Today we’d like to introduce you to Nihal Amarir.
Nihal, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It was Tuesday, March 15th at night. My flight to Utah was canceled due to heavy snow. The airline’s customer service was overwhelmed, passengers were stressed, and I was happy. I did not know then that I was meant to become a Utahn. I was excited to start a life in New York, in the big city, in the lively state.
In just few hours that night in New York City, I experienced something that completely changed my mind about staying there. It was like a sign telling me that I was better if I head home, to my new home. Luckily, they were able to connect a flight to Utah the next day.
I did not come to Utah with a dream, because my dreams were to be somewhere else in central Europe. Switzerland was my destination for an internship and a job offer.
Before I made it home. Before I made it to Utah, I blamed my dad for a while for pushing his opinion for me to go to Utah (There was a reason he wanted me to leave immediately. I am not sure it is something I want to talk about in this interview. It was political).I stopped answering my dad’s calls for a while. I planned to stay away until my visa to the USA expired.
Three days before my visa was expired, I finally was obedient once in my life and I listened to my dad. I took my flight to the USA and I landed first in New York. Once I landed, I powered my phone off, it was a Nokia 3410. I was still believing I was not being supported enough to go where I planned.
My dream map has never included the USA as a destination. I remember my dad sending me an email when I did not answer their calls while in New York (His texts did not go through to my number) and here I pasted some of it to share it, it was in French.
“Chère fille,
Je crois que c’est le bon endroit pour quelqu’un qui veut que sa liberté soit prise au sérieux. S’il te plaît ne sois pas mécontent de moi.
Sais tu que le 20 décembre 1777, le Royaume du Maroc est devenu le premier pays au monde à reconnaître l’indépendance des États-Unis, un an et demi seulement après la publication de la déclaration d’indépendance des États-Unis.
C’est là que tu es censé être.
Je t’aime
He said to me… (I translated it below)
Dear daughter,
I think there is the right place for someone who wants their freedom to be taken seriously. Please do not be unhappy with me.
Did you know that on December 20, 1777, the Kingdom of Morocco became the first country in the world to recognize United States independence, only a year and a half after the U.S. Declaration of Independence was issued?
That is where you are meant to be.
I love you.
A year after, I had a chance to ask him why he emailed me about Morocco being the first country in the world to recognize United States independence, and what that had to do with me refusing to migrate to the USA but where I wished to go. And he explained that he wanted me to connect with where I went, he wanted me to belong and to feel home already.
Today, I thank my dad for having a better vision for me than what I had for myself. It all started in Salt Lake City Utah. The first day I landed at Salt Lake City Airport, I decided to make it home. But I had to restart everything.
I had to unlearn to learn a lot. Having a finance and a Marketing degree from UQAC (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi) and speaking multiple languages has certainly helped me to have a smooth transition.
Today, English is my first language, but 16 years ago, English was not even my language. All I spoke was French, Moroccan, Tachelhit (one of the 3 Amazigh languages), and Arabic. All 4 languages were my native languages with being a receptive bilingual in Spanish being part of who we are in North Africa and my ancestors’ origins.
I was born in the northwest corner of Africa, 30 min or 9 miles from Spain. It all started in Morocco which is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. I’m an Imazighen AKA “free people”. People recognize the wrong name Berber more than they know the correct name “Amazigh”.
Amazighs are indigenous to North Africa. In Tamazight, the language spoken by Amazighs, Imazighen is the plural form, meaning “free people”. They are also known as Berbers, deriving from Greek for ‘foreigner, non-Greek speaking, barbaric’, though this term – used widely by invading forces and colonial authorities – is largely rejected by Amazigh themselves due to its negative connotations.
Being an Imazighen, I was born as a “free person”, a “free girl” and a “free woman”. Freedom is a huge part of who I am. It is important to me that people who meet me on a personal level get to know me and hear from me what freedom is to me. I am also extremely interested in learning what freedom means to them.
Freedom of thinking, of speech, and of doing has always been the key to my healthy life. A lot of people also ask me about the origins and the meaning of my last name.
Amarir is a name in the Amazigh language that means “the poet” “the singer” or more broadly today “the artist” I descend from a family where art was a huge part of their daily life. My dad’s family didn’t only travel abroad to pursue their education dreams but also to share and learn more about other cultures and art.
You asked me how it all started. It all started here in Utah.
Utah to me is not the only place in the country where four states come together AKA “Four Corners,”. Utah to me is not only a stunning natural landscape, pastrami burgers, or a state that hosts the Sundance Film Festival. Utah to me is not only the best economy and employment in the country, a great family lifestyle and a very affordable quality of life. Utah to me is not only the happiest place to live because of the beautiful outdoors, mountains, and ski resorts.
Utah to me is home. Utah to me is where I said my Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and became an American Citizen. Utah to me is where I met sisters from another mother. Utah to me is where I made the best friends who fight for me in rooms, I am not in. Utah to me is where I fell in deep love for the very first time in my life. Who later became my husband. His name is Satya, and he is from Hyderabad, India.
Utah to me is where I became a mother for the very first time. Utah to me is where I registered my very first business adventure. Utah to me is where I learned, created, and built.
Today, I am a proud mother of 4 children. Dani 13 years old, Adam 9 years old, Anna 7 years old and Neil 21 weeks old. But, 16 years ago, if you checked my dreams, nowhere you will find “I want to become a mother”. All you could find is “I want to become an entrepreneur” and “I want to build a brand”, it was all about business and nothing about family. I came from a big loving family; I was not in a rush to build my own.
While I managed a few restaurants at the Salt Lake City International Airport between the year 2007 to the year 2012, I started a few small businesses as a side hassle. From designing frames and selling them online to owning a coffee shop importing cosmetic Argan Oil and home decoration to designing leather laptops, tablets, and carry-on bags and selling them locally in my previous gallery in downtown Salt Lake City, on my website and the Facebook store.
In 2013, my husband had a personal matter in CA. I recommended and offered to him that we could move to CA and live there while he takes care of that. When we moved to CA, we opened an office and ran his consulting business until I left the company in mid-2018 and worked as a financial analyst and the head of the accounting department until I decided to leave CA.
I left CA and drove with 3 children as a single parent back to Utah after the Covid lockdown. I felt a need to return home, to be in Utah. Coming back to live in Utah was a great decision I made for me and my kids. I reconnected with family, friends, neighbors, and people in business. I started a financial firm that does accounting, payroll and taxes here in Utah, and I am currently studying to become an enrolled agent (EA). I also gave birth to my fourth child Neil who I previously mentioned is now 5 months old.
I have also been writing articles at medium.com using a pen name since June 2022. It has been helping me to tell my story using a pen name. It has been a great therapy for me as well.
Everything else in my life is great. But being a mother has become everything in my life. Let me share with you one word for each of my children.
Dani 13y/o is my life’s beginning.
Adam 9y/o is my life’s strength.
Anna 7y/o is my life’s joy.
Neil 5 months old is my life’s miracle.
Every mother-child relationship is unique. I consider my relationship with my kids to be incredibly unique. My children made me understand life. I have never felt as complete as I feel today. I spend all my time with them. I acknowledge that the way they are raised will affect the people they will become, and this alone makes me want to learn more about life.
Here are a few things that we do together regularly… We paint, we sketch, we read, we write, we play music, we sing, we ski, we skateboard, we hike, we bike…
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a road. It has not been that smooth and that is part of my life story.
Anything comes and goes, but family time if it is missed. It has gone forever.
A lot of people will mention workplace conflicts, society, money, wages, customers, budget, capital, natural disasters, family losses, health issues, household, income, investment, population, infertility, marriage counseling, kids’ therapy, carpool, pollution, global warming, climate change, career, romance, physical and mental health challenges, Basically Most common problems in people live.
I think the biggest struggle I have is at home. I am open about this everywhere outside of this interview. We lack and we need family therapy and counseling. I was never able to convince my partner to attend professional sessions. This just has me being married and a single parent. I believe that children should have a healthy relationship with both parents. My children have a relationship only with me.
This has been a major struggle in my life. But I always put and choose my children first. And that has been the major joy in my lifetime.
The lesson I’ve learned from this ongoing reality is simple “no expectation, no disappointment”. When we embrace the true no expectations, no disappointments meaning, we begin to live fully in the present. Our lives are filled with acceptance, gratitude and love. We stop fighting things that are out of our control and focus our power on what we can control which are our own mindset, emotions and actions. Learning how to be happy without expectations means realizing that fulfillment comes from within.
Let me share with you 4 quotes I live by and I have my kids to live by as well:
“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”~ Harvey Macay ; This keeps me fully present in the moment.
“If you think the cost of winning is high, just wait until you get the bill for regret.”~Tim S. Grove ;This makes me want to live my truth no matter what the circumstances are.
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. – George Addair ;This makes me wake up every day thinking what my fears are and what are they blocking me from experiencing. Because this whole life is nothing but “an experience”.
“We rise by lifting others” – Robert Ingersoll ;This makes me wish for others what I wish for myself, and help others when I’m in deep need.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about A.N.D.A. Financial Services LLC?
A.N.D.A. stands for each of my children’s names. My children picked the name and the logo. The colors in the logo represent their favorite colors.
A.N.D.A. Financial Services LLC. (Or ANDAFS) was founded by Nihal Amarir, a Public Accountant and a Tax Analyst, to offer small businesses easy access to the combined expertise of a group of highly specialized accounting, payroll and tax preparation services.
ANDAFS leader Nihal Amarir, Founder and CEO has served as a Financial Analyst, Public Accountant for over 10 years, and Tax Analyst for over 3 years, including direct experience in the venture capital, ecommerce, and nonprofit sectors. She has worked with companies ranging from early stage to midsize companies.
On Aug 21st, 2023, ANDAFS will start accepting and reviewing applications of candidates who are interested in learning bookkeeping and tax preparation. ANDAFS will provide completely free training. Assisting with resume building and job opportunities.
Candidates:
- Single parent, or a single mother who is looking to learn and work from home.
- Women, not a parent but went through domestic violence and have a long work gap and looking to sharpen their skills and find work.
- Foster parents and looking to learn new skills and find work.
- Minimum of Highschool degree or GED is required. (ANDAFS can guide and help candidates to get their GED if needed).
You can email info@andafs.org for more information.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My mom Nazha once called me “brave” and my dad Omar always called me “kind”. And the rest of the family brings me up when I wasn’t around as “wise”. I was the firstborn of 4 siblings. My mom was a full-time French teacher, she was home less than my dad. My dad was an agriculture engineer, and his job was more flexible to be home with us when needed.
I still remember events from the age of 4. I think because I was involved in what was going on around me. My dad used to take me with him almost everywhere, even to his work. I spoke 3 languages by the age of 4. I spoke Moroccan French and, Tachelhit (one of the 3 Amazigh languages). Going with my dad to villages and farms almost every week allowed me to speak Tachelhit fluently more than my other siblings. It’s the language I loved to speak when I was little. It was also more about the people I used to meet while being with my dad. Family, their neighbors, and farmers. Everyone was kind and generous.
The frequent trips I had with my dad between the age of 4 to 9 years old allowed me to learn several things early such as riding horses, meeting strangers and turning them into friends, enjoying conversations with adults, eating with farmers whatever they cooked that day, watching my dad vaccinate animals and helping cows to give birth, climbing up and down the villages steep mountains walking or on the horse, experiencing planting in each season, singing poetry at night with my dad’s uncles, aunts, and their neighbors who lived at the village, being in huge lands had me run around free and it always felt safe and unlimited not like the city life.
Village life was my favorite, and my dad never missed taking me. He loved my company, and I enjoyed his. He even taught me to swim for the first time at the age of 4 in the village. We swam in the lakes at his family’s owned hotels. My dad is a good swimmer who was also taught by his dad who was in the military, and they had to be highly trained to swim for wars purpose.
At the age of 7. I remember my parents prayed to God, but it wasn’t as serious or consistent as I did. I was self-thought about the way I connected with a superpower or God. I used to wake up at 4 to study and I prayed first. I didn’t pray like everyone else. I used to have long conversations with God. It was deep. It felt magical. —I’m still connected to a superpower, and I still have a godly feeling, I just do not pray or currently practice any religion. It worked for me being a mother of 4 kids, and I do not want to be their influence on choosing a religion vs another. We together respect and embrace all religions our friends and family practice.
At the age of 9, I started writing poems in both French and Arabic languages. By this time, I had already studied Arabic for almost 4 years. Some of my poetry was featured in elementary and middle school magazines and once in the city newspapers. My poetry was about everything I thought or felt.
At the age of 11, I started theater at the French Language Center in Marrakech City in Morocco. I played for 1 and a half years before I was offered to go to Paris and start professionally. When I was asked to frequently go, my parents didn’t allow me to continue. They weren’t comfortable with me traveling with many strangers at a young age. And that wasn’t something I appreciated. I didn’t understand their concerns until I became a mother. However, I still believe culture played a role when they made their decision.
At the age of 13, I was selected among other students to take the national royal family testing, which was more focused on math, science, and language. I passed a few levels, and I failed the last test. It was a test that the royal family does nationally to give gifted students to attend school with their children and they take care of all the expenses up to higher education and career. It was a huge deal for me to be selected to participate.
At the age of 16, I was so much into playing guitar and volleyball in high school. I also played tennis with my paternal aunt. I loved going to the movies with this one aunt who decided not to get married or have kids. I was her favorite niece and it allowed me to have an adult friend who wasn’t my parent and who loved and cared for my other teenage needs far from home. This gave me an opportunity to think more for myself and to have all the freedom to be outside exploring the world.
I can’t forget to mention that at the age of 3 months old, my mom had to go back to work, and I was taken care of by her sister who is to date my favorite maternal aunt. She became blind at the age of 7 without any hope of getting her vision back. She learned everything that someone who can see does. She did everything for me, she fed me, she showered me, she changed my diapers, she sang for me, she read for me. She started visiting us frequently when I was at elementary school, she was my biggest help to do my history assignments. History and the world news were her favorite subject and passion.
She was more knowledgeable and informative than my then-history teachers. Through her, I learned to focus and have gratitude. I used to close my eyes to learn to do things she did while blind. I left her till the end to say that I miss her so much, she suddenly passed away during the beginning of Covid-19 when everyone was overwhelmed, I still feel that she was just quiet and patient waiting for nurses at the hospital to assist her while no family members were allowed to be with her and she didn’t ask for help and she died. I wasn’t there and I didn’t say goodbye. This hit me hard, and I still didn’t grieve for her. I still can’t believe she is gone forever.
My childhood was fulfilled. I traveled a lot, I met different people, I spoke different languages, I ate different food, I loved cooking (not a passion today but instead a duty), and I enjoyed more the company of my friends who were unfortunate than I was. And this brings me to remember when my classmates and I used to get the same symptoms as runny nose or coughing and their parents either didn’t care or didn’t afford to take them to the doctor or buy them medicine. I used to give them the medicine and remedies my parents got for me. This was in middle school. I always healed faster when I shared my own medicine with my unfortunate friends. I also shared food from my parent’s fridge and pantry. This has been an ongoing thing I did as a child. I never remembered eating or playing something without sharing. This has taught me empathy.
At the age of 6, my parents got me a kids car to drive.. I remember sharing my car with our neighborhood friends, but I charged them for each ride. It seems funny as I look back, but I believe it was the beginning of my entrepreneurship journey.
I can’t miss to mention my love for singing, dancing, hiking, climbing, walking, loving fashion, and enjoying being spoiled. It’s what I inherited from my mom.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andafs.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nihalamarir_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nihal.amarir.54
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nihalamarir/
