Salam!
Peace be with you…
Have a nice day to all the readers na naligaw sa blog ko. I have no experience in writing, but I wanted to share what I have in my mind and in my heart. I don’t know what to write or what topic to begin. Pasensya na po mga pipol. Please try to understand and feel free to give comments on whatever you read that is incorrect in my writing. I just want to share my experience in United Arab Emirates.
Abudhabi. Abudhabi. Abudhabi. – the capital city of United Arab Emirates. A country that is already part of my life. A country that is hard to forget. This place, their tradition (like wearing kandura and sharwal, that I like to wear in the house cos its very comfortable), the smells of their coffee (or qahwa) and the sights and sounds (their music) gets into my soul.
When I came here to work, year 1989. It is usually like adventure to me. I don’t know what is waiting for me in this strange place. In my first day, week, months and years here, there are too much adjustments, hardship and long struggles. But the days pass without noticing that I already completed my first contract (two years contract) and more and more years completed, with tears, sweat and blood. My only inspiration is my mother and brothers and sisters that are still young when I plan to work here. Due to economic crisis and poverty and man-made calamity, I grab the opportunity to work abroad, far from my loved ones. I carry all the responsibilities I shouldn’t be. And now, after almost two decades of working in the house of Emirati family as a nanny/tutor/alalay, I’m leaving AbuDhabi this July 2009. I’m having a mixed feelings. You know, it has been the most rewarding job for me. I’m generous in nature and of course have a little bit of frugality, kaya medyo nakaipon din for future.. Alhamdulillah! That’s the main reason why I got a guts to exit and stay for good in my own country.
People keep asking me if I’ll be coming back, I don’t see myself coming back anytime soon. But as they say, ‘’never say never’’. I wouldn’t have to resign if it were not for family reasons.
It has been very beneficial living in another country and being able to interact with so many different people from other cultures.
Missing??
I will miss shopping, buying fancy things, mga burloloy....lol. I will miss the malls, you can go to marina mall, wahda mall, khalidiya mall or abudhabi mall and old souks with many small shops and interesting things to look at. Go wild with shopping. Shopping is a national sport in UAE. Every week, malls here find a reason for having promotion (“Sale” in our lingo). Change of season promotion, Ramadan sale, Summer Festival, Clearance promotion or what the heck lets have promotion. Shopping festivals surely turns all malls into hives of activities and attract thousands of bargain hunters. There is surely something for everyone. And there is an added bonus – there are all sorts of prizes to be won from Hummer to Lezus, Electronic items to kilos and kilos of Gold.
I will miss the shawarma (a sandwich with beef or chicken wrap up of lebnani bread, priced 4dirhams for chicken and 4.50dirhams for the beef), hahaha! So delicious indeed..
I will miss the home delivery.. if you need something in the mini-market,they are ready to deliver it. No minimum amount required. From noodles to bread, mineral water (masafi), pepsicola, meron pang chippy (the peborit snack of pinoy)… and if you want to charge your cellphone, they will send you load (like sa atin na pasaload) and pay later...atbpa!
I will miss the abudhabi corniche, its nice to walk briskly or jog or ride a bicycle in the winter. You can go to the open beach, but now there’s an entry fee not like before the past years. With the view of high rise building and flats on one side and sea on the other side, the effect is quite spectacular. Watching sun sets over Emirates Palace is a romantic and blissful way to end an afternoon.
I will miss the sightseeing sa al-ain, going to wadi and jabal hafeet (the highest peak in UAE) and the green mubazarrah and the al-ain zoo. Sa sharjah, kumakain sa gilid ng buhaira. Maglibot sa dubai, joy-riding and malling, our favourite is Ibn Battuta mall and Deira city centre. Going to the beach of Fujairah. Mountains of Ras Al khaimah. Halos nalibot ko din ang United Arab Emirates in my long years of stay here.
I will miss the house at bada-zayed, in the western region. We spend our weekends there. The desert/sand dunes of liwa, the farm of locals and where you can see many trees of Dates and camels.
But most of all, I will miss the people with whom I had the privilege to work. I will certainly miss them. They are so kind and generous, they are my second family here..The Al-Hameli family of Zayed Town, Abudhabi, UAE.
In the two decades of my life here in UAE, I’ve met different people whom I can say I became friends with and became part of my life.
I want them to remember me with these simple thoughts –a strong woman, one who loves deeply, brings joy to everyone and a person who is emotional when it comes to my family, and who believes that ‘’Allah always guides and protects’’.
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