‘Bedouia’ From the Mountains

By Maria Botros

COMM 222

‘Bedouia’, a term used for people born and raised in the desert, from the mountains is the way Uma Mencia refers to herself to depict the contrast between her life now and what it used to be. She lives alone in Dubai, UAE yet her heart still longs for home. Photo by: Maria Botros

As she pointed on the map the distance between home, Spain, and the UAE, she explained how she is leading two completely different lives. In Dubai she is the desert-loving horse racer; however, once home she is a Spanish mountain climber Photo by: Maria Botros

As a horse rider, travelling around the world is evident which allowed language to become a passion for Uma. As Spanish, French and Basque come naturally and are spoken fluently, she is currently working on mastering the Arabic language to add to her list. Photo by: Maria Botros

Although she faced a culture shock at first, she still managed to incorporate aspects of the Spanish culture in her daily life whether in the form of music playing in her apartment in the background or keeping her Flamenco shoes handy. Photo by: Maria Botros

Despite the fact that riding absorbs most of her time, education occupies the rest of it. Uma clearly expresses that she does not allow horse-riding to interfere with her intellectual life and gives both equal importance. Photo by: Maria Botros

Her mornings start with training in the Meydan stable in order for the horse and herself to be physically fit for competitions while her afternoons are reserved for classes and studying. Photo by: Maria Botros

Once she has set foot outside the doors of the tower she lives in, she automatically leaves the busy city life behind and embraces the serene and cool desert mornings. Photo by: Maria Botros

Her perfect morning starts with feeding Kimbell, her personal horse flown out of Spain to be with her in Dubai, then a quiet walk with her around the desert dunes and ending it with riding around the track for endurance. Photo by: Maria Botros

She passionately describes how interesting it is that every morning as she takes out Kimbell for a walk, she is constantly reminded of the rush of the city as she sees the towers faintly in the horizon. Photo by: Maria Botros

Uma explains that she takes advantage of the time she spends with Kimbell for contemplation. She concludes that Kimbell, her race horse, is the reason she lives in Dubai and continues to bring her great opportunities to circulate the world. Photo by: Maria Botros