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!"
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