INSIDE ACK

Monthly Student Magazine

ACKINSIDE

FEBRUARY 2018 ISSUE

Featuring Kuwait National and Liberation Days Celebrations

IND INSIDEKuwait National & Liberation DaysOrganized by ACK’s PR & Marketing Department, ACK had a week-long celebration! Read more on page 3.

The Path of Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al SabahBy Yousef Al Adwani.

Inside ACK Magazine CommitteeMeet the Student Magazine Committee members for Spring 2017/2018.

“Be”/ “ ” - Authentic Arabic Streetwear ProjectAs part of the School of Business’ Injaz Project - Article by Ahmad Behbehani.

Get to Know ACK’s Music ClubMagazine Committee member, Abdulaziz Sadeq, sat down with members from the Music Club at ACK. Read more on page 7!

Meet Salsabeel Al SayyarFrom ACK’s Female Football Team.

Swimming with SharksRead more about the Engineering student, Saud Al Fawzan, and his passion for sharks.

Student Awards CeremonySemi-annual Awards Ceremony for Spring 2017/2018.

Travel Diary - Hong Kong & SingaporeBy Fai Al Jeran.

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Front Cover Photo and Table of Contents Design by Abdulaziz Al Tammar

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INSIDE ACK 3

ACK

The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) celebrated Kuwait’s National Day of Independence as well as its Liberation Day on campus. The event was attended by ACK students and staff members to express their love for the country and to symbolize unity under the nation’s colors.

Organized by ACK’s PR & Marketing Department, students and staff members were treated to a wonderful week-long program of celebrations. On Sunday, students celebrated culture with a traditional Kuwaiti band and tent. On Monday, students showcased their talents in the form of paintings of Kuwait. On Tuesday, ACK’s community was invited to a cultural food buffet in the garden area by Building 1. Wednesday included various games and activities. Finally, the band “The Concert” and Singer Fahed AlSalem held a wonderful concert Thursday night to express their love for Kuwait.

The PR & Marketing Department wishes everyone a happy National and Liberation day weekend to all!

Kuwait National & Liberation Days Celebrations

4INSIDE ACK

The Path of Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah

I am going to write about the father of the constitution in Kuwait. He gave Kuwaitis the right to speak freely, vote and represent their country globally. Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah was born in 1895. He received his education in Kuwait. Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem was well known for his passion for history and literature.

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem’s vision was to give Kuwaiti women and men the right to vote for what is best for the State of Kuwait. I remember my mother told me that elementary and high school students used to have two meals a day and to be provided with clothes and shoes including money to tailor their own uniforms. In my opinion, the vision of Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem was to give people their needs and keep them comfortable to build the future of Kuwait.

In building the State Parliament, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem stated that every single Kuwaiti citizen has the right to be elected as an MP (Member of Parliament). The parliament hall was later named after Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem.

Adding to its history, Kuwait is the first country that issued a stock exchange among the gulf countries. Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem’s vision has, in my opinion, significantly helped the human race. As the reader, you may be asking what does the history of Kuwait have to do with freedom of speech and democracy? Well, a democratic country has a huge background on how its democracy developed. Every democratic country has a leader that has a

huge role in its development in areas such as freedom of speech which is important during political debates as it guides towards successful decision making based on the opinions and voices of the citizens.

Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah ruled from 1950 to 1965. During those years, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem made what I consider is the best achievement in the gulf region when he issued the constitution of the State of Kuwait. The constitution is important for the members of parliaments and minsters as they follow it when making constitutional decisions for the country.

Secondly, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem created a beautiful environment in the educational system that motivates the youth to study and inspires them to build an innovative country. Sheikh Abdullah Salem Al Sabah mentioned that our country and our hearts are always open to every Arab and every brother seeking a decent living. They are welcome in Kuwait. I personally believe in democracy because it makes a country politically, environmentally, and socially stable and fair so that every student and worker can leave their mark by expressing their ideas in developing the country.

By Yousef Al Adwani

5INSIDE ACK

MEET ACK’S MAGAZINE TEAM

At the beginning of each semester, all ACK students are invited to join the Inside ACK - Student Magazine Committee.

We are happy to introduce the students on the right as ACK’s magazine team for the Spring 2017/2018 semester. Each one of these students is talented and has shown great dedication and passion.

The team consists of a photographer and graphic designer, writers, and contributors. Their tasks include covering different activities and events around campus, conducting interviews with students and ACK’s community, featuring different clubs and sport teams, writing articles about various topics, and improving the general content and look of the magazine.

We look forward to sharing all the ideas in store and hope this magazine gives you an insight into ACK’s campus life.

For suggestions and ideas to include in ‘Inside ACK’, please email insideackmag@ack.edu.kw.

Sayuri GunawardenaWriter - Student Magazine Committee

Fai Al JeranContributor

Abdulaziz Al TammarPhotographer & Graphic Designer

Mohammed HamadahWriterAbdulaziz Sadeq

Contributor

Zahraa Al JaffarArabic Poet

Yousef Al AdwaniContributor

Sayuri Gunawardena Writer

Eilaf Al SharhanContributor

6INSIDE ACK

“BE”

Nowadays, the Arabic language is not used as often as it used to be. It seems that many young people do not know the simplest Arabic words that are very important in our lives. The majority uses the English Language, even when communicating with other Arabic speakers, as English is now used as a universal language.

“Kun” is a group of people dedicated to bringing the Arabic language back to life through authentic Arabic street wear that resembles our history and culture.

We feel that the best and easiest way to communicate our mission and goals with people is to add strong influential Arabic words on everyday high-quality t-shirts.

Join us to emphasize the importance and beauty of our mother language by expressing yourself, your feelings and personality using influential Arabic words.

For more information and to place an order, visit@beukw on Instagram and Twitter.

By Ahmad Behbehani

GET TO KNOW ACK’SMUSIC CLUB

The Music Club was established in 2009. ACK is the first college in Kuwait to establish a Music Club as part of its extracurricular activities. The Music Club is a place to challenge your fears on stage and express your feelings through music while embracing your passion with the support of others. The club currently has twenty three members, four of which are featured in this article.

“After scouting the

college in search

for an answer for

what inspires the

students during

their studies and

what makes them

go through the

week making them

stronger besides

their education, I

found the Music

Club, a club that

truly provides the

feeling of a family,

of belonging,

and of a team.” -

Abdulaziz Sadeq.INTERVIEW BY ABDULAZIZ SADEQ

Photo by: Mohammad Assad - ACK AlumniReem Al-Shammari - Singer

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Profiles:

Khalid Al-Tamimi is a guitarist and the President of the Music Club, and joined the Music Club in 2011. He was inspired by his elder brother who got him his first guitar. Khaled continued educating himself through hard work and practice, and later, became seen as the elder brother to all the members of the Music Club. “If you want to succeed, face your fears” - Khalid Al-Tamimi.

Reem Al-Shammari is a singer that joined the Music Club in 2016 after constant encouragement from Khalid Al-Tamimi to build her confidence and express her passion and share her voice on stage. “You’ll never know until you try, so go for it” - Reem Al-Shammari.

Rujaib Sami has been a drummer for 8 years and joined the club after his friends supported him to follow his passion. Rujaib has always admired drums and began practicing in gaming drums until he got into the real ones. “With hard work, you will reach your goal” - Rujaib Sami.

Khalid Al-Suraia joined the club in 2016 as a singer and has always loved music but was afraid to sing. The Music Club made Khalid defeat his fears of becoming a singer through the support of the members. “To further admire the college – join a club that you like” - Khalid Al-Suraia.

Interview:

When you hear the word “music”, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Music is life that brings happiness and joy. It is where we can express ourselves and have fun.

How does a member manage their time between studying and pursuing their hobby? Studying and classes always come first. We come from different majors and help each other in our studies. We only require the student to attend an hour a week for the club’s meeting to discuss new updates, and the member can practice in their free time. We also practice and perform inside and outside ACK.

What does the Music Club provide for members with passion in music and no experience? The Music Club provides training in vocal, guitar, piano, drums, etc. The new member’s schedule will be taken into consideration and will always be convenient for both the trainer and the student.

How does ACK support you? ACK provides us with the ultimate support starting off with a stage and an annual budget for the club’s needs. ACK has always supported our talent and helped us participate in events, live shows and much more. We have been

supported by ACK beyond our expectations. In return, we have always joined events as a team and not as individuals, representing ACK in the best manners and image. ACK became our home and is one of the reasons for our success.

After you graduate, will you continue showing up and supporting the club? Yes, we will be always available for the new members, providing the necessary support and continuing to educate the students to keep the spirit of music in the college.

Do you have any comments to the reader? Yes, to all music lovers – come to audition and face your fears with us, we will support you. We are a team; we are a family that help one another, so come join us.

Rujaib Sami - Drummer

Khalid Al-Suraia - Singer

Khalid Al-Tamimi - Guitarist and President of the Music Club

9INSIDE ACK

Interview with Salsabeel from ACK’s Female Football TeamBy Abdulaziz Al Tammar

1- How do you manage your time between studying and football practices?

I have a schedule that I follow to be able to manage my time between studying and football practices at ACK. I also train outside ACK which is why I have found it to be very important to organize my time for studying and football at ACK and outside.

2- What kind of player are you?

I am a very hyper player so I play offense. I love to run and am very fast.

3- What do you think are big mistakes one can do during a match or practice?

• I love football and I take it very seriously which is why I believe it is very important to not only take the matches seriously, but the practices as well. During practice, it is easy to feel relaxed and not

give it your all because you know you are just training. However, if you do not practice well, you will not perform well in the match.

• Getting agitated during a match because I want us to win. No one likes losing so it can be challenging to keep your cool during a match.

4- How do you take constructive feedback from your coach?

You can say that I am used to receiving feedback that I may not like because coaches are always honest and strict. However, feedback is essential for development and so it is wise to take these comments and focus on how I can improve myself.

5- What steps do you take to improve your skills and how can you become a better team player?

Diet! Diet is very important because when I eat well, I feel

well and so I am able to push my body to perform better.

I would also stress on the significance of warming up the right way and not rushing it. This will help you avoid unnecessary injuries and your body will thank you.

6- How do you deal with losing a match?

I do get upset but it pushes me and my teammates to practice more and do our best.

7- How do you define success?

To be confident. When you are confident, you believe in yourself and in your capabilities. You know what your body needs and so you provide it with proper nutrients. This helps with, as I mentioned before, practice, practice, practice! If you do not practice well, you will not do well in a match no matter how talented you may be.

SALSABEELAL SAYYAR

10INSIDE ACK

Saud Al Fawzan is an Electrical Engineering student who sought the thrill of diving with sharks. Saud dove with sharks in the Caribbean and South Africa. He studied the art of diving from instructors who work with National Discovery and National Geographic. Later on, Saud became a scuba diver instructor himself, teaching many people the ways of the dive. One of the biggest concerns his students had were sharks; what to do when one appears and so forth.

Saud decided to take a trip to South Africa which is known to be the capital city of sharks. South Africa contains several of the world’s most dangerous sharks. Saud contacted a shark biologist there to increase his knowledge and was welcomed to go to his house to learn more. From Kuwait, it took 14 hours to reach the shark biologist’s house in South Africa. In the mornings, Saud dove with sharks and at night, he learned more and more about them.

SAUD AL FAWZAN SWIMMING WITH SHARKSArticle by Mohammed Hamadah

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A month later, Saud had enough knowledge about sharks to make him understand how to handle sharks, but there is one thing that never changed, from the beginning till the end, his fear of sharks.

The first time Saud dove with Tiger sharks, he was accompanied by other divers and an instructor. The instructor asked Saud if he was afraid of sharks, Saud responded with an honest “yes”. The instructor told Saud that he should be scared as it is fear that will help him survive and ensure appropriate and well-thought reactions when in contact with a shark.

During orientation with his students, Saud confirms that it is the ones who are not scared of sharks that are the hardest to teach. Their overconfidence leads them to make mistakes underwater that may cause dangerous encounters with sharks. They are also less likely to follow what may seem as minor/detailed instructions and therefore invite trouble. “Your fear of shark is a good thing; you are in their territory, in their habitat. Usually, sharks are just curious so stay calm”, says Saud.

Sharks will attack when provoked or hungry, but they will not attack if they smell your blood as Saud tested out. Saud was wondering whether sharks would attack if there is blood and it appeared to be false despite it being a common cause of attack in movies. During one of his dives, Saud cut open two bags of human blood next to an area where sharks where swimming. The sharks were moving away from the blood rather than being attracted to where it’s coming from. Saud mentioned that he might be

testing with fresh blood from a small wound on the spot to see if there will be different results.

Saud believed that dealing with sharks is

simple; you need to outsmart them, but that takes training and patience. Sharks always attack from behind, which is why Saud keeps a close eye on them when swimming, so none sneak behind him and attack. Saud has been swimming with sharks for a long time and right now he is perfecting his skills and looking forward to diving deeper into the subject after he graduates.

Fear of sharks makes you more careful not to provoke them.

SAUD AL FAWZAN SWIMMING WITH SHARKS (continued)

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STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONYSPRING 2017/2018

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SEach semester, ACK holds a special Student Awards Ceremony to recognize outstanding achievements of students. This semester, the ceremony was held on 14th February 2018 in the college’s auditorium. Certificates were presented by ACK Board Member, Dr. Usameh Jamali and relevant Heads of Departments. The categories of awards at the ceremony included:

Ihtasham AliDegree

Diploma Sayuri GunawardenaMariam Mohamed

Mohannad ElsayedAmal Zaher

Fahad AliMarwah Alqattan

Huda AlQahtani (Civil Engineering Department)Abdulazez Ali (Petroleum Engineering Department)Ali Abdullah (Mechanical Engineering Department)Ihtasham Ali (Electrical Engineering Department)Tamara Hassan (Department of Management)Maryam Alsabeeh (Department of Marketing)Talal AlHamad (English Language Department)

Latifa AlOwaid (Most Outstanding Achievement in Sport)Fatimah Alali (Most Outstanding Achievement in Student Clubs - Non Sport)Saad Ali (Most Outstanding Contribution to Community or Environment)

• ACK Special Academic Awards - Fall 2017/2018 (for distinguished academic work)

• Special Achievement Awards - Fall 2017/2018 (for extracurricular participation)

School of Engineering:

Nawaf AldeweheesMariam MohamedArwa FarghalyMohammad AlRoomiShoroq AbouamerMehran SeraidarianKhaled AlMutairiAbdulmohsen AlBarjasTalal Abdulkareem

School of Business:

Lina MoradRahma YousefMahsa RahimiZainab Jabla

School of Aviation:

Mohannad ElsayedAli Janadeleh

• Dean’s List - Fall 2017/2018 (for students with perfect GPA)

• ACK Academic Scholarships - Spring 2017/2018 (for Degree and Diploma)

13INSIDE ACK

SINGAPORE

A small wonderful country that blends Malay, Chinese, Arab, Indian and English cultures and religions. Nice people, clean streets. There are two main monsoon seasons in Singapore: Northeast Monsoon Season (December-March) and the Southwest Monsoon Season (June-September). So, when planning your trip, make sure you avoid areas during monsoon season.

Having some adventures in this small country was amazing, like going on the metro, China Town, but the most exciting place for me was Universal. My mother thought that Universal was only in the United States, but the big surprise is there is one in Singapore.

- Recommended places:1- Universal2- China Town3- Zoo

Currency: Languages:Singapore Dollar English, Tamil, Mandarin & Malay.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong is a city governed under the principle of “one country, two systems”, under which China gives the region a high degree of autonomy. People there are strict, but kind and helpful. In winter (December till February), the weather is moderate and it is a good time to visit. However, in summer (late May to the mid-September) it gets hot

and humid so you may not enjoy your time there.

The most amazing places in Hong Kong are the Lady Market and Disneyland. It’s like a dream come true when I went to Disney Land, very exciting and lively. As for the Lady Market, you can buy lots of items for a cheap price. Hong Kong is a nice city and you must try their ramen noodles, it’s delicious.

-Recommended places:1- Disneyland2- Ocean Park3- Lady Market

A small tip: Taxis are a waste of money so take the metro, it is much cheaper.

Currency: Languages:Hong Kong Dollar English & Mandarin

By Fai Al Jeran, Magazine Committee Member

Hong Kong

Singapore

Inside ACK - Monthly Student Magazine