Awesome Day at Al Ain Wadi Waterpark

Today, was an awesome day! 

I actually did some pretty crazy stuff in the middle of the desert! 

I went to the Al Ain Wadi Waterpark, which has just been opened for about 3 months. 

Confession: I didn't know I was going to a waterpark in the first place. 

When the magic question popped up, "Do you want to go white water rafting in Al Ain?" 

"Yes!" I answered right away. Not a second of hesitation. After some pretty stressful months out here, I needed it. 

Knowing that Al Ain is an oasis, when the guy mentioned white water rafting, the following scene popped up in my mind: Cold, serene, lush forests, big, thick, tall trees and in between them? White, foamy, bubbly, turbulent waters gushing through every corner. 

It was not until the middle of the week that I found out that a water park had just opened in Al Ain. Instantly, a curious thought crossed my mind, "Ohhh... I think this is where we will be going to go white water rafting! Geez! I was conned!" 

Ok. It was my fault. I should have asked. Plus, I should have put on my black hat for logical thinking. How is it possible that there'd be a river big and deep enough to hold such a huge volume of water? If it did, at fifty degrees Celcius, the river'd dry up in no time. "Come on... you gotta be smarter than that." my brain cells knocked my heart the whole day long. 

"Man-made or natural, I am going to do it anyway." I told myself. "After all, don't you want to check out how real can a man-made river be?"

Come to think of it, it is pretty amazing that people can actually come up with the idea of building a river with turbulent waters, and sea-surfing? Wow! That is cool! (a.k.a. unbelievable!)

It turns out, white-water rafting is pretty much the same anywhere, man-made or not. In fact, the man-made rivers seemed more dangerous. In natural surroundings, the rocks are usually rounded, dark, covered with moss, slippery. Looking at it, you wouldn't think that it's hard. In fact, they look so welcoming that you'd think that if they could talk, they'd probably say, "Come! Lie here, bask in the sunlight and have a good rest." 

Well, not in the man-made river. Here, the rocks were square and rough. You could see all the boulders cemented together and you just knew it'd turn really nasty if one knocked onto these things. Imagine the cuts and bruises. They looked menacing. Gosh! I'd better follow instructions and do as I'm told. I'd do anything to stay in the boat, not out of it. 

But, there's one good thing. Because it was in the middle of the desert, near the mountains, there were no trees! So, we didn't have to duck from tree leaves and branches! We went on it 3 times! Even though it was the same 'river' course, each time became increasingly tough. Tired from all that rowing, left, right, in, out, I was only too happy to step out of the raft when it approached the 'river bank'. 

The next thing I did was the zip-line. Ok, that's pretty relaxing. Just hanging on a piece of rope, cruising about 30 feet above the waters. I had so much fun that I just had to do it again and again! 

THEN, as I was walking up for my 3rd time, guess what? I met Vanessa, a courageous South American lady who beckoned me to take a ride on the Giant Swing. 

To be honest, I love swings. You know, those swings on the play ground which come in all shapes and sizes? Tyres on ropes, planks on ropes, or even those white garden chairs on hooks. It's a nice feeling to be pushed high up into the air, and feel such a sense of peace as it swings down and you look at the whole world around you, spinning, spinning, spinning. Then you swing up, and down, up , and down. And you wish that it'd never, ever stop. Ahh... I would always long to sit on the swing for just one more minute. 

I don't know what I was doing. Maybe it was because Vanessa looked very welcoming and credible. She just radiated with this aura of confidence. "Trust me." she said. "It'll be fun! You'll see." 

And I believed her. After all, I had come to release my stress and so far, I still felt all those tensed up muscles in me.Yeah... I should go. So, I inched forward as she beckoned me. Step by step, I finally reached this big piece of log. It was about 1 metre long, and it's diameter was about 12 inches. Hanging on this piece of log, were 3 'seats', or thick belts where we were supposed to sit on, and yellow piece of rope to hang onto.

The operator of the Giant Swing, began pulling the log backwards and upwards simultaneously. It was pretty amazing. Looking up, up, up, it was like being in a cable car. Then when we reached 30 feet above the ground, guess what? The guy stops in mid-air, suspends the log, and begins counting, "1!" , "2!", "3!". 

Thup! The log drops and my heart lunges forward, plunging into a deep, bottomless pit. I scream on top of my lungs. Screaming for my life. I knew I couldn't shout "Stop!!! Put me down now!" no.... at this stage, that was impossible! Physics taught me that when something is moving at top speed, and you stopped it suddenly, you'd be flung very, very far away! Now, you wouldn't that to happen, would you? 

Nope. So, I just sat there, hanging onto that fragile piece of plastic pipe, and yelled, "Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhh!!!!!"  for about 3 minutes. It was so shrill that my 'neighbours' turned deaf and had to console me in the middle of the swinging, "It's all right, it's all right!" in the midst of my ear-piercing screams.

Towards the end of the swing, it became gentler and milder. I was just beginning to enjoy it and Jimmy remarks, "I'm getting sick.Quick! Stop!" and I go "No! No! I'm enjoying it!" 

Boy! All that screaming? It felt good! I had wanted to scream, yell, cry, since I came to Dubai and I just didn't know how. Nothing could trigger it. This, was the perfect avenue! 

At the end of the ride, Jimmy complimented me for my scream. "Wow... I have never, ever heard anybody screamed like that." 

Vanessa, in her own understanding way, comfortingly said, "Yeah! She probably needed to let all that pent up emotions out of her system!"

Then they look towards the operator and said, "You're doing a great job! You must have enjoyed it!" 

The operator just smiled and waved us on our way to the next adventure. 

In my defense,I did a good job. Screaming,that is.

At the end of the day, I smiled to myself. I can't believe that I took that giant swing n I survived! 

My heart is pounding really hard and fast. In fact, I could even hear it beating. My legs were wobbling.

Yet, at the end of the day,  as I walked along  the corridors and jingled the keys in my pocket, as I opened the doors to my new apartmnt, I just kept on smiling to myself. I can't help it. I took the Giant Swing and I am still alive! Now, ain't that something? It's incredible!

From now on, whenever I am gripped with fear, I will say to myself,"now,now, what's d worst thing that could happen? What could be worse than that Giant Swing? You rode it and you survived! Go ahead and work ur charm."

Trust in God

At the Al Ain Wadi waterpark, after taking the Giant Swing, I was swelling with courage. Full of praises for myself, "Wow! I actually had the guts to swing from 30feet off the ground!" 

Bursting with pride, when Vanessa invited me to venture into new territory, walking on the poles in the sky, I happily nodded. 

Yet, when we reached the platform, I fearfully held onto myself, launching into another self-tirade. 

"Ok, Jean. Do you really want to do it?" 

"Ummm... yes... but... it's so high! can I even do it?" 

"Yeah! Remember? You tried that once, and you had to pull yourself together, 'til all your muscles ached?" 

"U huh, u huh! and you had to summon all sorts of commands to all the muscles you never knew existed, to move!"

"That's true! I mean, how are you going to do it? Can you do it?" 

With all these voices playing out in my head, I had to really clear my thoughts and think about the obvious reasons that I should do it. 

1. I'm so stressed out. I need to challenge myself, physically and mentally to prove that I can survive anywhere! If I can do this, I can survive at work too! 

2. I have taken the swing from the sky. and I survived. What's the worst that could happen? 

3. If you do this, you'll get a great sense of achievement. You need this extra booster, Jean. With so little challenges thrown at you at this moment at work, you need it to fire you up. 

4. If you don't know how to cross, don't worry. You'll get by somehow, one way or another. 

5. I looked around the area and noticed this thin rope, which goes around a track. I won't get stuck, I'll probably hang on it. I won't drop onto the ground. 

"Come on! Jean!" an inner voice said. "You just got to do it."

And so, with that thought, I bravely nodded to the 'guardian'. "OK, I'm ready." I said. So, he hooked me up onto the harness and pushed me to the sidelines, leaving me dangling in thin air. I looked down and I was scared. Come to think of it, I don't know why I was scared. I mean, it's not that scary right? I constantly peer out from my balcony in the apartment, and I enjoy the view. What's different this time? 

I think it was probably due to the fact that I would be suspending myself in the air, my life depending solely on ropes. 

"Don't worry, you won't fall. Check this out." the guardian says. "There are 3 ropes."

 'One hundred' he pointed to the first rope. 

 'Two hundred' he pointed to the second rope.

 'Three hundred.Very safe.' as he held the 3rd and final rope. 

Being an engineer, I automatically assumed he meant "100kg, 200kg, 300kg." I am about 60kg, so these 3 ropes, they can sustain a weight that's 5 times of me! Wow! Ok. That's very reassuring. 

Apparently, I couldn't have been more mistaken. Looking at my fearful, confused look, the 'guardian' repeated it once more, just so that I got the message, "100% - 1st rope. 200% - 2nd rope. 300% - 3rd rope. No problem!"and he gave the biggest grin ever.

Wow! That is so not scientific! 

Anyhow, I was here to complete a mission and I had to do it. So, here I am, deciding to cross obstacles on suspended poles and platforms, willing every inch of my muscle to move. 

First step, how in the world am I going to take the first step out? To step from a wide, wooden platform to put my foot on a thin rope? How am I going to stand? 

And so, being the timid me, I hugged the big, wooden pole, as if I'd never leave it. 

"Go on! If you need help, just give a shout."

"Huh?! What to shout?" sometimes, being too analytical is not a very good thing. One has to be spontaneous to be actually alive.

I thought, 'oh! Maybe I'm supposed to shout his name, to get his attention.' So I asked, "What's your name?"

"Javeed. But you don't have to shout out my name. Just shout 'help!', and I'll guide you along the way." 

That's way simpler. 

But, still, I have to take the first step out. So, here I am, standing on the quarter-circle platform, taking my first baby step on the line. Oh gosh! What am I gonna do??? Just walk, Jean, walk!

So, I step onto the line, and suddenly I am hanging in the air! 'Wah! Help!!!! What to do what to do?' My brains are screaming internally. 

Jimmy notices and he tells me, just hang onto your rope in front of you, lean back and side step all the way to the end. Ok, that sounds pretty easy. So I do just as he says and I arrive at the first stop. 

The next obstacle, is climbing into a rattan basket. I creep into it, walk gingerly and reach the 2nd stop. 

At the 3rd stop, there's a big, blue barrel. "Hold the handles on the lines and cross!" 

Wow! I manage to do it too! 

Next, I had to cross a log, suspended between two poles. No ropes to hang onto, nothing, except for d one that was hanging me - my lifeline. What am I going to do? 

"Just do the same thing!" Javeed and Jimmy urges me on. "Hang onto your rope, lean back and side step." 

Once again, gripped with fear, I just can't bring my left foot to step onto the log. A kid, who's probably about 10 years old, catches up with me. "Go on!" she says. "If you don't go, I can't go!" 

Yeah,... I replied, but I''m afraid!

"Ok, I know what. I'll go first. You go later." She nimbly skips onto the log and heads on a few steps, and our ropes get sort of entangled. 

"Oh... this is not a good idea. You need to go first." 

Like it or not, I had to put my foot on the log and slide myself across. 

By now, I was getting the hang of it. This is getting easier. I noticed one thing. All I had to do was just let the lines do its job. Lean back, hang onto the lines, and find ways and means of pushing myself from left to the right. I can hang on ropes, hang on barrels, anything. Just relax, hold on, and side step. 

The next obstacle, were six revolving platforms. First, as I stepped on it, it moved! Wah! It upset my balance, so slippery and caused me such instability. Once again, I was enveloped in fear. But then, I remembered something. I had that rope, and I could slide, and hold on to the ropes in front of me! so I did just that. 

When I successfully crossed it, I was pretty happy with myself. Then came those little wooden things, that looked like steps in thin air. By now, I was learning the ropes - literally. I had learnt my lesson. That these obstacles came in all shapes and sizes. But guess what? If I used my own strength to cross, it would be virtually impossible. There was only one way, that was to lean back, hold on, and slide through. So, that's exactly what I did. 

At the final stage, were two arm rests. I gripped on it and gently pushed myself. Javeed looks at me and says, "Come on! Don't you want to push yourself harder?"

I gave him my most innocent and exhausted smile that sort of said, "I think I've accomplished pretty much for today. You'd be doing me a great deed by pulling me to my final destination." So I just hung onto the bar and gave him my sweetest smile, and he promptly pulled me up. 

Wow! I finally did it! Tremendously relieved that now I was standing on solid ground, not suspended in thin air, defying gravity anymore. 

The little girl behind me, completed her rounds just seconds after me and shouts triumphantly, "Wow! That was fun! Can I do it again!" 

Javeed happily encourages her, "Of course! You can do it as many times as you like!"

"Yes!" the little girl jumps up for joy and runs towards the starting point. 

As I'm let off the hook, I was relishing my moment. "Wow! I can't believe I did it!" 

"Yes! You did!" 

I learnt, on that very day, that obstacles and challenges, comes in all different shapes and sizes. It maybe in life, in death, downturn in your career, financial problems, marital problems, all kinds of problems. But the only way to survive it, to stay strong, with your hopes lifted high up, is to trust in God, just like how I hung all my hope and faith onto those three ropes. When you're in a different realm, when you're suspended in challenges, with no solid ground, but a thin rope, an unstable platform, an enclosing fear, walking on the ground, trusting in gravity, walking with your own strength might not be such a good idea after all. It's time to put your faith and trust in the Lord, relax and let Him do the rest for you. 

Immediately, a phrase comes to mind. "Come to me, and I will give you rest." 

You no longer have to carry all those heavy burden around you. Put it down and learn to relax. 

Like my mentor always said, "You don't constantly have to be in survivor mode, you know."

Now I know, mentor. I finally got you. 

Taxis

I think taxis in Dubai are pretty interesting.

Check out these little notes about Dubai Taxis.
http://www.dubaifaqs.com/taxi-dubai.php

Ground Zero

After being here for almost 8 months, I have finally come back down to earth.I find myself waking up to the realities of life daily these days.

What caused it?

First, a friend's husband lost his job after the company decided to downsize the organization. I thought it was easy to find work in Dubai. Unfortunately, not every sector hires actively, especially those which skills are widely available, like administrative staff, or project managers. They were living on credit everyday, banks breathing down their necks, with two little mouths to feed. In the UAE, for married couples to stay together, the easiest way would be to have both parties working in the country. If one works, and the other not, the one who's jobless will need to be sponsored by a spouse who earns more than 10,000AED per month. Failing which, the other half will be issued a visiting visa. It's sad. Hence, families who are able to stay together here are very privileged indeed.

A few weeks later, I met an engineer who works for a local company. According to him, the company hires expatriates actively, but fires actively too. Every three months, people are laid off for turning up a few minutes late for work, not working after official office hours, going for lunch, and of course, insufficient profit generating and cost savings initiatives. Just within a short span of six months, three of his team mates were laid off. However, nobody was hired to replace their positions. As a result, he was forced to undertake the responsibilities of those who left. Today, he is overworked, often working until late in the night and on weekends. Now, he is desperately seeking for a way out.

Every country has its own culture. Some are gentle, some courteous, some rough. In the Middle East, for people who come from peace-loving nations, such as Southeast Asian countries, it can be quite shocking. Here, people express dissastisfaction openly, conduct discussions with loud,raised voices and are very insistent and indignant on what they want. They squeeze the workers dry, down to the very last drop, to ensure that you contribute all that you have. Working with Chinese, on the other hand, presents a stark contrast. They are so quiet and calm, displaying a straight face all the way through your presentation,  and you can't even read their thoughts. I think to understand such nations, requires a totally different set of communication skills.

I also discovered that some people were brought here through illegal channels and unethical methods. I know. We read about it in the papers all the time. But to actually meet someone whom you know personally, whom you interact with on a daily basis, to discover their history and how their ignorance and innocence were exploited for quick profit was simply heart-breaking. It made me wonder, "How could the people be involved, have the heart to cause such grievous hurt to these young souls? Didn't they feel the least bit guilty? Could they even fall sound asleep in the night, knowing that their victims cried their hearts out as they lay on cold, hard floors, and felt so hopeless and disheartened, as they trudged through work every day, bounded by invisible handcuffs and unbreakable bonds?"

One of the cleaners has a bachelor's degree in tourism, worked in a travel agency for three years and was about to be promoted. Lured by the high salary in UAE and abundant opportunities, she signed up for a job which she thought consisted of the same job description back home, only to find out it was the job of tea-lady. Devastated, she wanted to go back home, but was told that she'd have to pay a hefty fine for all the fees for processing visas, flight tickets, etc. So, she had to surrender and yield to the will of the company for two years. During that period, she was not allowed to return back to her home country at all.

Another was an accountant who was hired in different company, only to find out that on top of the accountancy job he was hired to execute, he was also required to distribute water bottles around the region, which includes driving a truck and carrying them, one by one, on his back, in winter and summer. So in the day time, he had to contend with balancing water bottles, while in the night, he had to balance figures.

Coming here, it's like signing up for the ultimate test of life; to test your yield strength and the extent of your will power; to discover your true potential, what you're truly capable of, and discovering your true personality, values and ethics. In every other way, it has caused many to turn to various sources of release outlets to seek for solace and comfort. As expats, we realize, staying in this country is a rare privilege indeed. Not only do we become older and wiser, we also learn to be more humane, compassionate and sensitive to the plight of others, actively helping out in every way we can.

In fact, when the news of a prison inmate jailed because of her inability to pay back an incredible amount of debt she owed to the bank, a generous expatriate paid it off for her, so that she and her daughter could return to their home country. Elsewhere, some friends of an inmate, surrendered their passports to the local authorities to bail out a man who was innocent and wrongly accused.

It is here that I feel that no doubt money is important. But the ultimate aim of getting more money, apart from improving the quality of one's individual and family life, it's to bring greater benefit, spreading relief, cheer and happiness to those who truly needs it. May we remember all the kindness and generosity others have shown us as we move on in life, and remember to do the same to others at all times. For life is about sharing and sharing is... love.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder batle. ~ Plato

Dubai is a trading and travelling hub. People transit here for stopovers, and traders love coming here because it is safe, peaceful and tax free. Yet, because it is where you have representatives from every nation here, you'll tend to learn a lot about countries you've never heard of, or learning the precise history about a country or dismissing misconceptions you've learned about it from the media. The most important thing is you learn that peace can exist, even when people from every different tribe, tongue and nation on the globe lives together. Who says that a country can only prosper or have peace if only one tribe exists? Time and time again, it has been proven that with diversity, comes development. Diversity in character, nationalities, and values. It is precisely diversity which encourages exchange of ideas, improvisations. If there were no free flow of ideas, from whence comes development? 

Here, I learnt that inter-racial marriages can be quite successful too! I met a housemaid who took pride in the family she worked for. "I'm from Uganda." she says. "The couple I work for? The wife is French, and the husband comes from Germany. The child I"m baby sitting, speaks English to me when he sees me, speaks French to the mother and German to the father. The boy is only three, and he switches fluently from English to French to German in a matter of seconds!" Isn't this amazing? 

It's also here that I learnt that the leaders of every country can either 'make' or 'break' their countries. In Venezuela, almost all the young, energetic and educated youth are taking flight to find jobs out of the country due to the worsening economic situation. In Azerbaijan, the government sets up high walls and fences to shield the view of poor settlements in the city. In Iraq, the situation is still hostile - foreigners are often targeted with bombs and gunshots. In Syria, rebels are fighting against the government and refugees are pouring into neighbouring countries. War, poverty and insecurity plagues many nations every day. Nearby, Iran threatens to fire rockets at Israel. The countries in between, must be so fearful. Imagine a rocket flying over your head. Wouldn't you be scared? Will the situation take a turn for the better one day? I really hope so. 

Just two weeks ago, a Jordanian told me, that she was originally a Palestinian, living next to the Jordan border. One day, her home was invaded and suddenly she found that she was stateless. Fortunately, Jordan decided to be very generous and awarded her a Jordanian citizenship. Another Palestinian was not so lucky. Having being born right in the heart of Palestine, her passport is witheld by the government. She travels from country to country based on papers. Whenever she travels, she has to apply for visa every single time. She's afraid of returning to Palestine. If she returns, she'll never be able to set foot out of the country anymore. Can you imagine what is it like for the offsprings of these citizens? Where would they have a place to call home? Imagine never having the opportunity to visit the land of your ancestors. How would you know your origins? How would you know why you act the way as you do now? If there're less roots of identification, the child will probably be left wondering, lost and confused. Just like the orphans of China, who even after being adopted, often wonder why their parents abandoned them. 

In the first few months of my arrival, cases of young infants dropping down from balconies and windows attracted my attention. One survived, the rest, tragically perished. 

A friend from the US, has a friend whose son works for the US Military. The son was sent to Afghanistan as a Ranger about three years ago. In the US, if you have relatives in the military based in war-afflicted countries, you will pray very fervently for their safety and wellbeing. You'll be thankful just to know that they are alive. One day, the father told his friend, "Today, you don't have to pray for my son anymore. Because last night, he was shot and they're sending his body on the next flight home. Please pray for my son's wife and kids. His wife is inconsolable, and his kids-they will never ever get to really know their dad." 

How do you react to such news? No amount of words are sufficient to comfort these families. No matter how dilligently you search for the right words, you'll never find the one which is appropriate to heal their broken hearts. For us, the listeners, our tears just streamed shamelessly down our cheeks; dumbstruck by the fact that humans have the capacity to commit such atrocities towards each other. Lost for words except 'May God bless them' and 'let's uphold them in our prayers'. War is always a lose-lose situation. Which party stands to benefit from it? It affects the descendants of future generations of both sides for years and years to come. 

Since life is fragile, it is precious. Tended with loving care, it sprouts and brings forth happiness. If left to fend for itself in the freezing cold, burning heat and wild jungle, it'll be like a lost tiger with fangs, biting at anything that approaches it.

At Crossroads: TO quit, or not to quit.

I often wonder about what causes a person to quit his/her job. Occasionally, when the curiousity bug bites me, I will post a question to one of those frequent job hoppers. "So, what's your motivation for switching companies every three years?"

The young ones answer, "Of course it's because of salary increment! Do you think I'd job hop if they paid me well?"

Seasoned professionals would sip coffee, give my question a serious thought and reply, "Well, it's to enhance my technical skills. Had I stayed on, my learning curve would have been flat. Sometimes, you need to venture out to test your capabilities." 

Yet, if I ask those who have worked in the same company for more than a decade, their main reason for staying would be, "This company provides excellent benefits to its employees. So, why should I quit?" 

Others, who are more career minded, would say, "Well, I visualized my future growth in this company. I found that I could explore my skills and develop my potential. It grooms up young employees to be future leaders. So, I stayed. Without realizing it, this is my 30th year with the company!" 

Some, stay on because they dislike taking risks. "What if I quit, and I dislike the new job? What if I discover the new job is very demanding and I don't have what it takes? What if I am fired after just three months of taking up the job? To whom shall I turn to?"

When the going gets tough, I have a strong urge to quit. Yet, I haven't done so because I find that  there are very few organizations who value ethics such as integrity and open communication, and emphasizes it as their core values. In most organizations, you'll find that one often has to compromise their values and principles to answer to the higher management. 

One of the veterans advised, "Before you quit, you must ask yourself this question: 'Are you quitting because of your boss or your company?" 

"What's the difference?" I asked. At this moment, boss is equivalent to the company. 

"Well," the veteran explains patiently. "If you're quitting because of your boss, the risk that you're taking is not worth it. How sure are you that in your new company, you won't have an equally bad or maybe even worse boss? Don't you think that you should learn how to handle and face your present situation instead of running away? If you had a different or 'better' boss, would you quit? If you're quitting because of the organization, then it's probably because they provide less insurance coverage, no retirement benefits, no career development, no future growth, etc. Oooh.. my dear, " she croons. "Trust me. It makes a huge difference." 

A friend advises, "It's very important to work in an environment surrounded by positive people. If you've found it, you've hit the jackpot!"

As we climb up the  career ladder, we reach a point where we realize that money is not everything. Other factors that we should weigh include job description, job satisfaction, benefits, vision and employee development programmes. 

Hence, don't quit just because you feel like it, or think it's time. Sleep on it. Give it some thought before making a hasty decision. As a wise person once said, "Very often, you have to respect a person's position, even if you dislike the person." 

Recently, somebody asked me this, "Think about it. If you've been in a company for more than ten years, and all you'll ever be, is an engineer, do you think that, is an accomplishment? Don't you think that by the time you're 30 or 35, you should be a manager or a specialist reservoir engineer?" 

The question reminded me of this famous prose, "Fame or Fortune?"

Is that all we're after? Fame? Fortune? When we talk about career progression, is it the money that we're after? or the title? Does it matter? Why?

There's something else that we ought to be seeking after.

Pause for a minute.

Step back, look at the bigger picture and carve your future.

That, is what I am going to do today.