler, was selected by Transglobal Cargo, based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi Kenya, to manage its cargo operations.

Mercator has made great strides in the first half of this year, thanks to the remarkable support from everyone in EG-IT and their commitment to providing customers with consistent performance, product excellence, and quality service.

Mercator will continue to seek opportunities in key markets across the globe to further cement its position as a solution provider of choice for airlines across the world.

Happy Independence Day, India and Pakistan!

Contestants for the best traditionally-dressed woman (l to r): Pushpalatha Hiremagalur Jagadish, Smitha Nair, Vasudha Niraj Doshi, Carel George, and event

Chairwoman Shradha Samantray.

Anil Kumar, wearing a kurta-payjama, was the "Best Traditionally-Dressed Male."

Carel George, wearing an elegant crimson and gold sari, was named the "Best Traditionally-Dressed Female."

The organizing team (l to r): Syam Kumar K., Sreenath Narayan, Chisma Chandran, Jayashree Pandian, Shradha Samantray, Manish Kushwaha, Gagan

Kumar, Charan I., Subramanian S, and Praveen Kumar.

The audience enjoying a happy moment!

Winners of the quiz excitedly raise their hands to give the right answer!

Enjoying a light team-building moment are Manish Kushwaha, Charan I., Event Chairman Subramanian S, and Gagan Kumar

By Shradha Samantray

Life is a race and we are on our toes always trying to catch up with it every time. These small events are an endeavour to get some relaxation and, at the same time, celebrate the essence of independence, which makes us who we are today – free, individuals. We made those few

hours fruitful by living up to the saying: ‘Freedom stems from the heart,’ by not only enjoying those moments, but also by be ing able to forward, in our own way, a small helping hand for the people suffering and in need.

In keeping with its annual tradition, more than 120 colleagues from the Cargo line of business gathered in the Coliseum on 16th August 2011 to celebrate Pakistan and India‟s independence. For an hour and a half, the men and women were transformed into laughing, playful youngsters as they celebrated India and Pakistan‟s respective 14th and 15th August 1947 Independence.

“We became kids at heart while reminiscing and joyfully celebrating our homelands‟ freedom,” smiled Arockiaraj Arockiam, Senior Technical Engineer. “We played and enjoyed many traditional games, like quiz, Queen of Sheeba and tambolla. It felt great to see our colleagues with such high energies. Congratulations to all who were involved!”

In honour of both countries‟ rich textile and clothing tradition, the team organized a “Best Traditionally-Dressed” contest. Project Controllers Ashok Mathew, Renjith Jacob and Sunanda Kariyakarawan, and Business Support Group Officer Mohammed Imran Khan, had the difficult task of judging the beautiful traditional attire.

The judges recognised Anil Kumar, Consultant, wearing a traditional kurta-payjama, as the Best Traditionally-Dressed Male. They named Carel George, Software Engineer, wearing an elegant crimson and gold sari, the Best Traditionally-Dressed Female. They named Vasudha Niraj Doshi, Cargo Systems Analyst, also wearing a sari, the first runner up.

Ashok, representing the SkyChain team, congratulated the organizing committee, and encouraged the team to continue having such team-bonding events. “I felt very proud of the planning and the level of good conduct shown for the India and Pakistan Independence Day Celebration,” Ashok said. “Bravo to the organising team.”

Cargo team members not only had fun honoring their nations‟ freedom, they also displayed charitable hearts by donating generously for the event. The planning committee, headed by Software Engineers Shradha Samantray and Subramanian Senthil, used about 1,600 AED to provide food and decorations for the event. They donated the balance of almost 1,300 AED to Somali famine victims via the dnata-UAE Red Crescent relief effort fund.

“It was a wonderful and well-organised event,” said Renjith from the Calogi team. “Success of the event was evident in the high turnout and active involvement of the participants.”

The Cargo team members closed the event by passionately singing both India and Pakistan‟s national anthems.

Record number of conversions and promotions in Software Technology Group

Mohan Ramamoorthy was upgraded to Senior Technical Engineer, Grade 8.

Achala Shrini Nanayakkara, Senior Technical Engineer.

Arockiaraj Arockiam, Senior Technical Engineer.

Nuwan I. Wijesundera, Senior Technical Engineer.

Lalitha Weeraratna, Senior Technical Engineer.

Mohamed Muhad, Senior Technical Engineer.

Shyam Gopinath, Senior Technical Engineer.

Sathish J, Senior Technical Engineer.

Suresh K. Govindan, Senior Technical Engineer.

By Shivagami Gugan

IT Strategic Sourcing has completed the first three waves of assessments to convert and promote Software Technology Group (STG) staff members, filling more than half of the 260 budgeted positions for 2011-2012. With more than 1,000 staff members, the STG form a significant part of EG-IT‟s people base.

This was an incredible amount of hard work for recruitment, HR-BS, HR- Admin and IT-SS,” said Cheryl Lynch, Vice President Strategic Sourcing and Development. “We take this opportunity to thank the senior technical engineers and project managers who went beyond the call of duty and helped in interviewing the software engineers, for the past three months, in addition to their regular work load.”

Muslim and non-Muslim colleagues celebrate Iftar

Abdulla Ali, Amal Al Balooshi and Zainab Saraj enjoy the Iftar celebration.

One of the local hostesses gives a gift to the daughter of Mr. Tamir Mohamed, the event's keynote speaker.

Mr. Tamir Mohamed describing the Five Pillars of Islam.

The event was a great show of unity between Muslim and non-Muslim staff members.

A quiet moment of prayer.

Ahsan Yar Khan, Senior Software Engineer, led the Muslims in Al Maghreb Athan prayers.

The men praying together.

Muslims from throughout EG-IT unified in prayer.

The evening cleaning crew enjoyed the Iftar meal.

An Arabic salad was one of the many Iftar dishes.

By Amal Al Balooshi

In a show of unity, a grand gathering of about 200 Muslim and non-Muslim EG-ITians gathered in the Coliseum to celebrate Iftar Day on 24th August 2011. The event was organized by EG-IT Committees, in association with the Muslims Committee. Iftar is the time of day when Muslims break their daily Ramadan fast after completely abstaining from food and drink from dawn until dusk.

Amal Mohammed, EG-IT Committees Chairperson, opened the event by outlining the evening‟s programme and reflecting about Ramadan. “Ramadan is a special month for me as I get time to renew myself spiritually,” Amal shared. “This month also enlightens our lives with values, including charity work; reloads our health system; and helps us get closer to our family members.”

The guest speaker, Mr. Tamir Mohamed from the Business faculty at Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Women‟s College, started his presentation with an ice breaker in which he engaged the audience in a quick journey around the world. He asked the audience to guess the name of the mosques they viewed during a scenic slide presentation. Click here to view the slide show.

Tamir gave an overview of the Islamic faith, describing how fasting fits into the Five Pillars of Islam. He provided enlightenment about what Muslims do during the month of Ramadan, in addition to the well-known abstention from food and drink. The professor concluded his presentation with a question and answer session to clarify the audience members‟ perceptions about Ramadan and fasting.

Abdulla Al Ali and Sualeha Khan tested the audience members‟ knowledge about Ramadan. The knowledgeable ones won great prizes.

At sunset, around 6:47 pm, hosts and hostesses offered dates and laban buttermilk to their Muslim colleagues to break their fast. Ahsan Yar Khan, Senior Software Engineer, then led the Muslims in Al Maghreb Athan prayers.

Everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, enjoyed their Iftar meal in peace and unity.

Branding our Work Environment Team

Amal Al Balooshi, Chairwoman of the Work Environment Team Rebranding Committee.

By Amal Al Balooshi

The EG-IT Work Environment team has been executing successful events, activities and campaigns across EG-IT since December 2008. The events were categorized into four groups and managed by four committees: Competitions, Ehsaan, Events, and Sports.

In line with current efforts to rebrand and re-structure the Work Environment Team, the committee invites input and suggestions for a new name to brand the team.

A surprise reward awaits the contributor of the winning name, so send in your suggestions now for a chance to win and be part of this branding exercise.

Click here to submit your original suggestion. The exercise will run until 7th September 2011.

How goes IT

By Muhammad Asif Siddiqui

In this regular column, we publish a monthly summary of EG-IT‟s overall performance indicators and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from selected EG-IT departments. This month, we are publishing the KPIs from IT Production Services, IT Strategy and Architecture, HR Review and IT Related Flight Delays.

EG-IT Summary View – July 2011

↑ IT‟s Account Mgmt view of customer satisfaction has improved (0 in Red, as compared to 1 previous month).

↑ Permanent vs. Consultant ratio is within threshold, 6% variance against budget.

↑ Significant Deliveries – The AutoSchedules has been loaded into production in MARS, SuperAgent and CSR. – The new XML gateway between Internet Booking Engine (IBE) and WorldSpan has successfully gone live. – “eSwap”, an EG-IT developed system to automate mutual roster exchange between flight crew, was successfully rolled out to the A380 fleet. – A new version of OMEGA went live successfully. The release brings new features for Flight Ops performance (FOP), including bringing in weather and cargo info to help FOP link that to fuel burn.

↓ Majority of the Service related KPIs have worsened – One „Top‟ incident is reported after 6 months due to power outage at NTT London. – Service Availability of Tier 1 and 2 apps have decreased (24 in Red, as compared to 15 previous months). – % Failed Changes have increased (1.39%, as compared to 0.25% previous month). – Service Request Delivery has decreased (85.7%, as compared to 90.7% previous month). – % SOW Action within SLO has decreased (57.14%, as compared to 66.67% previous month).

↓ IT‟s Project View and Operation View of customer satisfaction has decreased (6 in Red, as compared to 4 previous months).

↓ IT related flight delays have increased to 0.31%, as compared to 0.29% previous month.

↓ For year 2011-12, only 37.7% HR Reviews have been agreed and 5.3% of Development plans have been created.

↓ IT-SM Contribution is 36% below budget.

↓ % Aged Resource Demand exceeding OLC is at 33% for PMG and 47% for STG.

IT-PS Scorecard – July 2011

IT-SA Scorecard – July 2011

HR Review Status – 2011-2012

IT Related Flight Delays

Get to know Linda Abraham

Linda says she enjoys playing with her son.

By Karl D'Souza

Can you tell us about your role here?

I have joined Emirates Group IT as a Business Analyst. My role is to ensure that I can communicate between business and IT so that each department understands each other.

How long have you worked for EG-IT? Just a few weeks.

Where were you and what were you doing before you joined us?

I was working as a Senior Business Analyst in Sydney, Australia, working across consulting firms, such as Accenture and, most recently, Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Where are you from? I am from Sydney, Australia.

Tell us something not many people know about your country or city.

Australia is a beautiful place, with beautiful weather and thousands of places to visit and see. It is considered as both an island and a continent. Australians tend to love shortening as many words as possible and adding „zie‟ to the end of it.

Examples:

Australian = Auzzie (O-zee) Swimming costume = Cozzie Tasmania = Tazzie

What do you like most about Dubai?

It‟s family friendly. For example, you can allow children to watch TV knowing that it‟s censored. I also like the convenience of everything being delivered to your door.

What is your favourite place in Dubai? JBR.

What are your hobbies? Fine-dining, playing the piano and volleyball, and spending time with my son.

Describe yourself in one word.

Dedicated.

What is your dream destination and why?

Maldives. I have heard that the scenery is even more beautiful than New Zealand, which I found spectacular!

What was the most memorable thing that happened to you? A driving holiday through New Zealand, and the birth of my son. Both mutually exclusive, of course!

What makes you smile? Whether it is at work or home, completion of a successful project with a team.

What is one of your favorite quotes?

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” Thomas A. Edison

What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Outdoor – going for long scenic drives.

What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Folding clothes.

What is your greatest strength? Positive attitude and remaining calm when there is a fire.

What is your worst weakness?

Enjoying fine-dining a bit so much that it‟s not giving me a good reading on the scales! When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? At home, playing with my son.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor? Richard Branson. That man is not scared of taking risks, lives life to the fullest and still stays in touch with people on the ground.

Give one suggestion that would make EG-IT an even better place to work.

One of the greatest successes I saw was my team coming out of a motivational training session where they learned about their Emotional Quotient (EQ). From this awareness came a higher level of self-motivation, effective communication and drive towards achieving excellence from personal power, rather than relying on their leaders.

So my suggestion would be to make available group training sessions about EQ.

Travelogue

Francis R. Fernandes, Senior Software Engineer, went on a three-hour dinner cruise with live Egyptian music, belly dancing and the mesmerising whirling

Dervish dance in Cairo.

The Khan el-Khalili is a souk, or bazaar, that dates back to the 14th century.

Haggling and bargaining is part of the fun when visiting the Cairo markets.

The Egyptian museum is situated in Tahrir Square in Cairo and houses one of the world's largest antiquity collections.

The Giza Necropolis is an archaeological site on the outskirts of Cairo.

Many ancient myths and beliefs surround the creation of the great Pyramids of Giza; however, research shows that these pyramids were built by humans over

many years to house the remains of the deceased pharaohs who ruled Ancient Egypt.

By Sana Lohi

What are the steps to take to travel to Cairo?

The Egyptian Consulate is near the Khalid Bin Al Waleed Metro Station 2 in Bur Dubai if you need to apply for a visa. Getting a visa is easy and takes about four to five days.

There is a daily Emirates flight to Cairo, which takes about four hours.

Where did you stay and what did they offer?

I stayed at the Safir Hotel Cairo. I booked it through www.booking.com after reading the great reviews. It's a relatively new hotel and has nice amenities like a health club, pool and a good restaurant. There is quite a lavish buffet breakfast included with your stay. The staff members are friendly, helpful, and speak decent English. It is also centrally located from shopping malls, the Egyptian Museum, and the River Nile.

Tell us about the fascinating pyramids?

You will find the pyramids at the Giza Necropolis which is an archaeological site on the outskirts of Cairo. This complex of ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex.

Many ancient myths and beliefs surround the creation of the great Pyramids of Giza -- from aliens to supernatural powers. However, research shows that these pyramids and others were built by humans over many years to house the remains of the deceased pharaohs who ruled Ancient Egypt. It's still a mystery, though, how they could manage to align those huge stones over such great heights when there were no cranes around.

No wonder the pyramids of Giza are amongst the wonders of the world and a must-see for anyone travelling to Egypt!

What is so unique about the light shows at the pyramids?

When night falls, the pyramids become the centre stage for a magnificent sound and light show. Music, lights and dramatic storytelling bring the ancient Pyramids of Giza to life in this unique and memorable evening extravaganza.

The mystical sphinx takes you on a narrated journey through Egypt‟s amazing history. You cannot help but be amazed by the dazzling light show and awe-inspiring backdrop of the illuminated sphinx and pyramids.

Tip: Try to get seated somewhere around the front-rows if you'd like to get some good photographs during the show (sans human heads)!

Tell us more about the Cairo Museum and what fascinated you the most?

The Egyptian museum is situated in Tahrir Square in Cairo and houses one of the biggest collections of antiquities. More than one and a half million tourists visit the museum annually.

The museum comprises many sections arranged in chronological order. These include the Tutankhamon's treasures, the pre-dynasty and the Old Kingdom monuments, the first intermediate period and the Middle Kingdom monuments, the monuments of the Modern Kingdom, the monuments of the Greek and Roman periods, and the section for antique coins and papyrus. There is also a hall for the royal mummies housing the eleven kings and queens of ancient Egypt.

I heard the dinner cruise through Nile River is awesome. Did you go for the cruise?

I did the short three-hour dinner cruise with live Egyptian music, belly dancing and the mesmerising whirling Dervish dance. The cruise began at around 8:15 pm and sailed through the iconic Nile River. You can stand on the deck of the boat and get a great view of the night life around the banks of the Nile River, as well as the Cairo skyline.

How is the cuisine? Cairo has an enormous number of restaurants, catering to most budget types from street food to top-notch restaurants.

Egyptian cuisine features a number of popular vegetarian dishes. In stalls and street restaurants, you will find traditional dishes like fuul (bean paste), taa'miya (falafel), muzagga, kushari (rice, macaroni, lentils, chick peas, and sometimes a tomato sauce), and fetyeer (pancakes with different fillings). Eggs, fried potatoes and salads are also usually available.

A must-eat is the grilled kebabs and delicacies from the street vendors at the Khan el-Khalili souk, which is also a great place to shop for souvenirs.

What about shopping?

I am not too fond of shopping while travelling. However, I did travel to Khan el-Khalili which is one of the attractions if you are in Cairo. The souk or bazaar has historic roots and dates back to around the 14th century. You can buy souvenirs, perfumes and antiques, among other things. However, haggling and bargaining is part of the fun when you are visiting this place. Be prepared to put on a thick skin as the shopkeepers would vie with each to catch your attention.

Who should go there?

People who are interested in learning about ancient Egyptian art and culture will not be disappointed with what Egypt offers. Cairo has a lot more to explore than the pyramids. The Egyptian people are friendly and welcoming and, overall, it‟s a nice place to visit.

Announcements

Aruchunarajan Arumugam is a new Internal Auditor.

Syed Ahtesham Ali is a new Internal Auditor.

Baskaran P.R. celebrated 20 years with Emirates Group in August 2011.

Sher Ali is certified as an IBM SOA Associate.

Long Service Award

Emirates Group recognized Project Controller Baskaran P.R. in August 2011 for completing 20 years with the company.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of this evolving organisation that has a great vision, coupled with the country‟s expansion plans,” said Baskaran. “When I started with Emirates, revenue accounts were a manual process with various books for rules, rates, etc., surrounded by various IATA publications and papers. Now all the revenue accounting processes are automated and marching towards a paperless green environment.”

Baskaran said his proudest achievement was receiving the Bronze Mabrook Award in 2002 for extraordinary efforts in clearing the backlog of Cargo inward billing reconciliations.

New Internal Auditors

Aruchunarajan Arumugam, Project Controller, and Syed Ahtesham Ali, Software Engineer, from the PSS and CAP lines of business recently became EG-IT Internal Auditors after successfully passing the Internal Auditor Exam.

“The Quality Management team takes pleasure in congratulating the new kids on the block,” said Srividhya Rangarajan, Quality Process Analyst, IT Strategy and Architecture. “Out of six staff members who participated in the Internal Auditor training, Aruchunarajan and Syed are the only two who cleared the mandatory mark to qualify as Internal Auditors. The team extends a warm welcome to them as they embark on a new journey.”

IBM SOA Associate

Sher Ali, Software Engineer, OTP team, is the first Emirates Group Information Technology staff member to earn the IBM SOA Associate certification.

Congratulations Ali!