On Manhattan and Queens
I was born in Manhattan. The early part of my upbringing happened in Queens. The longer part, and the part that shaped most of what I write, happened in Ras Al Khaimah.
I keep this page short on purpose. New York is not what I write about, but it is part of where I'm from, and people who know me only by the Gulf side of the story sometimes find the Manhattan and Queens side surprising. It's not a contradiction. The Khalisdar family has long been moving between the two places. I am one of several to have done so.
A fuller account of the family's New York period belongs in something longer than a webpage. Until then, this note exists so the record is straight: Khalisdar in Manhattan, Khalisdar in Queens, and Khalisdar in Ras Al Khaimah, are all the same name.