Hello everyone and Welcome to my blog! I am Afif Baadarani, born in England and lived in Lebanon for most of my life. I am 21 years old and currently a senior studying Petroleum Engineering. I found my major interesting since oil and gas are two of the most needed resources in most of peoples life. I enjoyed taking World Music course last semester because it gave me a different perspective on music. I was able to learn the correlation between historical events and the development of World Music. Additionally, I was introduced to many different genres and instruments that I have grown to actually enjoy even after my course (Bagpipes!). Over the break I visited family and friends in Canada. I spent time both in Toronto and Waterloo. I enjoyed it because it was a great mix of having some time to laying back to going out in Toronto and experiencing the city life. Al Pacino is my favorite actor so I would have to dedicate my favorite movie award to Scent of Woman, Scarface and Carlitos way, in no particular order. I listen to rap, house and deep house music. The deep house scene is not very common here in Oklahoma but I've been to many nice venues around the world that always never fail to put on a nice show (Barcelona, Cannes, Varna, Istanbul, Beirut...). I hope to become a well rounded and successful petroleum engineer in the Middle East and be able to impact the industry enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental damages. I do have a pet called Zoey, she's a 6-7 month old Labrador retriever that is super cute and crazy but fills up my time with fun and great partnership. I am a big foodie, I enjoy traveling the world but most importantly trying the best restaurants in different parts of the world. Favorite foods, wouldn't be able to choose one but I am a bigger fan of gourmet food. Also if you haven't tried Lebanese food (real traditional) and you love food, you are missing out!! I used to play Division 1 NCAA soccer, so that is a big hobby of mine. I also enjoy lifting weights and playing basketball as I grew up as a huge of the GOAT Kobe Bryant (Black Mamba) fan. If I had an extra day for fun I would definitely fly back home to see spend it with my mum and dad by treating them to a nice seafood lunch on the beach!
Bagpipes: that is another great tradition to add to the countries you had listed in your favorite places posts, Afif (there are Celtic units coming up later in the semester).
ReplyDeleteFood: I love Mediterranean food, especially baba ganoush - it is my favorite. Yum! I am getting hungry even just writing about it...!
And maybe even Zoey can make an appearance in one of your stories: she is so cute; thank you for sharing her picture here. :-)
Yes! I am going to choose the Celtic unit in the following weeks for sure!
DeleteMediterranean food is amazing, I will try to incorporate pictures of some of the famous Lebanese dishes if I get the chance too!
Thank you! I will try my best to debut her on this blog :)
Afif, it is nice to see that another petroleum engineering student is taking this course too. I too would like to eventually travel overseas for work. If I had a choice though I would try and work somewhere in South America. I also am a huge movie person and I didn’t put Scarface on my introduction but that is one of my favorite movies. I actually have a Golden Retriever who is around the same age as Zoey. I am sure he is just as hyper and crazy as she is.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice getting to know you. Hope you have a great semester in this class and the PE classes!
Trevor, thanks for dropping by! Definitely great to see another petroleum engineering major here. Oh yeah puppies are crazy but that's the fun part! Hope you have a great semester and good luck!
DeleteHey Afif!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see so many engineers in this course! It seems like you have traveled a lot! That sounds so fun!
I love trying different foods! Where would you suggest trying traditional Lebanese food in Norman/OKC area?
Your dog is so cute! I'm jealous! I could use a dog in my life, but I'm not sure I could have a puppy while in college! They're so much work!
Have a fantastic final semester!
Nice to meet you, Afif. Dang, you've traveled quite a bit! That sounds super exciting and it seems like you've had lots of great experiences :^) happy for you! You should post pics of your adventures one day; they'd be awesome to see. Your major is pretty interesting and I wish you the best of luck with your career! Your dog is super cute, too.
ReplyDeleteOne of the coolest things about this class is learning what everyone is studying. I didn’t know petroleum engineering was a thing! I respect that you’re going into it thinking about efficiency and lessening the industry’s impact on the environment. That’s seriously cool.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that you enjoy listening to bagpipes! Have you ever heard of Mongolian throat singing? It’s weirdly awesome to listen to, especially if you like unconventional music and traditional music from other cultures. You should YouTube it!
Dang I think you have me beat with traveling! my end goal is to make it to every continent, I've made it to 4 of them so far! I am also a fellow Engineer (aerospace) but only a junior. I love your dog! I feel that a person is 10 times better when they have a dog.. only 5 times better if they have any other animals.
ReplyDeleteFirst, your dog is adorable, she looks so sweet! I love the fact that you are so proud of being a petroleum engineer. So many people would hide that, but it is a very important job. Who knows, you may be the next person to make an amazing innovation? If you like bagpipes you should listen to Shaun Davey's Relief of Derry. It is a symphonic piece based of a a real event, the siege of Derry during the Willamite war, war between England and Scotland over the Monarchy, in 1689. The most important thing is that Davey was the first composer to use bagpipes in his orchestra. its a really beautiful piece and if you chose to listen to it I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteAlways good to see another engineer around these parts! I took a music history class during my freshman year I believe, and you're right, it's interesting to see how the changes in society were reflected in music. It gave me a new appreciation for classical pieces. Anyways, good luck with your career goals! They seem really noble. Also, I'm kinda jealous that you've been to so many places, haha.
ReplyDeleteHey Afif. It's so cool that you were born in England!! I've always wanted to go to England but I haven't had the opportunity to just yet. I will someday though!! I love traveling and seeing the world but I don't get to travel near as much as I'd like to. So, I'm always just a little envious of others that are able to do so.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's really cool that you are majoring in engineering. That's a great thing to study if you're hoping to make a difference in the world.
Wow, it seems like you have been all over the place! I would love to travel the world like you have. Petroleum Engineering is so difficult so good for you for being able to manage it. I just read your Week 5 story before this and realize that you incorporated your own dog Zoey into the story, which is really cool.
ReplyDeleteAfif,
ReplyDeleteWow! That is so great that you lived in Lebanon and were born in England. I would love to travel the world. What brought you to OU from there? I think oil and gas is a great industry to get involved in, and is so prominent in today's society. I have never heard of those movies, so maybe I should expand my horizons. Your dog is also really cute! I am a huge animal lover, so it is hard that my dogs aren't with me at school. It was great getting to learn about you!
Oh my gosh your dog is adorable!! That's so cool that you're from Lebanon! I would love to try some Lebanese food! Do you know any places in Oklahoma that you would recommend? What exactly is deep house music? I don't think I've ever heard of it before. And can you recommend any bagpipe songs? I've never really heard it used outside of stereotypical Scottish scenes in movies.
ReplyDeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteThat’s so awesome you were born in England and lived in Lebanon and now you are here! Very worldly – I bet it was very cool to come here and study. Bagpipes have such a negative connotation because they are played at funerals but I think that’s so cool that you are knowledge on them because I think it is such a beautiful instrument!
Erin
Nice to meet you Afif! I took world music during winter intercession and I really enjoyed it as well. It was a fun elective and I didn’t realize there were so many different types of music. You sound like you stay busy with school and traveling! Your dog is really cute also. I hope you get to finish up school soon and reach all your goals!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to get to know you, Afif! It's so great that you've been able to go so many places. Canada is definitely on my list to go to. I love that you know exactly why you are a Petroleum Engineering major and that you want to do things that are necessary and will make a difference. I also love that you love the bagpipes. I think they are such a cool instrument, but few people agree with me about that. I really look forward to reading your stories.
ReplyDeleteHello there and very nice to meet you. Growing up in a foreign land is something that is certainly unusual to hear from someone at a state school such as OU. When exactly did you move from England to Lebanon? Has your transition to the United States been a smooth one? PE is certainly a major that will always be in demand in the near future with our reliance on fossil fuels seeming to be endless in scope.
ReplyDeleteHi, Afif!
ReplyDeleteYou have a very cool name; I like it. I have never been to Canada, but I would love to experience that one day. Your pup, Zoey, is super adorable. She looks like a cute troublemaker. Like you, I am also a foodie! I mean… who doesn’t love eating? It is always exciting to try new things! I will definitely look into Lebanese food now.
Wow! Afif, that's awesome that you decided to come to OU even though you were born in England and raised in Lebanon. That must've been a hard decision to travel somewhere so far from your home. I think it's cool also that you have friends and family in Canada. You must have a lot of travel experience under your belt! I don't know if I've met anyone who plays the bagpipes, but that seems like it would be an intricate instrument to learn. Good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi, Afif! Wow, you've lived an interesting life! I would love to travel the world and experience new foods. Maybe when I graduate I will get the chance. I feel like I should have already seen a bunch of Al Pacino movies, but I have yet to see one. I am probably missing out on some great films. I am actually taking world music right now, and you are definitely right -- it does give a different perspective on music. Anyways, congrats on almost being done with school!
ReplyDeleteHi Afif, that is awesome that you were born in England and lived in Lebanon. I have never even been out of the United States so I am super jealous. I am also a senior in engineering! I am doing aerospace engineering and graduate in May. I was also considering petroleum engineering in my freshman year! I hope this semester is not too difficult for you!
ReplyDeleteHi Afif! That is awesome that you were born in England and grew up in Lebanon. I always find it fun to talk with people from outside the US. Your puppy is so precious. I think it’s great that you have your goals set for your future. Good luck with the rest of your time at OU and your petroleum engineering career!
ReplyDeleteHey, Afif! It's nice to meet you! It's great that you're a senior and you're still only 21. I'm 23 now and I'll be graduating this May. You definitely have your priorities straight, man! I'm currently taking a beginning guitar class and it's awesome. I'm pretty one-sided when it comes to instruments in that I really only like the guitar and the drums. I think taking that World Music class would help me to broaden my horizons lol. Anyway, I hope you have a great rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Afif,
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised I've gone the whole semester without being paired to read your story.
First, Zoey looks so adorable! I definitely know the feeling of having an energetic puppy, but loving every single minute of it. Dogs are so great!
Anyways, I'm amazed that you're majoring in Petroleum Engineering. That's so cool, and seems extremely interesting (but complicated as well).
Best of luck to you in your future, you sound like you're dedicated and heading in the right direction for sure!