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The Upside of Covid: Syrian actress Laura Abo Asaad counts her blessings

Dubai - Dubai resident shares her positives from the year gone by

For Laura Abo Asaad, a Syrian actress and producer living in Dubai with her husband and two kids, the vaccination drive that the UAE embarked on to protect its people from the worst of the pandemic couldn’t have come sooner. “I was waiting for this vaccine, because I believed it will stop the spread of the virus,” says the actress who not only read extensively to find out all the pros and cons of the vaccination but even consulted with doctors in and outside the UAE about the same. While the doctors varied in their opinion of which brand of vaccine to go for, she says there was no doubt that they were all good. “So many people asked me on my social media pages, as to how I could be so brave to take it (she has now taken both the shots) and how I know that it is effective. I simply answered that if it is not 930 protective, it is definitely not harmful.”

“And if I feel healthy and not worried about myself, I want to be responsible and protect the community around me and do whatever required to not transfer the virus from my body to someone old or who has weak immunity.” While Laura is extremely respectful of the fact that we have to be mindful of those who suffered badly due to Covid across the world, personally she says staying at home for most of 2020 has impacted her life on the whole positively.

Making friends for life

“Some gorgeous moms of my friends in Dubai from 14 nationalities, made a group on WhatsApp, and started to exchange cooking recipes, jokes, books to read, songs, movies, planting tips, news and updates on Covid, homeschooling tips. The most lovely thing was our virtual ladies nights where we put on our nice clothes and met each other virtually! We joined the Deepak Chopra meditation programme, we tried to stay positive and lift each other up. I can tell you that some of those ladies will stay my best friends forever.”

Strengthening the family bonds

“On a very personal level, it was an opportunity to become closer to my family, find out so many amazing talents in my kids and strengthen the bond of love with my husband who supported me to survive all the challenges of the quarantine and the effects on our business as well.”

Working on a long cherished dream

“I could find time to start a project for our production company’s YouTube channel, Audio-Visual books for kids in Arabic. This is one of my biggest dreams that came true because of the quarantine. As an actress, I just put on hold any project that requires travelling outside the UAE, because I do not want to be stuck somewhere far away from my family. As a producer, I put my efforts with my partner, who is my husband, to invest in online production; it is a slow process but it will become fruitful soon.”

Savings galore

“The first period of lockdown was a great saving plan — no parties, no dinners or lunches out and almost no shopping but groceries and basic home appliances.”

Online success

“The online experience for schools and companies, that was very successful in the UAE, is something to consider after this pandemic. I believe it is better for the environment to continue to do it partially. The lockdown made us all think again of our mother earth, to slow down, and reconsider our lifestyle and what is really necessary and what is not.”

Feelings of Gratitude

“I feel grateful to be in the UAE, where the government did the best to protect the population. Because of not travelling outside of the country for a year so far, we could discover hundreds of breathtaking locations all over the UAE. Perhaps all of this would not have happened if we did not have this pandemic.”