The Move to Dubai

Perhaps, I've been working way too long. One day, I was plucked out, with a message saying "Hey, Jean! We're sending you to Dubai!" 

Wow... Unbelievable! Dubai? Yes! Happily, I announced it to everybody!

My mum's response was, "Oh! My Gosh! Dubai? It's the Paris of the Middle East! I'm going to fly together with you k!"

My brother, who's a cynical young man, despite his age, said in his gruff voice, "Why on earth would you like to go to Dubai?! It's the desert, for God's sake. Why would you want to go all the way there, stay under the hot sun, 60 degrees, and suffer?"

Some friends think that Dubai is a very conservative area. Many think that I've sent myself to the worst place on earth for women. "Jean! You can't drive there, or go out unaccompanied. You have to wear that black robe, and cover your face all the time. Are you sure you want to go?"

My bosses, in a bid to tempt me, advised, "It's very fun there. Totally different from here. Very care free. No stress. It's the best place to work on earth. You'll love it."

Me? All I had in my mind was, "Wow ! I am going to miss my present project very very much. This is the only project which I feel a great sense of belonging, great team work and high sense of self-worth. Why do you want me to leave? What's going to happen to me when I venture out? What will I do? What if I don't have any jobs? What if I don't know what to do?" 

It's terrifying. It's exhilarating. It's liberating!!!

View from My Current Residence 

(A song comes to mind... 'By the beach, by the beach, by the beautiful beach...')

Construction of Dubai Pearl at Dubai Internet City

View from My 1st Hotel Room @ Al Murooj Rotana, near Dubai Mall

View of Sheikh Zayed Road from Burj Khalifa

Dubai Town

Dubai is an extraordinary city. Buildings may look very ordinary from the outside. But every single time you step into a building, you will be awed by its interior designs, decorations and materials. From the ceilings to the floors, lightings, furnishings and scenery, it's unique and amazing, how people manage to come up with such inspirational creations. Had I been born and bred here, I would have aspired to be an architect or an interior designer, and not an engineer. 

The first time I stepped into the malls, I couldn't stop gaping at how tall and spacious all the shops were! Maybe, in the desert, land is vast. One could simply take a big plot of land and convert it into anything they loved. 

As I step out of the malls, my line of sight fall upon the buildings surrounding me. All of them are of different designs, with all kinds of shapes and sizes. From circular, to angular, flat to wide, representatives of various symbols and logos, spoke volumes in these unique structures. I never thought that a city could contain so many live examples of buildings that only existed in drawings. The developers take our dream buildings and turn it into reality. Wow. It is definitely an architect's haven. Whenever I pass by a new structure, I never cease to ask, "Wow! How did they manage to think of designing a building in the shape of an Oreo biscuit, a yacht, a gate, an arch, and a lopsided milk carton? Why would you want to take a building, stack the storeys up and turn it around every 10 degrees? How can the government ensure that all buildings are alligned and in the same row?" 

I thought all these were impossible until I came to Dubai. 

Indeed, Dubai seems to be a place of never-ending wonders. It's a very nice place to stay, even more so when we have lots of cash to spend. As long as we have money in our hands, we can get flashy and branded goods. Even if you are thrifty by nature, the temptation to spend to buy yourself something nice and techy is just too great. Suddenly, 80 AED bracelets, necklaces and ear rings seem so worth it!

Shiny, bling-bling jewels and colourful stones jump out and greet you the moment you step into a mall. When I was in Malaysia, I thought the beauty of gold accessories were over-rated. How could people find gold to be so fascinating, so taken in and smitten with that simple piece of jewellery? But, staying here, has truly heighten my appreciation for golden necklaces, bracelets and rings. 

Every time I try one on, I can't bring myself to put it back on the shelf. I would imagine myself in a totally plain, black dress, wearing this shimmering piece of tiara or choker, looking ravishing and stunning. I would smile to myself and silently hope that I'd get the opportunity to wear it. Once again, I begin my self-conversation. 

"Awww... this looks so sweet!" my heart says. 

"Yeah, but it's expensive!" my mind says. 

"Um... should I get it? It looks really nice!"

"Nope. Definitely not."

"But why? It's so nice, pretty and colourful! Are you sure you don't want it?"

Upon further questioning, my mind gives in. My heart rules. The urge is too strong, I end up buying everything I've put on.

From a workaholic, I've become a shopaholic. What a transformation, just within 3 weeks in Dubai!

So, you see, I've come to love Dubai and view it as my home!

Our New Acquisition - Hand Jewellery

Villas at Palm Jumeira

Palm Jumeira Villa Verandah

Dubai's Well Aligned Structures

Burj Al Arab!

Nice View!

Check this out! It changes colours too!

Melting Pot

Before I came to Dubai, I thought it was a place which consists of many men and women walking around in their traditional costumes. Even though I knew it was an international trading hub. Despite being 'equipped' with this fact, when I arrived at the airport, I saw people from almost every contingent and nationality, except for Arabs dressed in dishdash and abaya. 

I was shocked. Have I arrived at the right airport? I searched for every indication around me to point out to me that I was really, really in Dubai. As soon as I saw a big advertisement with pictures of Jumeira beach, Atlantis, and the gigantic, white words -  'Dubai', I heaved a big sigh of relief. Ahah! I am indeed in Dubai. Finally! 

But wait! Where are the UAE Citizens? 

As I queued in line for my passport to be stamped, I noticed that the officer was of African origin. The air stewardess who helpfully directed lost passengers to the immigration looked like a Lebanese. The receptionist at the taxi stand was Filipino. The taxi driver was Pakistani. The hotel receptionist looked like a Turkish. The concierge was an Indian, and the porter was Indonesian. 

Am I dreaming? How can this be Dubai? I am surrounded by people from all nationalities except Emiratis? 

Little did I know that Dubai is a city that consists of around 20% Emiratis, until I bought a mini guidebook about Dubai three weeks later. (I know, I know. It is a little too long. Call it delayed reaction. But hey, it's never too late to learn!)

The rest are mainly expatriates and foreign workers. Wow. I never knew that a country's own citizens could actually be outnumbered! Yet, the government maintains such excellent control of its economics, development and welfare!

(Startling fact: Did you know that only 6,000 Emiratis voted in the last election, despite having about 129,000 eligible voters? That means only 4% of the population voted, 96% chose to be neutral.)

As I read on about the history of United Arab Emirates, I was even more surprised to discover that UAE consists of 7 Emirates, united by Sheikh Zayed . As the founding father of UAE, he hunted with the locals in the deserts, fishing with village folk, understanding the deepest needs of his countrymen and improved the wealth of the nation. These days, I don't think we have rulers like this anymore. Dedicated, passionate and truly cares about the people under their reign. 

As I began my life anew in this foreign, sophisticated land, nothing prepared me for the interaction style of Dubai. I found that the system here was highly efficient. People were trained so well that everything seemed to run smoothly. No baggage delays, no long queues, no traffic jams, no hassle at all. When I asked about directions to certain shopping outlets at the malls, the concierge answered immediately without consulting his manual. Everything was fast. Information was available instantly. 

But, as soon as I stepped into the mobile network outlet, this pretty image was shattered to a thousand pieces. 

As I enquired further about the mobile network data package, the cashier spoke so fast that I had to stop her to speak slowly. When I probed further about the charges, the girl replied mechanically about all kinds of data packages. When I tried to top-up the prepaid SIM card, and failed, the girl asked me to buy another card and key in a different number. 

It was frustrating. I arrived to the conclusion that when people are trained too efficiently, it means that they know in-depth about their specific areas, and not others. Is that good? In a certain way, yes. But looking towards a broader scope, one should really know a little bit about everything to increase our contribution to society. Confining ourselves to certain areas, not only constrains our knowledge, but also our perspectives. In our pursuit towards excellence in technical areas, we tend to  lose touch with our basic human instincts and emotional needs. 

This brings to mind about my past 3 years as a workaholic. The situation is identical. I am suddenly peering through the glass, identifying with the girl. I am thinking, "Oh! So, this is how I've transformed! Into a working machine, consisting of formidable mechanical parts, but lacking in human emotions. Oh no! I really really need to learn, how to love and care, all over again!" 

Gastronomic Delights

Malaysians, in general, are a food loving nation. Everything about us revolves around food. We pride ourselves on having multi-cultural cuisine, even though it's an Islamic country. We offer chocolates, biscuits and fruit juices to guests when they visit our homes. When we meet, it's often our meals. When we begin a conversation, it almost often always begins with the question, "Have you had your dinner/breakfast/lunch?" 

Hence, since I moved here, I have been bugged with the question by family and friends, "So, what do you eat over there?" 

Let's see... so far, I've had bread, meat, cheese and on a few rare occasions, salad. 

Do I like it? 

Well, let's just say, when you're running out of choices, you just take whatever's on the plate, and gobble it all up. Beggars can't be choosers. Especially if you don't have a car, and running short on cash. 

Arabic bread are mostly dry and hard. Unlike European bakeries, which sell piping hot buns and rolls, the shops here sell bread which look like they're three days old. If you ordered a sandwich (in Arabic names of course), which doesn't ring a bell the first time you struggle to pronounce it, but when you look at the picture, you'll realize that it's just pieces of meat/fish/vegetables clipped between pieces of bread sliced into half. Despite their different shapes (triangles, squares or circles) and colours (black, brown, burnt or white), they taste the same, with an equally hard texture. 

The meat is equally dry. Chicken definitely does not taste as good here. Fish though, are extremely fresh and tasty! It is a wonder that it even tastes much better than meat! The first time I bit into a Dubai fish fillet, I could almost imagine myself in heaven. Wow! The fish is authentic. It's real! It has those little white flesh that you could peel off and separate, and immediately identify as fish. Unlike the ones we have back home, where the fish fillet looked like they're pounded and mixed with 99% of corn flour. Here, the moment you bite into something fishy, you could almost imagine the chef, slicing off the fish in the kitchen, bit by bit, putting it into the wok, frying it, clip it between lettuces and tomatoes, before adding some tartar sauces and finally sandwiching it in your favourite choice of bread. Mmmm.. Yummy! 

Apart from that, I also love the Basmati rice. Those long, slender grains don't stick together when they're fried. (I wonder if they could be steamed too). If I dug into a large pot of rice, none of them would stick to the ladle. That makes cleaning much easier too. 

I had begun to psych myself into loving Basmati rice, until I had dinner with a Japanese friend at a Chinese restaurant. When the bowl of steamed white rice was served, I looked at it with such awe and reverence that I couldn't believe I was actually savouring Chinese food in this part of the country. The rice was warm and sticky. It reminded me so much of home and the things that I had given up to be here. I realized then, if nothing could make me home-sick, food definitely will. 

Hence, the saying, 'The way to a man's heart is food'. 

As we travel across the 7 Emirates, we are exposed to several types of colourful and a wide variety of dishes. Some hot, some cold, some bland, some colourful. Among all these, Lebanese food seem to stand out in every other way. 

Oh! Did I mention that cheese seems to be on offer every day here? Oh my gosh! You can't imagine the generous helpings of cheese that is present in every dish! Maybe cheese is a substitute for salt. Or maybe a substitute for cream or coconut milk. Whatever the reason, here, cheese seems to be abundant. It is melted in Indian curry, under Latino Tacos , between Lebanese sandwiches, on top of Italian pizzas, and hidden in Arabic salads.

As such, I have come to identify various types of cheese. I learnt that cheddar cheese is orange, mozarella cheese is slightly yellowish and melts easily, goat cheese is white, and some cheese can even be mixed with sesame seeds and churned into rolls! They spread like Swiss rolls, soaked in probably water or some kind of fluid, like fresh olives preserved in oil. The strangest thing is, in this part of the world, yoghurt is eaten together with curry and rice too! 

By now, I am deeply enlightened by the fact that food here is abundant in calories. If you were counting calories, it would leave you no choice except to have salad for three square meals a day. Or... if one loved cooking, you'd rather prepare what would presumably be the most sumptious dinner in the whole of Dubai, throughout the duration of your stay here. 

Exercise then, is a must. Gyms are present at every corner of the street. After all the calories consumed, it's best to jog and run, and sweat it all out just to have another round of equally rich food the next day. 

All in all, food here still leaves much to be desired. I still prefer Asian food. Hot - sprinkled with spices and made with love.

Steamboat! 

A Typical Lebanese Meal

Italian Beef Raviolli with White Sauce

Arabic Merzeh

Assorted Middle Eastern Cheese

Technology

As a trading gateway, Dubai possesses one of the most sophisticated technologies around the world. Here,  there are cars with automatic doors, saving you the energy of slamming it shut, each time you climbed in and out of it. Every cab has Global Positioning Systems and touch screens. The cab driver can even pause the meter to stop it counting at traffic lights! 

Almost every building has WiFi services. The metro and buses arrives at destinations on the dot. The Emirates ID is digitized. The revolving doors rotate automatically as soon as you hop into it. 

At the food court, an electronic pager is given to patrons. When the food is ready, it beeps like an alarm clock, alerting patrons to collect food at the counter. Even the telescope at the Burj Khalifa is interactive! It can switch between scenes in the daytime and night time, equipped with buttons on the left to zoom in and out, buttons on the right to seek information about major tourist destinations! You could even take glimpses of the old and new Dubai through the telescope. 

The Dubai musical fountain is simply stupendous! Perfect integration of light, sound and kinetic energy weaved into synchronization of time, creativity and elements of surprise, are just awesome and marvellous. Looking at it, one is momentarily transported into a realm where only peace and harmony exists, creating a song in the heart of every soul present. 

Is Dubai a desert? Definitely not. The only thing that reminds one of a desert in Dubai is only the extremely high temperatures in summer and the adverts on Safari tours and camel rides. Other than that, it is a very developed city in every dimension. 

When I was 17 and found out that Malaysia was categorized as a third world country, I was offended. I couldn't understand why. As I lead my life in Dubai, I began to realize the rationale behind it. Development then, is akin to the level of technology and spending power of a country's citizens. The country with the most amount of automated gadgets and with highest spending power will be the most developed nation.

And of course, as my friend commented, the mindset, attitude and the belief that everything is possible. How can we achieve that? By exploring the abounding possibilities and shifting our paradigms. Think, Implement and Innovate. That's how we progress and develop our nation. 

Dubai Musical Fountain - Spectacular! Wonders of Engineering! 

Electronic Beeper. I was staring at this thing for 10 minutes, wondering what it'd do, when it suddenly beeped and lighted up! Cool! 

First Thoughts

Having lived in Dubai for almost six weeks, I have to admit it is a really nice place to stay in. It's peaceful, it's calm, it's quiet. Unlike KL, you don't hear police and ambulance sirens wailing every three hours, or loud motorbikes testing their roaring machines and exhaust systems. It's nice. I like it here. 

If anybody were to interview me as an expatriate in Dubai, this is probably how it would go. 

What's your first impression about Dubai?

It's flamboyant. Everything is extravagant. For the average Joe-s like you and I, it's like living the life of the rich and famous. 

You just can't deny it. After all, this is a city which has air-conditioned bus stops, developers who spend millions and billions on building artificial islands, plus having hundreds and thousands of cars (Lexus, Mercedez, BMW, ... ) in parking lots around the city covered in dust for five years and above! 

Nothing is ever done in moderation. Furniture look like it's fit for a king's palace. The floors sparkle, as if they magically polish themselves every second.

Did I mention that they put a shiny, red Mini Cooper in the aquarium too?

Seems to me this a strange and mysterious land where the impossible becomes possible, your wildest dreams materialize, stuns and strikes one speechless. Transfixed. Mesmerized. Awed. The longer you live here, the more you believe that everything is possible.

What do you find strange in Dubai? Anything incomprehensible?

Well, one of the most preposterous rule that I found was that one would be fined for boarding a bus without pre-paid card, even though the bus-ride is free. If it's free, why do you need to tag it on the machine?

Another rule is being fined for alighting from the left side of the vehicle, instead of the right. Maybe it's for the passengers' safety. 

Did you also know that people do end up in prison for kissing in public here? 

In M'sia, I once spotted a couple kissing the French way on the train, with the guy's hands running all over the girl's hair, neck, and body curves. Malaysians, being polite people, we just averted out eyes to the ceilings or towards windows. Everywhere except at the couple. I think the couple was pretty lucky because in KL, nobody really cares what you do as long as you don't encroach into their space and step on their tails. You live your life, I'll live mine. 

Since this is your first overseas posting, do you find it easy to adapt to the Dubai lifestyle?
Well, I have to admit, at first it was tough. Being new and all, I realized that I have to re-create my own life here again. Once again, I venture out at all costs to try out new adventures, crawl out of my shell to strike conversations with strangers and finding common ground as a basis for building a long-lasting relationship. In the process, I learnt that to survive, I need to be really resilient and positive. Take time to analyze the situation and response.

I also have to adjust my mindset a little to the driving system of UAE. As a Malaysian child, we have been taught to 'look right, look left, look right, and cross the road". In Dubai, my brain cells are all jumbled up. When the road is empty, I still look to the right first unconsciously. As I take three steps towards the road, cars start honking and screeching four feet away from me. I jump ten steps backwards, reminding myself to be more careful next time, reprimanding myself, "Jean! Remember! In Dubai, it's always left first!"

This change of system can be pretty dangerous. Once I spotted an Indian man taking the escalator on his left up to another floor. He stepped forward two steps, only to be tripped and pushed down by the oncoming mechanical steps. He stumbled, quickly turned around to make sure that nobody saw it happening, before proceeding to the right escalator up. There and then, I realized, "Hey! I'm not the only one."

One of the things that I really need to adapt to here is the freedom to venture out at any time of the day, as a single lady, walking unaccompanied. As soon as I step into any shops or vehicles, the first question asked by any males will be, "Are you single?"

The moment I answer 'yes', truthfully, they will volunteer to drive me to my destination right to the door step of any apartment, pro-actively write their mobile numbers on a piece of paper, asking me to call them when I wish to talk to somebody, or unwaveringly, persistently ask me out for dinner or drinks at one of the multicultural-themed bars Downtown Dubai. If I refuse, they will stalk me as I walk in and out of the shop, leaving twenty missed calls on my phone.

Once I sent a text message to the wrong number and the person immediately called me up to ask about my personal details and history! I really need to heighten my defence mechanisms, observation skills here. Watch out for warning signs, and don't look so vulnerable.

I hear you love Dubai. What is it about Dubai that appeals to you?

I have always yearned to work overseas. Perhaps it is to escape from all the tiny, tricky perils I face back home. Here, I'm freed from the cuffs of work stress, family stress and financial stress. There is absolute freedom and liberty. That, is pretty appealing. 

Ah, yes, I can just imagine. So, tell us, what have you learned in Dubai so far?

Hmmm... quite a lot actually. To sum it up in five words, 'Rediscovering life's simple joys'. 

Such as... ?

Well, for example:

- Reading as you sip a cup of coffee by the fountain

- Pouring stories from your heart after dinner in a dimly lit restaurant with pop music in the background

- Strolling by the beach on a Saturday morning

- Riding camels on the desert in summer

- Reuniting with your family 5000 kilometres away from home

- Encountering a fellow countrymen at any random shopping mall

- Listening to classical music radio station in the middle of the night

- Aerobics to Hindi music in the morning 

- Lying under the stars on sand dunes

- Enjoying sunsets in the evening from the many windows of your apartment

- Watching the sun inching upwards in the mornings

- Reading a wide variety of books on a Friday afternoon

Indeed! Life is very blissful. You must find life here pretty inspirational.

Absolutely! We must enjoy all the circumstances that we are thrown in. We all know that there is a silver lining in every cloud. In order to see it, you have to believe it. Otherwise your vision will be clouded by the rain. A rainbow is just around the corner. Keep on walking. The sight that greets you at the end of your journey will be awesome. 

Any situation that you are thrown in are a consequence of your actions. You are responsible for it directly or indirectly. Either way, you just have to persevere and stop complaining. Figure out a way. Work around the problem, not at it.

To get what you want, there isn't only one way of doing it. Utilize varied approaches to accomplish your desires. If you ask and don't get it, ask again. Be persistent. If that doesn't help, try the elimination method.  

First, eliminate all the impossible possibilities. Next, piece all the puzzles together and cook up a story. Finally deduce, hypothesize and conclude. There. It's easy.

If you spend too much time evaluating, life's opportunities will just pass you by. Take risks. It's worth it. 

As a single, it must be pretty tough living here all alone in Dubai. How do you combat loneliness and avoid it from encompassing one's life? 

In Dubai, you're pretty much free to do anything you want. There's nobody to judge you, to criticize you for the ways that you live. 

But sometimes, no matter how tight you arrange your schedule to be, loneliness will silently creep and settle into the creeks of your soul. No matter how much you try to run and hide away from it, like the tsunami, it will eventually catch up with you. You can't run away from it. So, what do you do?

One of the most important thing that I learned early on is, every so often, we need to take a step back, breathe, and realize that we need to diversify. Don't allow the focus of one area to envelope our life. If it does, it can be smothering. We should find a way to work around work.  There is a life out there. Go! Live a life! 

In the face of adversity, rebound fast. Don't lick your own wounds for too long. There are far more pressing matters in this world than your own wounded pride and ego.

Make new friends. You'll always need them, even though you might not think so now. 

Love yourself. If you don't love yourself, how are you going to love others? 

Get a tight grasp of reality and what you really want ultimately. It is never too late to start pursuing your dreams. Everything is possible. It's never too late to start. 

If there's only one take home message from this article, what would it be? 

In life, nothing is absolute. Every description is a subjective term is made in reference to one another. It depends not only on which side of the fence you are on, but also from which angle you are looking at. 

A grey area will always exists. Black, or white? Right, or wrong? Pretty, or ugly? Long, or short? Bent, or straight? It all depends on how you choose to look at it. Remember, we always have a choice. 

It's not simple, it's not complicated either. That's just the way life is, just as it has been for centuries, a constant change. Unpredictable. Wild. Exciting. Like love. 

You just need to know how to mix everything together to concoct a nice pink drink of sunshine cocktail. 

Sunshine Cocktail - Key Secrets to a Happy Life!