Gurasis 0:00

Hey guys , thank you so much for tuning in . So this is part two of my conversation with Dr Siddiqui . If you haven't checked the part one yet , do check it out . I'll put the link in the description .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 0:10

Back in Middle East we used to kiss on each other . Cheeks , when you know when we greet each other .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 0:16

It was a kind of learning moment for me when

Welcome Back with Dr. Siddiqui

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 0:20

I was quite new here . The other person I thought he was from the same background and you know I just did to him and to somehow with his other hand he just pushed me a little bit because he was not feeling comfortable doing it in a public place . So I got shocked and I knew him . I knew him from four years back then , but I was totally shocked at how he transformed and again , there is nothing bad in it . And we were meeting after a long time , we were seeing each other after maybe six years . So that was the moment I felt a bit cultural shock and embarrassed as well .

Gurasis 0:56

So , Dr . Siddiqui , welcome back on my thick accent . Season two of the podcast .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 1:16

Thanks again for having me on this part two .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 1:18

I really enjoyed it the last one and appreciate all your efforts

Gurasis 1:22

so now , , I would like to transition into your move to canada . It was in 2007 when you finally moved to canada , but you were just traveling all the time , and I remember you also tell me that you couldn't stay longer in a same place at one time when you were traveling , and there were situations where you would get up in the morning and you don't know what place or what time zone you are in . So , but tell us initially your initial decision of coming to Canada .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 1:51

So again , great question , guresh the reason why I moved to Canada , or you know why I decided , it's predominantly with a family trend . Having said that , being born and brought up in Saudi Arabia , we were not able to get the citizenship . And there was one very big motive because my family moved there in early 60s and we as adults

Moving to Canada: Family First

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 2:15

which means me and my all siblings we had to go out of Saudi Arabia to get or continue our education . Now you don't compare it , because now Saudi is triply changed thanks to the current leadership . Long story short , again , when we came back , I started again my own professional life in Saudi . Now the time came my own kids , me , my wife and you know , the family we decided that we should not repeat that cycle again for our own kids .

Gurasis 2:46

Okay .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 2:47

So that was the main bottom line that we don't want to repeat that history . And then there must be a place where we would be living together and they would continue their studies . That they don't need to leave Canada was the best choice , because I've been to Canada for work and then my siblings three or four of them , they were already went through the whole process of immigration of you know , coming here . So that's the only thing which is coming to my mind .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 3:17

This is the main reason that we decided .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 3:19

I came here basically on a work visa .

Gurasis 3:22

Okay .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 3:23

I had my extended you know work , and then 2009 was the time when I brought my family to Canada along myself to live here permanently .

Gurasis 3:34

So tell us about your first day , when you moved for the final time in 2009 .

Gurasis 3:40

If you have any recollection , initial thoughts or emotions ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 3:43

so it was emotional , if you have any recollection , initial thoughts or emotions . So it was emotional . It was emotional in a way that we wind up you know everything , you know in Saudi and we landed here . Of course , as I would say , I have an extended family , so we don't we didn't have to go to a hotel or somewhere , so I had , you know , plenty of places to go . So I came here and I would like to share one very interesting fact that when we came it was winters right , and then when I came to the immigration desk , it was , first of all , it was snowing a lot when we were when the plane was landing , and at there was a time when I was quite puzzled and surprised at how this plane gonna land on , you know this snowing .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 4:33

Yeah , this was , it was . There was no black runway , it was totally white covered with whitewash covered with snow and I was wondering and and anxious that how's going to land with all this snow . But thanks to and it was Air Canada flight , so it landed very smoothly . I closed my eyes just to out of anxiety again and then , but it landed , and then when we were at the immigration desk you know it was very warm and welcome of course , the immigration officer she said me you know , welcome home , love , you know all those sort of things and then .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 5:13

And then here I . There is something I always quote , I always remember , and immediately

First Impressions: Landing in Winter

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 5:19

, you know , out of my anxiety , I told her . I said , well , the weather is very bad you know , and I didn't know if we're gonna land safely so you know what she said , she said , mr sadiki , I mean , she was very lovely , she was very friendly .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 5:38

And she , she said remember one thing that there is no bad weather , there are always bad clothes absolutely , and that one that one phrase is stuck here always , and I always quote this you know , with my family , with my friends , newcomers , whoever come to canada , that there is no bad weather . There are always bad clothes . Yeah , okay , which means , which means , like you know , you have to , uh , prepare , and then later on , you know , moving forward in life here in canada , we realize that you have to be equipped with the right clothes in every season yeah , absolutely yeah .

Gurasis 6:27

So you know I also saw that you are . You have contributed and volunteered various places and I'll read few of them . Which is like you are the volunteer and contributor for the milton uh food bank . You're also a mentor for the toronto region immigrant employment council and you're also the co-director of partnership and community growth for the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council and you're also the co-director of Partnership

Volunteering in Canadian Communities

Gurasis 6:46

and Community Growth for the Emerging Health Leaders in Toronto . I wanted to tell us that how did you get associated with these organizations when you moved to Canada and how these can benefit our listeners .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 6:57

Great , great question again . So all whatever you have mentioned , it's basically if I could move fast forward it all happened post-pandemic .

Gurasis 7:10

Okay .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 7:11

From 2020 , let's say until today , until pandemic . As I said , it was very rare for me to stay in one place .

Gurasis 7:21

Yeah .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 7:22

I remember exactly when we were told to come back . I was out of country . I was told with my EHS EHS stands for Environment , health and Safety Leader . You know they called me and they said you are out of country and we have news that all the airports they're going to close ASAP .

Gurasis 7:42

So , being a Canadian citizen , citizen , you please come back or make sure you are back yeah , and if I'm not wrong , this is the time when you were in vienna for the radiology conference , the ecr conference . Right , ecr conference ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 7:54

yeah , okay so then we we just and it was again a moment of shock for us because there were line up meetings , meetings with , you know , customers and all sort of meetings , but we had to cancel everything . I took the first available flight and then I was back in Toronto . I think it was 12th or 13th of March 2020 . So until that time , I used to volunteer . I used to volunteer In Saudi Arabia . I used to volunteer , you know , wherever I go , but in Canada it was mostly the food bank at that particular time . So Milton was the most strategic location at that point . So we moved from Mississauga to Milton in 2020 .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 8:41

This Milton Food Bank because I had previous links and exposure from the Mississauga Food Bank when we were here and everybody was in the , you know , they were trapped or you know , there was a time when a sort of curfew thing , everybody was inside .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 8:59

So there was an immediate need , especially for some senior citizens , for , you know , families who were , you know who needed food . So we have this uh ma'am food bank and then every sunday we used to , like you know , pile up our stock in the food bank and then people they used to come . I remember there were almost 75 families registered , 75 families . They were registered and they were all either newcomers or , you know , the old ones with with less resources , and we used to make those packs , those packets of non-perishable items or , you know , like fresh produces , like milk , fruits , fruits , vegetables , and then they used to come , they took their stuff and then they go . There were some families , senior citizens , who were not able to come . So we have like group of volunteers who used to pick their stuff and then drop at their doorsteps , right . So this is all about the food bank which is still going on . Now we have more than 100 families I would say , if I remember almost 125 families .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 10:11

Number two is is more recent . It was , you know , when I stopped working for my previous company , which was ge , and then , you know , I started my own consultancy work , I would say in late 2021 . I would say it was a blessing in disguise , because we were not able to travel , we were not able to visit customer sites and we were totally , totally in home and that thing was killing me because , of my nature , because of my nature of work , you know to see people . I needed to interact with people .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 10:47

Either you know , as we are doing now , remotely , or one-to-one yeah so there was an organization I came across it is the one which you mentioned which is , you know , the toronto region immigrant , and you know employment council employment council and they came up with a suggestion that we we mean , you know , consultants or whoever in our own niches , in our own expertise we could come up with the newcomers you know we could help them as a mentor .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 11:18

I registered for that mentorship . I got , like you know , a couple of newcomers and I did as much as I could . Again , it was a good two-way learning experience . I'm still related with them or associated with them . If there is any good fit with them , they normally , you know , come back to me and then we do . And then EHL it's EHL or Emerging Health Leaders . It was again something for networking . Ehl or emerging health leaders , it was again something for networking . It was again something , you know , to get together the like-minded people . It was more towards the digital health and why I was inclined to that particular organization because During pandemic , all the healthcare it moved or shifted from in-person to virtual .

Gurasis 12:05

Absolutely , if you remember right , yeah .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 12:07

And then I had an opportunity to work with some other virtual healthcare groups . We were trying to promote and we were trying to educate people that while sitting in your home , you can definitely get in touch with all sorts of healthcare providers , like GPs , like family physicians and , you know , even like mental health professionals . It was a technologically , you know , challenging situation for some individuals and I would say some means especially against senior citizens , especially people with less resources . So that was the whole plan .

Gurasis 12:43

Thank you so much for educating us about all these organizations because , again , if any of our listeners would like to be a part of this or just want to contribute or just want to volunteer for these , I'll put the links to that in the show notes for them to check out . Since you mentioned the health and wellness and you also said it's not limited to the volunteering experience , you do have your own business , your own work and you do provide that health and wellness coaching . I want to tell a little bit more about that . And if someone is associating with you or reach out to you , what can they expect ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 13:17

Health and wellness coaching is such a big umbrella , I would try to make it as concise and as good as possible . Let's talk about in Canadian perspective . We go to our GP , our family physician and he or she , first of all , has not much time . It's typically 10 to 15 minutes , I would say .

Gurasis 13:38

Sometimes even less than that .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 13:39

Sometimes even less . Yeah , I'm saying you because everybody has gone through it , it's maximum . Maximum , let's say , on an average 5 to 10 minutes .

Gurasis 13:48

Absolutely .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 13:49

And he writes down some , either labs or medication , and then we call it prescription . And then the prescription says , for example , you have to control your diabetes , you have to control your blood pressure . Or if you are a patient of cholesterol high cholesterol you have to control your blood pressure . Or if you are a patient of cholesterol high cholesterol you have to control your diet , along with medication . The health and wellness coaching is not about what to do . It's all about how to do . How to do means you need a buddy , you need a partner , you need a cheerleader and you need a health coach . Right ? And this health coaching concept started from IFM , and IFM stands for Institute of Functional Medicine , which is another approach towards healthcare , and we call it holistic health approach or integrative healthcare approach .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 14:52

These practitioners who follow the guidelines of IFM . Equally , they have another branch , which is about developing and empowering health coaches . Two years ago I got connected with those people . It's my personal experience that how I shifted my life , or you know how I made myself more healthier

Health and Wellness Coaching Explained

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 15:17

, it was through that holistic approach about best nutrition , about diet , about better sleep , how to de-stress yourself if you are burnt out , how to reduce your stress , your interpersonal relationships , which means your physical , emotional , mental and spiritual well-being , and how they are connected with each other , with our physical well-being . So , long story short . Again and again I learned all that on scientific basis and as a structured basis , as a course , as a certification through FMCA , which is Functional Medicine Coaching Academy . I'm not writing down the prescriptions .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 16:01

I'm not writing down of what to do . And then we come . We have to do a little bit deep dive here . It's all about positive psychology . It's all about motivational interviewing . It's all about you know to listen to you . If you or somebody else would come to me , my first meeting would go for one hour . Now imagine is there any conventional medicine or non-conventional medicine or practitioner who gives you one hour ?

Gurasis 16:31

I don't think so . Yeah , absolutely not , it's practically impossible .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 16:35

And you know we are not blaming them , we are , and I'm not blaming anybody . It's unfortunately the system , the overall system , right , they don't have time to listen to you . So , for example , if they tell you your diabetes is not controlled , your cholesterol is very bad , your hypertension is not good and you have to live a healthy life , right , then we would dissect and , like an onion , I would peel it off , one by one , one by one , one by one . You know I would address , we would discover first and this is one of my favorite lines you know , when you go to a doctor , he asks you what's wrong with you . He would ask you . He would tell you you know , that's my favorite line he would tell you why you are hair grasses , what brought you in today ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 17:26

you know , and he might be writing down on his paper or he might be typing . Typically , he will not even talk to you . There won't be any eye contact with you . He's so busy , he or she . And then he would say so , why , what brought you here today ? Okay , flu . Okay , are you taking your pills ? Blah , blah , blah . Your hemoglobin A1C is not very good . You have to work on the exercise . You have to work to control your diabetes . Thank you , here is your prescription . I'll see you in six months .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 17:58

Yeah , but what I do , or what people like me , health coaches out there yes , but what I do , or what people like me health coaches out there they do , they say they don't say what's wrong with you , they say what's strong with you Right . So it's just a word , one word change from wrong to strong . And then we sit with them and we discover and we try to find out the pain points , we try to find out the hurdles . And then , with our knowledge , a funny thing , my son . He asked me you know last year , when there was a soccer World Cup , dad , you talk about coaching , but I don't know , I know only about football coaches .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 18:43

Coaches yeah , yeah , I know about only Cristiano Ronaldo . I know only about Messi , and you know all those players . I don't even remember their names . But he said these are the coaches . And then there was an analogy just stuck to my mind , because his question was that they are the coaches . But what do you do , you know ? That was his question . So I told him . I said it's a great question . And now tell me , have you ever seen any coach playing in the ground ? You know . He said no . So where do they see ? Where , where do they sit ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 19:20

he said they sit on on outside of this , you know soccer field , or they are sitting in the dressing room , and then they basically motivate them now this is not me that's my son who is telling me this , right ? So he said they make the strategy , they make them , you know they , they motivate them , they empower them and blah , blah , blah . I said that's what exactly we do .

Gurasis 19:45

We do yeah .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 19:46

So I'm your partner , I'm your buddy , I'm your cheerleader . First of all , in knowing you personally , in a way I built a rapport with you to a level that you are comfortable in talking to me .

Gurasis 20:00

Yeah .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 20:01

And then we discuss about your problems , we discuss about your health , we discuss about your health , about your sleep , about your , and we discover it together , right , and then we choose the top three problems and we focus on them that why , why and why you cannot achieve them , and how , how and how you can achieve them with internal motivation . And then we let you go out and play in the soccer field , because I'm just here to support you , to listen to you , and then to guide you or to educate you how to do it , until and unless you achieve your goal yeah , absolutely .

Gurasis 20:39

I like the analogy . You know that you spoke with your son about as well . You know , with the coach and everything . It is sort of like a relatively new concept . But I'm sure you know that you spoke with your son about as well . You know , with the coach and everything . It is sort of like a relatively new concept . But I'm sure sometimes you do need that external push , external force , or maybe you know what you need to do but need , like , an external person to tell you how to do it or what to do it . You know basically . So definitely , once again , I'll put the links to contact Dr Siddiqui in the show notes . Links to contact Dr Siddiqui in the show notes . So , before we get into the final segment of the podcast , dr Siddiqui , this is a new segment I have added to the season of the podcast which is Know your Host , where I give my guests an opportunity to ask me a question .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 21:20

Definitely you know Gresham . When I met you for the first time and you remember , there was a kind of instant instant connectivity Absolutely . And I don't know from where that come , but it was time for , as we said , there is time for everything .

Gurasis 21:37

Yeah .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 21:38

Then we go and connect the dots

Know Your Host Segment

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 21:40

. Yeah , I would definitely definitely ask you that you know , whatever work you do , or you know , like your journey , which is again very interesting , which we talked about , you know offline , but what prompted you ? One question what prompted you to start this kind of you know , podcasting and you know , to inviting different people from different backgrounds and like . So what's motivated you ? What's the outcome of all these podcasts , or networking and talking to people ?

Gurasis 22:18

Yeah , that's a great question and I always love answering this whenever people ask me . I think it again goes back to the time when I was working in a market research company and I was interviewing people over the phone and many people I was speaking to were international students and and since you know , I had the indian accent and I kind of connected more international students , so they put me on the calls , where 80 percent of the time I'm speaking with international students and they were telling me about their journeys , briefly , about the education institutions they have studied in , and at that time I had just finished my studies and I was also kind of struggling to get a job after my program and it was just like a part-time job I was doing for survival jobs , so to say . When I was talking to them , I saw that nobody's happy after the education and they all want to get into their industries , but they are just not getting in because there are various reasons out there and I was like , oh man , these guys need help and so do I . I needed help at that time as well . Then I started networking and I said , instead of , like me , reinventing the wheel or starting something extraordinary , something like maybe something that provides the jobs or something that can help them in any way , I said , why not to ? Instead of me reinventing the wheel , let me collaborate with these extraordinary people just like yourself who are lending their helping hand to people and who are willing to do that , especially in a country like Canada , where things are very different from our native countries and people here are ready to speak to you , reply back to you on linkedin or whichever source you reach out to them . So I was like , let me do that .

Gurasis 23:56

And youtube obviously the video was something I didn't want to get into . It does require a lot of time and effort and good resources to really start the video podcast . So audio was something I was inclined towards more . And since I have always been towards rj radio jockey , and I was always in doratory in my school , I was always the one on the stage doing the anchoring , the , the news reading sort of thing . I've also recorded a bulletin for a national television channel when I was like 15 years old , so all these things were there and and I was like , okay , let me just do that .

Gurasis 24:29

And in general , I like talking to people , I like knowing their stories , and stories is also something that we all really relate to a lot , like we all learn . Look at our histories , our religious or even cultural histories . We all learn a lot from stories . So I think it was important for me to bring forth all those stories . So if anybody , any of our listeners are listening , they know that , hey , if he or she can do it , you can do it as well , as long as you are believing in yourself , believing in the , the abilities or believing in the experiences that you have brought from your home country . In no way you are less than anybody else .

Gurasis 25:05

And to answer your second part , where you said what I want to achieve with it definitely I want to make this podcast a go-to resource for anybody . A go-to resource for anybody , whether , whichever pathway you have followed to come to canada , whether you have come with your home residency , you're coming on your work visa , because I'm do . I do speak to people from all roles and domains . So this is something I want to make people go to resource , where they can find the right people , the right resource , and , at the same time , I think I'm putting myself at a very accountable position where I'm also accountable for the information that I'm putting it out there . So I also want to make sure that I bring forth the stories of the people and the people who are really ready to really lend that helping hand to people and that can benefit the listeners , to accelerate or just act as a catalyst in their success in in whichever the world of the whichever part of the world they've immigrated to .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 26:02

Yeah , so that's how I think I've answered that beautifully said . And then , if you allow me , just you know , as a closing remark for these two points first of all , trust me , and and maybe you have experienced this as well , that we have abundance of right resources in canada right and having said that , having said that , you people who are from our cultural background , we normally tend to ask people .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 26:32

you know as a word of mouth thing , right , so I would ask my either neighbor or my friend or you know something about anything , right . And then we are not in a habit , collectively or in general Again , I'm not , you know , like pseudotyping anybody , but I'm trying to tell you in general , they don't go online and they don't find , you know , the right resources , right , for example , you know like job market , for example . You know like the immigration process , for example . You know like the immigration process , for example . You know the like write documents , data whatsoever , right . And then when I deep dive , when I had this time , and I deep , you know , dive into this available Canadian resources . Believe me , there is a never ending resources .

Gurasis 27:22

Yeah , absolutely .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 27:24

And genuine resources , authentic resources and up-to-date resources . So so one of my takeaways would be that rely on those online and write resources , just google them right and then every single , each and every department here , they're going to help you absolutely 100 .

Gurasis 27:43

Yeah , this is how I discovered le .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 27:44

This is how I discovered LEF . This is how I discovered Triac . This is how I discovered everything . Do your own research and you would end up in finding the right and reliable resources .

Gurasis 27:55

A hundred percent , yeah . So now , dr Siddiqui , we are in the final segment of the podcast . I call it Beneath the the accent because we are knowing each other beneath the accent . I'm going to ask a couple of questions . You can answer them in one word or a sentence or howsoever you feel like . The idea is just to know more about you . What advice would you give to your younger self , and at what age ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 28:20

I would definitely

Beneath the Accent: Final Questions

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 28:21

, definitely go back when I was 18 . Okay , or you know , when I was entering my professional college or university . You know , mehboob Siddiqui , I would tell him to believe in myself , to believe in your intuition and to believe in your passion . Just choose . I'm not using the word career , I'm just choosing . Just choose the work , just choose the activities which make you happy .

Gurasis 28:49

Is there a moment when you experienced a significant cultural shock that surprised you ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 28:55

Back in Middle East . As I said , we used to kiss on each other cheeks when we greet each other . So , basically , yeah , we shake hands and then we do this . So it was a kind of learning moment for me when I I was quite new here and you know the other person I thought he was from the same background okay and , and you know , I just did to him okay and to somehow , with his other hand he just pushed me a little bad oh , wow right , because he was not feeling comfortable doing it in a public place okay right .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 29:38

So I was brutally honest with you , so I got shocked I'm sure yeah right and I knew him , I knew him from for years back then , but I was totally shocked that how he transformed . And again , there is nothing bad in it , you know . Yeah , of course it was , and we were in a public place , we were in a mall and we were meeting after a long time , you know , and , like you know , I out excitement out of you know , we were seeing each other after maybe six years when , you know , after shaking hand , I was , you know , trying to like we used to greet each other .

Gurasis 30:16

Absolutely you know .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 30:17

So that was the moment I felt a bit cultural shock and embarrassed as well . But then I would say , thanks to my resilience or thanks to my you know training , that I just absorbed that moment and then everything was okay from that point onwards and I was careful I'm sure .

Gurasis 30:40

Okay , what's the one dish from your home country that always brings you comfort and nostalgia ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 30:47

So from Saudi Arabia it's called Mandi , or you know different cultures , they call it different , or it's called Kapsa , which is , you know , made with either goat or with chicken , with rice aromatic rice . With rice aromatic rice . Okay , and you know , it's a sort of national dish which we used to eat there in festivals , in weddings , on you know , in any big occasion , and similar dishes . Back home is biryani .

Gurasis 31:20

And do you have any story related to your misunderstanding around the accent or the English ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 31:23

So you know it's from our friends and our colleagues from China Okay , I have great friends in that part of the world used to be great colleagues when we used to talk on telephone . It was a little bit difficult to understand and be understood , especially when English is not a native language for both of us . I have my own accent and I again I don't know which accent is this , but when I talk people they are confused . They ask me either you are from Middle East or you are from Arabian countries , or you know , as I said , you are from India or Pakistan . They get confused . He was telling me that or I was telling him that what I had eaten we use the word duck . Maybe it was Thanksgiving something or something like that .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 32:12

But somehow duck came to the , you know , like the Thanksgiving dinner , and he understood that I was mentioning about dog . So that was quite funny that he understood that I was eating dog and my point was there was a confusion between duck and dog and my point was there was a confusion between duck and dog .

Gurasis 32:29

Okay , so what's your favorite cultural festival or celebration in Canada ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 32:33

Surprisingly , we have huge community here . So when I say huge community , so technically we or year around we have only two festivals . We call them Eid , so one of them is sweet eat and another one is the you know , eid of sacrifice , eid al-adha . It's becoming so inclusive now that , being here in canada , we invite our neighbors , we invite you know again , all across so I can tell you like you know Christians , hindus , jews , sikhs you just name it , you know , and then in a community , we invite them to break the fast with us .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 33:14

Okay , it gave me , on a personal level and on a community level , such a big joy , such a big fulfillment that you know , we learned about each other's cultures and we learned that each culture has fasting traditions . You know , like I never knew that previously . They have all . They call it different names , absolutely yeah , but they do fast . This is one of the things that you know , I celebrated a lot .

Gurasis 33:45

And tell us about your first friend that you made in Canada .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 33:48

We are ending the program and it's the most difficult question , guresh ? Yeah , because you know I was fortunate enough to have too many friends , abundance of friends and family . When I came here I was not in a need to make friends . Having said that , I had so many colleagues , I had so many , you know , like , like now , neighbors it's really hard to question . I I cannot name one .

Gurasis 34:13

one thing is , I can tell you if somebody is in my friend circle or in my network , then I always try to keep in touch with them so , since you have traveled a lot , you know , and you were like on the move all the time what three things that you would say that you always carried with yourself , or would you recommend people to carry when they travel ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 34:33

Whenever you know I used to travel , my one trolley bag was ready , always ready , because you never know you have to catch a flight , for people who have their own medication with them . So I would say , keep always a small travel pack with you of your medications and you know those utilities . Secondly , I always kept a copy of my travel documents . And then the third thing is a pair of clothes , socks , undergarments , something which is like the most basic , basic , essential and necessarily , if I lose my luggage , it happens a lot .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 35:08

so these come to my mind and they're still in my bag so finally , describe canada in one word or a sentence a land of opportunity and it's the most friendliest country I have been to so if you could leave me with one piece of advice , what ?

Gurasis 35:25

what would it be ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 35:25

Listen to your gut always and keep up your excellent work , which you are doing .

Gurasis 35:30

Thank you . Thank you so much , and how would you describe your experience of being on the podcast ?

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 35:36

Lovely , very energizing , and there is something which I always say that I believe in reverse mentoring . You know , every day is a learning day . It's not about uh in age , who is senior , who is junior , who is younger , who is older . We always learn from each other absolutely and from bottom of my heart , guresh says I thank you for inviting me and giving me this opportunity , just to share myself okay , no , thank you .

Gurasis 36:06

Thank you so much for your kind words and it has been a pleasure speaking with you and I cannot wait for people to hear this recording and learn from you and from the stories that you have shared . And thank you for being so open about all your life and all your journeys and all the stories that you have told us , the fun conversations that you have shared with us . So , thank you , thank you so much for being on the podcast and adding value to my listeners . Thank you .

Dr. Mahboub Siddiqui 36:30

Pleasure is all mine . Thank you so much .