Random Firings

We have a lifeguard named Adonis.

I found the worst job in Dubai. Carrefour is a large grocery/everything store located at the Mall of the Emirates…crowded as heck most of the time. In the Dubai grocery stores you have to go to a weigh station to have your produce weighed and they slap a sticker on it for the checkout—stuff we used to do in the USA 30 yrs ago. Anyway, there are 3 gals at this weigh station surrounded by about 90 people trying to get stuff weighed. There is no order, you just push your weigh to the front if you need something weighed—with your shopping cart. And these 3 gals are going a 1000 miles per hour, excuse me, 1600 km/hr, grabbing bags of produce thrust in front of them, slapping it on the scale, typing a code in, and putting the bag in a tape machine to seal it and slapping the barcode on it…and they do about 20 bags in the time it took me to type what they did. They are fast, efficient, and non-stop. I don’t know how long their shift lasts, but I wouldn’t make it more than 15 mins. I at least gave my girl a sincere thanks, but if she heard it, she didn’t acknowledge—she just stayed in her zone for the next customer.
I also found the easiest, most useless job in Dubai. I watched a guy sweeping off the top of an orange/white construction barrier.

I know these people make a pittance; and I also know it’s more than they can make back in whatever home country they rear from. But everyone of them has been so polite and always greet you with a smile and call you by some honorific, whether it’s ‘sir’, ‘miss’, ‘mom’…except for the produce gal at Carrefour, God Bless Her.

While we are on the that topic, i was headed out for coffee last night and I met a nice Filopino lady who had just finished cleaning a neighbor's apartment. I chatted with her a bit and got her number, just in case. I got off the elevator at the garage and she continued to the lobby. As I was driving away, I passed her and stopped. Asked her how far she had to go; about 2 miles, but thru a very unpedestrian friendly part of town--thru construction, and somehow across the free way--plus it was dark. I told her to hop in and I would drive her home.

She told me that she charged 30 AED per hour--3 hr min. (that's about $25 for 3 hrs). Plus it cost her a 45aed cab ride to our building. I told her I doubt I would have 10 mins of cleaning for her to do, but I'd keep her number. She told me her 'day job' is cleaning at The Iranian Hospital, six-days a week. She makes 800 AED per month ($230); pays 550 AED/mo for a bed + 100/mo Utilities and works at nights cleaning Apartments. Turns out she also goes to St. Mary's Church on Friday's--her day off. We had alot of time to talk, because I made a wrong turn and had to take a detour thru the Dubai Mall parking lot to get turned around (not the first time I have had to do that). She sais she had also worked for a few years in Rihyad, Saudi Arabia and in Japan. She has 3 kids at home, split between her Mom and their Father. Suddenly, six-days a week for the FAA doesn't seem so bad.

I bought a bunch of frozen goods for the new place last night. I couldn’t get it all in the very cramped freezer, so I had to eat a quart (ok, 500ml) of ice cream rather than let it melt away.

I’m going to have to get some curtains…or else just learn to live with the world’s tallest night light.

I can’t wait to feel like a whole person again. Hard to live without having internet readily available when you are so far from home and friends. When I was in my temporary villa in Mirdif, Caribou Coffee was only 5 mins away—2 hours of internet with purchase. Now at the new apartment, we have Starbucks close by, but you have to pay to use their services. I have found a couple other places that have wi-fi, but they are usually limited to 10mb of download—that doesn’t last very long. I’m still running over to Mirdif a couple times a week for internet. Alas, I drove over after work today and their internet is down. So I wrote a blog about it, want to hear it? I didn’t think so.

So far I have an office chair, a couple rugs, a long, low table for the TV, a surround sound system, and an air mattress. All my entertainment comes from playing cds that I downloaded on the laptop, reading books, or studying maps and procedures. I have also been doing a bit of shopping—which is a form of sport here in Dubai. They tend to wear me down to where I will pay anything to be done and say I accomplished something. Right now my mission is sheets for the new bed. 180cm x 200cm? No thread counts on the packaging. And generally not a whole lot to choose from. They do like duvets over here, so I guess I will have to get one—and a cover.
Things should be getting a whole lot better by the weekend. Thursday (the 20th) I will have all my furniture delivered along with a TV. Saturday they are coming to hook up Internet, Landline, and Cable…then I should be whole again. I will also be getting some more company when Ricky touches down Thursday evening. I will try and find out where they are putting him and go round him (and his roommates) up on Friday. He will need to do the eye exam and get a phone…and if they stick him in Mirdif I guess I will have one last cup of coffee at Caribou. (I must say, it really is a nice Caribou Café…very roomy and comfortable; also includes a small bookstore; and a Gourmet Burger Kitchen—delicious-- is also connected—plus it’s in a nice open air Mall and the staff is very friendly and accommodating).

Since writing the above paragraph, I did find a wi-fi link at the Starbucks at Border’s Books at the Mall of the Emirates…it’s about 15 mins and 2 toll gates from the apartment.

By the way, if anyone wants my address or phone, just holler and I will get it to you. Hope all are doing well on the other side of the pond...and anyone else on the planet who is tuning in.