What is Techwomen and prior to the beginning of an amazing Journey

Two weeks ago I returned back from USA after spending 6 weeks there. I was selected in the Techwomen program 2016. Techwomen is an amazing program, it is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program goal is to empower, connect and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East by providing them the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire women and girls in their communities. So basically this year we were 87 amazing Techwomen emerging leaders and we were hosted in 37 companies in Silicon Valley.

I don’t remember exactly the real first time that I heard about the program. But last year, a fellow Techwomen 2015 her name is Afnan Saqr shared her experience with us through a presentation as we are both members in the same organization called JCI.

While I was preparing for this trip, I was feeling sacred emotions. Two years ago, I made a visualization video(I learned this from a personal development coach) putting in it all that I am dreaming to have or achieve in my life, I watched it daily for a few months and forgot about it. Four of my intentions included: Having an international experience, visiting Silicon Valley, visiting San Francisco and visiting Disney Land, and you know what, they are all coming true after two years. I wasn’t even aware that Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Disney land are all in California!

I am so grateful for this opportunity, while just filling he application I became more motivated, focused and got more clear vision to my professional life.

My first international experience was last year, when I visited Malta as part of an exchange program invited by JCI Malta as I am a member in the Junior Chamber International known as JCI in Jordan. The program name was “Small talk” and it’s aim was to increase cultural dialogue and to discuss refugees issues. We met delegates from UK, Estonia, Morocco, Italy and Malta. It was the first time where I noticed that we are all the same as human beings, I experienced how it feels like being part of a big international family, and was thrilled to repeat such experience with those amazing women around the world, those emerging leaders who are making and going to make the world better place to live. You know what?  by uniting this way we are making the world more peaceful ! Yes more peaceful , because when we discover how similar we are regardless of how we look or what we believe and when only one rule gathers us which is the rule of love, all other barriers disappear and we are spreading this mindset when we get back to all those around us.

I am lucky that in the same year, I visited two important techno hubs, last March I visited Dubai Silicon Oasis, and after 6 months I am in Silicon Valley, this classy savvy techno world capital city. I am always amazed how technology changed and can change how we live, communicate and experience life and I am thrilled by the endless number of ideas that can be implemented to achieve such things.

Before applying to the program I reached to a point where I was questioning my direction in life, now I am sure that technology is my way. Even if I will work with any other thing, technology should be a vital part of it. I asked myself why? And I think being passionate about technology is being passionate about creativity, innovation and new things all the time. Maybe this has a relation with my interest in Lego and puzzles when I was a child. What I love about technology is that I don’t like doing things in conventional way, I love creativity, innovation and new things, and technology offers all of this and more.

 So this is an introduction, wait my coming posts sharing my amazing experience, my beautiful Techwomen experience. You can call me now a Tech-traveler!
This is the website for Techwomen:
https://www.techwomen.org/

This is me when I visited Adobe office in San Francisco. I was hosted at Adobe. I will talk about this more in my coming posts.