Today, FIVE years ago, we landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Honestly? I can’t believe we are still here. Not that I want to be somewhere else right now but when I look back at what I was thinking when we first set foot here, it’s unbelievable. We thought our stint would be short, like a year or so but we’re five years now – if we were a fruit tree, our trunk would be big, strong, sturdy and we have bore fruits already!

Five years. That long in a foreign country. Our daughter was three when we came here and now she’s eight years old so it’s official to say that she has spent more time here than her birth country (Japan).

As we turn another year in Dubai, I flip through our photo albums and reminisce the years.

2007: Pristine (3 years old) and me 5 days after we landed in Dubai:

You could see she’s fresh from Japan – still doing that peace/victory sign! I am holding a city guide book here as we explore the neighborhood looking for a nursery school. Pristine had been in daycare since she was 20 months old so she’s not used to spending the day cooped in the four walls of the house.

She was looking for friends!

2008: Taken at a hotel in Abu Dhabi when we visited the neighboring Emirate

Pristine has grown to love the place. We found a school to put her in and while she had to struggle with a new language (she only spoke Japanese when we came here), she learned really fast and became the most sociable girl in school!

2009: A random picture of the two of us, just to show how tall she has become.

2010: Outside the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

2011: The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa on the background.

We have said our goodbyes to some fellow expat friends, most of them spent 3 years here and have declared they are done and want to move on. When we said we’re turning 5 years, they ask, how many years more? Hmmm, truth be told, I don’t know. We have not gotten tired of the desert life, just yet.

As for me, who has lived in Japan as a student and an expat for 10 years, adjustment was hard at first. I had lots of frustrations, disappointments and moments of piss at work, about the law, public transportation, etc – especially if I start to compare Dubai and Japan. But I’ve read somewhere that the first rule of an expat is to leave your culture behind and adopt that of your host country, or at least try to. And I did which made things easier for me.

Not perfect but easier.

So what other reasons made us stick around longer? A follow up post is brewing…

*****

From my archive: My Dubai anniversary posts on our first, second, third and fourth year.

*****

If you’re an expat reading this, how many years are you in your host country?

Yesterday, I have discovered the single hardest thing about being an expat in a fab place so many people call home, including us. We gain friends, enjoy those friendships and develop deep bonds as the years roll by. We are all expatriates, people in a foreign land who share stories of the ups and downs, laugh at the same jokes and the sadness of exciting expat life.

As much as we love the place and enjoy the company of people whom we start to call family instead of friends, at one point or another, every one leaves.

And no one is spared of the lonely feelings.

Dubai is a temporary place and I felt the pangs of one element of expat life yesterday when a friend of mine left. Just when someone gets close to your heart, you lose them to relocation. Sure there’d be Facebook as we both joked but I am never going to see her smile in person, or touch her when she’s down (and vice versa), hug her when she’s sad or simply poke each other out of fun.

One day, our turn to leave will come. I don’t know if the friends we’ll leave behind will feel the pain but I am sure I will.

I did not send off my friend and her husband at the airport because I have a newborn to take care of and because I thought it would be easier for me. I hate goodbyes. I spoke to her on the phone as I thought it was bearable than saying goodbye in person.

I was wrong – I still suck at goodbyes.

Photo credit

I can’t help but stop and stare at this maid wanted ad:

We are a young family living on Palm Jumeirah and would like to start interviewing for a nanny position for our 2 kids: Boy aged 5 and girl aged 3 years old. They have (are) happy kids and go to school full time so I need someone to get them ready in the morning and clean their clothes, tidy up after them and do light cooking for them and also for myself & my husband. I already have a full time maid who is very good and takes care of the cleaning so you would need to help her with laundry and do all the things for the kids.

TWO maids to do everything. Makes you think..then what’s left for this madame, this “mother” to do?

Later on, maybe she’ll post again to add: “I need a third maid to take care of the husband.”

Added: A screenshot so you’ll know I am not making this up.

The classified ads here are unbelievable – you would find job ads with ‘extra’ lines that read: “No Filipinos” or “White, Western female please” and “Indians only”. And nobody seems to care. It’s a common sight and job seekers apply to where they are appropriate.

Racial discrimination is alive and well in Dubai. The companies and employers act like they are choosing a particular breed of dog. See it in action: job ads specifying required nationality. It’s shocking until I saw recent ads of women wanting a house maid job. These ladies have gone a long way from being modest applicants who respond to the whims of the demanding ‘madame’s of Dubai to people who post ads like:

“Preferably European families only”

or

“Willing to work in American/Western families.”

or

“looking for european and american employer”

With the low cost of labor, it is quite common for expat families to have a maid. It’s interesting to see that as employers seeking to employ maids have a specific nationality in mind, the maid job applicants have the same thing in mind!

My old post: New Rule for Filipinos Traveling to Dubai discussing the pains of Filipinos traveling from the Philippines to Dubai has been getting a lot of  attention lately from people wanting to travel to Dubai but faced a lot of problems with the immigration officials in Manila.

Despite having proper documents, Filipinos still face problems at the immigration desks while exiting the country. The proper documents would include passport,  visa to enter Dubai and that Affidavit of Support (a new document imposed last Sept 2010 by the Philippine government supposedly to curb human trafficking but has been subjected to a lot of abuse and seen only as new money making scheme) authenticated at the Philippine consulate in Dubai and air tickets. But horror stories have surfaced how people are bullied into answering ridiculous questions like proving his/her relation with the sponsoring relative in Dubai (which have been proven during the notarization of the Affidavit), show money (cash on hand), ATM cards, Credit cards, certificate of employment in the Philippines, etc.

It’s worth mentioning AGAIN that: this Affidavit of Support that entails a lot of trouble to get is NOT required when one enters Dubai.

It’s not uncommon to hear stories that some travelers have resorted to paying immigration officers bribe money just to pass through the airport freely.

While I don’t condone paying these corrupt officials who trample the constitution’s RIGHT TO TRAVEL, I could not blame the people entirely. Desperate job seekers* sacrifice a few thousand pesos for a hassle-free travel out, thinking of long term greener pastures waiting for them abroad. It’s just blatantly wrong!

Today, UAE national paper Gulf News published an article about the silly ‘offloading policy‘ imposed at Philippine airports that is not only illogical but unconstitutional as well. The term ‘offloading’ itself is outrageous – this happens after you’ve checked in your bags! Sometimes even when you’re already in the pre-departure area with passport stamped cleared for travel.

Offloaded passengers have been reaching out to me via the blog post which they found in Google while searching for answers to their woes and I have answered most of their queries with the information that I know. I am glad there is an advisory as to where to formally submit the complaints, from Gulf News:

Advisory

If you had been victimized by alleged corrupt officials in Philippines airports, please email the Filcom-DNE through matilynbagunu@yahoo.com or alan_1010@yahoo.com to submit the following documents:

• Copy of boarding pass.
• Exit stamp in the Philippines showing the control number and initials/signature of the BI officer.
• Original passport (with bearer).
• Sworn statement.

I really hope this issue is sorted out the soonest. It is disgusting that a country who ‘uplifts’ Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) as the new heroes, helping the country’s frail economy with the dollar remittances coming from abroad is actually being anti-OFW with this baseless, non-sensical ‘offloading policy’.

* It’s a common knowledge that employers in Dubai entertain job seekers on tourist visa then transfer it to employment visa once they are accepted for the job.

[Top Photo Credit]

I’ve written about how I love the new public transport system in Dubai that is, the newly opened Dubai Metro Green Line. Now, it’s time to talk about what I hate about it – the people manning the trains. ‘Manning’ means supervising, checking on the passengers making sure no one eats, drinks or puts his/her feet on the seats. Well done, thank you very much.

My main complaint is the one assigned in the Gold Class cabin. You see, the train have this one compartment called the ‘Gold Class’ cabin where fares are charged double in exchange for wider, leather seats and front train view. The double fare would put off most people which makes the Gold Class cabin appealing during rush hour – there’s a sure seat waiting for you, 90% of the time. And if you’re heavily pregnant and leg cramps come your way even after 5 minutes of standing, you’d grab that 90% sure seating chance.

So I boarded the new Green Line, camera in hand, ready to take photos and a video. It was the first day and I was excited! I swiped my Gold Card (bought a limited edition commemorative one) and got on the train. There was only me, one other passenger and a Filipino lady train attendant. I positioned in the front, camera at the ready as the train pulled away.

Train attendant: “Excuse me, but not allowed.”

Me: (distracted) “Huh? I’m only taking a video.”

I thought she meant no video taking allowed but it’s allowed in the Red Line so why not here? I turned my back away on her.

Train attendant: “But you’re not allowed here.”

Me: “What? I am only taking a video and will sit down in a bit!”

At this point, I thought she meant I am not allowed to stand because I am pregnant and the train is approaching a bend in the tracks. She finally said it.

Train attendant: “Madame, you NEED a Gold Card to be in the Gold Class!”

All hell broke loose. I stopped the video, and almost screamed “But I have a Gold Class card!!”, to which she replied, “Show me.”

I showed her my card and she said sorry. I swear I could have slapped her! Way to ruin my morning! Rude customer service stories just go on and on and on in Dubai.

Seriously now, the fare was 4.60 dhs (USD1.25). Did she really think I am NOT capable of paying that amount and that I have no place in the Gold Class!? The most annoying of this is that, she did not even inspect the cards of the people who got in after me.

She singled me out!

I gave her dagger looks and she seemed to get the message. She asked one Arab man in local dress to see his card and she got a good scolding!

“Don’t you think I would be stupid enough to get on the Gold Class cabin if I didn’t have a Gold Card!!??”

The lady attendant turned red. Good for her! The Arab man did what I should have done!

I mean, I know it must be your job to ‘check’, to make sure passengers are seated in appropriate seats – Gold Class for Gold card holders and other cabins for the normal Silver card holders but lady, don’t single people out just because of how they look (brown, non-Arab like me!). The fare isn’t really worth diamonds that we brown, common working, non-Arab people can’t afford!!

RTA people, I don’t care if you have to check, BUT CHECK EVERYONE!

Conclusion/Piece of advice: If you’re brown and non-Arab, stick your Gold Card in your forehead!!

It’s Monday and while most of the people around the world have just started their work week (except for friends in the US who’s celebrating Labor Day), Monday’s the hump day for me already – the middle of the week since work for me start on Saturdays.

Thanks for that look of pity.

After four glorious days of Eid holidays after the fasting month of Ramadan, which I gloriously lazied up myself and just stayed home, I was back to work, back to the normal work timings of 8:30 to 6 pm. During Ramadan, work timings are cut off short and we are home and napping by 4 pm. For the whole month.

Bliss, I know.

Yesterday, most of the school have reopened for the new school year and with that comes only one thing and one thing only – traffic. I snapped the photo above while being stuck in traffic on a road that have always been free flowing! There were no accidents in sight, just plenty of cars going my way. The commute to work yesterday was twice as much as it would take on normal days. Luckily, a shortcut road to work opened recently and I was smart ass enough not to miss it (hallelujah – I often get confused with the constant road changes and end up in detours!) so I wasn’t late!

How’s your Monday going?

Finally after fasting for a total of 29 days (no drink, food and other ‘worldly’ pleasures) from dawn ’till sunset, daily life of Muslims around the world is back to its normalcy.

Last night, it was declared that the crescent moon was sighted, signaling the end of the holy month of Ramadan. That would mean celebrations for Muslims and for all of us, a few days off from work (in fact, I am writing this at home)! Today is Tuesday and I’ll only be back to work on Saturday so I get FOUR glorious days to spend how I like – but mostly, I suspect I will just be staying at home, trying to rest. After 5 Eid holidays in Dubai, I really do not have plans to go somewhere. When we first came here, the Eid holidays were highly anticipated and we would ready our itinerary and maps to travel to the nearby Emirates but now, no driving far for us. The beach is still hot so no beach time as well.

Next Ramadan – if we are still here (and I bet we still will be!), I hope we can take a short flight somewhere!

Half of August is done, how are you all doing? Here in Dubai (and the rest of the Islamic world), Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims is halfway over.

I love Ramadan time in Dubai because companies give even ‘rest’ times for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Work starts 30 minutes late for me at 9am and finishes early at 3pm. That means I am able to spend more time with my daughter at home especially now that it’s summer holidays and she’s there. It also means I have more time in the kitchen cooking things I really loved to but wasn’t able to and sometimes even add a short nap to my day. A nap after work – what a treat!

How is Dubai during Ramadan?
During the daytime, businesses slow down as restaurants (except those enclosed inside hotels), street cafes are closed. Food courts inside the malls only serve fast food and are only available on takeaway basis. Last year though, it was possible to eat at the Dubai Mall food court even during Ramadan. This year, they have changed their policy.

So if you are new to Dubai and here during Ramadan, plan your day ahead. Don’t get caught hungry outside like what happened to me on my first Ramadan here. Hungry, with a deliriously sweet smelling, nice, hot and juicy Burger King whopper in a brown bag that I could not even touch!

The streets are quiet except during the rush hour in the mornings that start at 8:30 am and 3:00 pm in the afternoons. If you want to avoid headache and the sight of cranky (hungry) erratic driving, best to avoid those times. I stay in the office for another 30 minutes to blog so I won’t have to deal with my car horn in the streets.

Tired of Dubai traffic? Try going out for dinner just minutes before the break of fasting (Iftar time – about 10 minutes before 7pm now) and you’ll see it’s just you and a couple of cars on the road! Most people stay at home/mosque waiting for the sunset to break their fast.

Fifteen days more of Ramadan bliss where the whole city burst into life after sunset, like the movie Spirited Away (Japanese title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi). Go out and explore it in the evening when the weather is more tolerable, sit in a cafe, people watch and simply soak in the different culture while you’re here.

Photo taken at a nearby mosque, the night before Ramadan.

Today is the start of the holy month of Ramadan and we are still in Dubai. Actually, this is our 5th Ramadan! This year, Muslims will fast for the longest duration during this Ramadan, after 26 years with 14 hours and 50 minutes today.

The first day of Ramadan is today,  August 1 and the dawn (Fajr) prayer call will be at 4:26 am, while the dusk (Maghrib) prayer will start at 7:06 pm. Muslims fasting during Ramadan stop having food 10 minutes before dawn and end their fast at sunset.

New to Dubai (or any Islamic country)?

Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and worship for Muslims all over the world. For full 30 days, they* are required to abstain from food, drink, smoking and even sexual relations from sunrise to sunset.

* Pregnant women, children and those with ailments are exempted from the fast.

Ramadan is for Muslims but because the UAE is a Muslim country, and to avoid burdening our brothers and sisters who are fasting, even non-Muslims refrain from eating, drinking in public. It’s not that difficult and anyway, most restaurants and food courts are closed during the day time.

Work hours are shortened. Instead of working from 8:30-6 pm, most people only need to work from 9am to 3 pm. While we enjoy the shortened work hours and the peace and quiet on the roads during mornings, it’s the opposite scene in the afternoon where everyone rushes to be home for the breaking of the fast, which occurs as the sun goes down. Driving can be manic, so be alert on the rule breakers!