Three days ago, I fell into the deepest emotional valley, unable to crawl out of it. Feeling as if all hope is lost, I moped. Even while I was asleep.
By chance, three days later, at five in the morning, the fire alarm in my apartment rang and the sirens came on, "There is a fire in the building. Evacuate, evacuate. Please do not bring anything. Use the staircase. Do not use the elevator." The automated message repeated.
I jumped out of bed as the sirens and alarms persisted. Sleepily, and groggily, I had to think what to wear as I was going out in public in 3 minutes, what to bring as it was a fire, and I had to search for my keys and spectacles. By the time I found everything, I think it was about five minutes. I had no idea whether it was a drill or it was real. But I figured it must have been real because just a fire drill was conducted just a week ago, while everybody was at work in the afternoon, on a weekday.
Anyway, I struggled to insert the key in the keyhole and that took another 2 minutes. Oh my gosh! I seriously hoped that it was a drill, but it was a very slim chance. Then the realization came. I am staying on the twenty-seventh floor! That means I have to walk twenty seven floors down! At a quarter past five in the morning!
So, I walked, and walked. The first few flights of stairs, there were only a couple of us. But as we descended, more people joined us. Some people brought their phones, some brought handbags, and some actually obeyed, they went empty-handed. Nobody ran. All quizzing each other, "What time is it? Is it a drill?"
All of us just walked down the stairs, in a cool, calm and collected manner. Not one of us ran. By the time we arrived at the assembly point, there were ambulance, police and fire engines. We had no idea where the fire was. I saw the security guard, running towards the fire engine, telling him where to go. I could only hope and pray that it was nothing serious.
Thirty minutes later, we were told that everything was fine, and we could go back up. Everybody rushed for the main entrance to take the elevator. Can you imagine the number of people who stays in a building with 40 floors, 10 apartments on each level and perhaps about an average of 1-5 persons an apartment? The big crowd and the long beeline?
So, I decided to walk up another 27 flights of stairs! It was a tough climb. I huffed and puffed! Nevertheless, the best part about staying in Dubai is, even the emergency stairwell is air-conditioned, with automated lights! It was like climbing up a mountain in the natural forest. It suddenly dawned upon me that the climb up is always tough. But when I reach my final destination, the reward will be so sweet. I will get to lie in the comfort of my soft, fluffy bed!
By the time I reached, I was sweating all over! It had been a long time since my whole shirt was soaked in sweat. Since I came to Dubai, this is the first time!
I glanced at my watch. It was only six am. I crashed onto my bed, curled up into a ball and continued sleeping.
By the time I woke up, I forgot all about why I felt depressed. Instead, I was tremendously relieved that I was safe and sound. Nothing bad happened today. I am still alive. My things are in-tact.Taking the easy way out is not a solution. And to think that I had actually contemplated the thought of what it'd feel like to dive sixty metres down...
Don't quit. Muster all your courage and face the music. You must have the courage to fulfill your dreams. Don't let others dictate your life. You musn't conform to the expectation of others all the time. You musn't oblige others every single time. You must drive your own life. Have your own say. Life is short. Life is precious. Treasure it. Live it.
That was what I thought as I walked to work that very day. All forms of sadness and frustration evaporated into joy and happiness. Relief, gratitude and praise flooded my heart and soul.
*****
Two days later, as soon as I arrived back at the lobby of my apartment in the evening, I finally had a chance to quiz the security guard on what actually triggered the fire alarm.
Surprise, surprise. It was a typical Dubai high-rise building story in summer. Somebody threw a cigarette bud from the top floor of the balcony, which landed on the cushion of a chair in one of the balconies on the fourteenth floor. It started with a small spark. which grew and spreaded into a big ball of fire.
Meantime, the tenant of the apartment had no idea that the cushion outside his balcony was in flames. He continued sleeping soundly, with his dark curtains drawn across the window. Somebody must have alerted the guard, who broke the fire alarm glass, triggering the sirens and fire alarms, knocked on the door of the apartment and woke the tenant up, prompting him to escape.
Not long after that, the glass door of the balcony exploded into a million, zillion pieces. The firemen arrived just in time to hose down the fire.
"So, what happened later? What happened to the apartment now?" I asked the guard.
"Well, the tenant of that apartment is now in jail because he placed the furniture on his balcony, which caused the fire. How many times have I pinned notices on the board 'Furnitures are banned on balconies. Do not hang your clothings on railings and balconies. Do not throw your cigarette buds down the balcony, etc'? But nobody listened. So, because the tenant violated the rules, he is in jail." the guard explained, frustrated with all the stubborn tenants who still violate the rules knowingly and openly, completely disregarding the notice which has been distributed door to door and published on the noticeboard.
But, this is unfair. Since the fire was caused by the person who threw the cigarette bud. The culprit is the person who sparked the fire. Not the tenant!
"Rules are rules! The cigarette bud was thrown from the top floor. I can't catch the person who threw the cigarette. But I can identify who placed the flammable material on the balcony. So, the police came and put the tenant in jail." the guard explained.
Ah! So, the reasoning here is: it takes two to tango. Though you can't catch the prime suspect, but you can catch the indirect, unsuspecting accomplice, which would somehow serve as a justice and reminder to the residents.
Oh my gosh! In Malaysia, this would be unheard of. Whenever fires were caused by individuals who burned candles in their houses, or using gas stoves, you'd only see the papers publishing stories of crying victims who lost their homes, valuables and loved ones. But nobody ends up in jail for random events like these. Only the ones who committed a crime - the arsonists, who burnt buildings intentionally. In Malaysia, the tenant of the apartment which caught fire would be considered a victim. Not a culprit. Then again, just as the guard explained, rules are rules. We should always obey. It is not there to make our lives difficult. It is there for a reason. It is there to protect our well-being.
Suddenly, I realized that being an expat comes with a whole set of new responsiblities. It begins with obedience.
Now I know. When in a foreign country, learn the rules first, before learning the language. Think twice before throwing caution to the wind. One might love with utter abandon, but do ensure you live in accordance to local laws, customs and culture. We certainly don't want to burn our fingers, much less our souls. And definitely not end up behind bars!
I guess the poor tenant must be wondering, "What did I do wrong? What happened?!"
A rude awakening indeed from the fire and the jail.
I can only hope that the tenant will be released soon...
