What walking alone in a foreign city has taught me

Very few things in life compare to walking alone in a foreign city at night and realising just how far you’ve come.

I’ve been blessed with a job that has taken me to destinations near and far, and somehow every trip still leaves me in complete awe.

From waking up to the stunningly blue waters of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast to getting lost among the neon-lit, bustling streets of Seoul in search of skincare treasures, every experience feels surreal. And yet, in many ways, it also feels like every decision and every detour growing up had been quietly preparing me for this.

Let me put things into context. Journalism was not my first choice of major at university, although I had always loved reading, writing and asking one too many questions as a child.

I was planning to be an architect or an engineer. That was what I had been working towards throughout high school. But, in an interesting twist of fate, logistics got in the way.

Looking back, I believe it was divine redirection – a nudge towards what had always been my one true passion: storytelling.

Show caption: In New York for the UN General Assembly. Fatima Al Mahmoud /…

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and the highest GPA in my cohort. I worked for a few local news outlets before taking a job as a social media journalist with The National in 2021, packing my life into an overweight suitcase and moving to Abu Dhabi.

It was my first experience of working for a newsroom with such global outreach, and it opened doors I never imagined possible. The National expanded my horizons, giving me the platform, resources and trust to chase stories around the world.

Over the past few years, I’ve reported from the glamour and frenzy of fashion shows, the urgency of climate conferences, the diplomatic corridors of the UN, and unassuming rooms filled with world leaders whose decisions have shaped our headlines and our lives.

Show caption: The writer at the UN headquarters in New York. Fatima Al Mah…

It’s the kind of work that sets my soul on fire. On the job, I’m in 'go mode': thinking, creating, writing, filming, scripting, producing, constantly moving from one thing to the next.

It doesn’t really dawn on me until the work day is over – when the stories are filed, the tasks are submitted, and I step outside to explore whatever city I’m in.

No aim, no destination, no direction, the objective is simply to walk around and take it all in: the lights, the sounds, the scents, the energy. And somehow, that mindless stroll is what puts everything into perspective.

“I can’t believe I’m here,” I often repeat to myself. “Surreal. Surreal. Surreal.”

Show caption: At the G7 summit in Morzine in the French alps. Fatima Al Ma…

I’ve picked up a little ritual along the way to capture that feeling of awe. Every time a wave of gratitude washes over me, I take a dated photo on Snapchat. I don’t really use the platform any more, despite its enduring popularity in the region, so that makes it feel like a tucked-away memory box.

Every now and then, I’ll get a random notification reminding me where I was this time last year. And suddenly, I’m transported back – down a memory lane filled with moments that still feel just as surreal as they did when I first lived them. It's incredibly grounding.

Show caption: The writer in Jeju Island, South Korea. Fatima Al Mahmoud / …

Too often, we get caught up in the plans that didn’t work out, the unfinished business, the unanswered prayers, the things we haven’t achieved, or the dreams that have yet to come true. But every now and then, we need to pause long enough to recognise how much of what we once hoped for is already ours.

And I believe nothing evokes that sense of presence and reflection quite like those night-time walks.