Two nights in Dubai….

On the first night, a tear fell when I sat on the stairs outside the pad and watched the cars pass by. I was lonely. Tears are on the brim of my eyes and if I continued to sulk and feel the mellow night in this foreign land, they may have fallen in buckets…with deep sobs and enormous sighs. I miss home. I miss Sta. Lucia. I miss Nabua.

I especially miss the familiar faces I almost always come across with even if there was no relationship entwined. Here in Dubai, perhaps the population of Filipinos dominated the second largest residents who are the Indians and the Pakistans. But the Filipino faces I see here since I got here are not like the hospitable, smiling and friendly faces I see back home. Perhaps because this is a foreign country the Filipino aura has changed together with this country as this is a lot different from the Philippines in terms of culture and behavior.

Dubai sure is clean compared back home. I am lucky I got here on a pretty weather: chilly during the early morning and late in the afternoons up to the starless but brightly lit night. My sister told me, when it’s not winter, the heat can almost burn your skin making it seemingly impossible to walk to work or just stroll by the area. As I write this now, I am covered with thick comforter from head to feet because I feel terribly cold as if my body’s getting numb almost impossible to move them. Well, that’s not because the temperature here fell below zero celcius but because the air conditioning is so high that I feel like as if I am inside a freezer! I cannot lower the temperature because the AC is being shared with the other occupants in this small room partitioned in half resembling a shoebox room. Nevertheless, the climate outside this midnight is still a little cool that if I stay long enough without a sweatshirt on, I might chill.

But it’s not the weather that’s bothering me or making me miss home. It’s the people. Or maybe I am not still used to seeing scary looking Pakistans, or funny sounding Indians and sophisticated Arabs much more that the Filipinos here has transformed into different beings. I cannot put into words how am I going to describe my observation of my fellow countrymen. They’re just different. I don’t feel the warmth, the hospitality and the politeness they [do] usually bestow when in our own home country. Maybe because they have to blend in with the culture.

I also miss my spacious room, which I appreciate, now that I am in a very small room together with my sister and her husband. I grew up very rich in terms of space: surroundings, leniency, open culture and all that. Here, I feel like as if I am totally barred of everything! Sure this is an open city but still there are do’s and don’ts that I have to keep in mind every time I’m outside this shoebox. Like, I have to be extra cautious with my gestures for they might be offensive in this muslim country. Even I haven’t ride the bus as of yet, I was told the ladies regardless of what nationality is separated from the male commuters. And that they always comes first priority. That, I have no qualms since females should be given that respect even if it’s not much. Yet the thought that you cannot mingle with the females, even if the intention of harassing them is no where in my vocabulary, while traveling whether on a short distance or not, is absurd. But that’s their law. At first I was also weirded out when I saw for the very first time the ladies all covered in black gowns where the eyes could only be seen. At Bahrain International Airport, I got a little scared that I literally kept my distance from them. I was like a child who saw a scary creature opposed from the “white lady” the Filipino folklore has. Who wouldn’t be? They look really scary with their outfits all dressed in cotton-silk black overalls wherein their deep dark eyes, hands and shoes are the only ones being seen. I cannot help but wonder what they’re missing. They cannot flaunt their signature D&G’s, CKs, Zara’s, etcs. They cannot show their beautiful figures and their sophisticated faces (there are few of them who show their faces though). They cannot sport their fashion enthusiasm of mix and matching designer or non designer clothes. And this observation comes with the males as well, all dressed in white overalls with a whatever-that-thing-they-put-on-their-heads are called. Like yesterday, as we stopped for the red light exiting Al Karamah, there’s this cute and hot looking young Arabian driving a hot car with his hood/veil and black rings on his head dressed in his white gown who stopped beside my brother-in-law’s chevvy. Maybe he caught a glimpse of me unconsciously gazing through his lightly tinted window (but I wasn’t actually looking at him at all, but the view beyond), my sister motioned me to look at him since he abruptly took off his veil and put on a very expensive black baseball cap, which by the way, made him even look cuter as his skin tone and briskly shaven jaws appeared in light…my knees wobbled when I saw him transform to a modern man showing his intense but gentle facial features. My sister said he smiled when he caught his gaze on us. That, among other simple observation from these young Arabians in terms of how they dress up is just whether or not they’re obeying the culture they have grown up to or is afraid to fully dress up the way we democrats sport our fashion, amazes me. I also saw funny looking females in their black gowns faces covered but wearing green sneakers, and platform shoes popularized by “japayuki” entertainers. Their gown looks best with slippers and sandals by the way. I cannot help but wonder what’s underneath those gowns. I mean, what clothes do they wear underneath those black cotton-silk or white gowns. However conventional it is, most of them look elegant the way they wear it.

You see, those queries as to how can they be fashionable in those identical looking gowns they wear were answered when I went to the Bur Juman mall this afternoon, where the rich people in Dubai shop. There were several signatured gowns, worn by mannequins in several expensive and delicately interiored boutique shops, which are accented with silver and gold or with thin tassles dangling from the covers around the face, or that the gowns were sewed in complicated stitches that added extra elegance from the normal black “sayos” they wear. They put style and personalized their “costumes”.

Anyway, the overall reason why I am writing this post is because I miss home, update my friends and my readers where I am now and what I have been feeling for the past few days. I am also writing for the reason that, how funny it seems, for 3 days that I was here I observed pretty much the difference this country has among the other countries I have known from books and stories as well as how Filipinos interact with the nationals and other expats holding residency in this country.

1. Fellow Filipinos call each other “kabayan”. Like while walking home this Filipino guy asked for directions and he said “kabayan, san ba yung, Burjuman Mall”. You could hear these “kabayan” more often in malls when Filipinos who don’t know each other ask about something. Like at Starbucks in Bur Juman, this Filipino barista greeted me with “kabayan, ano sa’yo?” I mean, I could be a thailander or a malaysian…you know. Hehehe
2. Filipinos has a codename for Pakistans as “patans”. Indians as “indianos” or most common as "pana" (you know why? yes...you are a filipino if you know why!). I am not sure though if this nationals know they're are being called like that.
3. What’s funny is that, storekeepers of different nationality are being addressed as “my friend” by Filipinos. I couldn’t help but laugh silently because I call my grandpa’s goat “my friend”. It makes me miss my friend, the goat.
4. There are Muslims who sells Christian paraphernalias like crucifixes, rosaries, bibles and Christian books, etc. now isn’t that against their belief?
5. Catholic church here in Dubai holds masses in different languages simultaneously at times. Inside the church, the mass is celebrated in Arabic language and in some areas within the church vicinity is celebrated in Filipino and in Indian language. So there’s a lot of people during catholic mass celebrations.
6. What’s amazing is that, although just a few, there are Arabians who are Catholics!
7. You cannot take a picture of the mosque! I am dying to have my photo taken with the beautiful huge mosques around here! But I could get arrested if I do that, sadly.
8. You should not stare at the black wearing gown ladies nor look at them in the eye. I don’t know why. You cannot even take a picture of them. So when you’re dying to observe them like I am dying to have a picture taken with them, make sure you do it unnoticeable.
9. There are a lot of cars here! Taxis are expensive cars. The ones I’ve seen are Toyota Altis and Mitsubishi Lancers. In the Philippines, these cars are already a luxury.
10. Luxury cars like Chevrolet, Peugeot, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, etc are very common here. Even Filipinos own cars like that here. In the Philippines only the rich people can have them.
11. Public transportation is by bus, big clean buses unlike in the Philippines where buses are…well…no need to mention. And taxis, with expensive per meter charge.
12. Since a lot of the residents here own a car or two, buses don’t fill up unless rush hours and they pass by the hour.
13. Car windows here are lightly tinted or no tint at all. It is against the law. Only the Arabs can own dark tinted cars
14. There’s a toll system here where a vehicle owner purchase a sticker card where they have to stick to their front window and is digital. Amazing how they just have to reload it with credits and when the pass through a toll gate, they don’t need to slow down. The sensor above automatically credits the card sticker on the car.
15. Driving 80km/ph is already over speeding in the Philippines. Here, they drive very fast. Pedestrians make it impossible to cross lanes!
16. Car speed is traced by radars overhead the highways.
17. Roads are very wide. Up to 4 lanes in a single direction.
18. Even lanes are wide, since a lot of them own a car or two, traffic is very heavy during their work days! Traffic is systematized though. I mean, not like in the Philippines especially in Manila where if stuck in traffic you don’t understand why cars are slanted, vertical, horizontal in position in a single direction lane.
19. Since this is a city built in a desert, I understand now why it is hot here after winter season. They lack trees and every thing is bricked or cemented!
20. Streets and highways are brightly lit everywhere making it impossible see stars at night!
21. Most residential buildings are 4-5 stories high.
22. Rents are expensive.
23. There are ongoing building costructions everywhere. Tall tall buildings.
24. It is a common misconception that Arabs smell ugly. Arabs do smell great and they’re handsome. Those who smell rather weird are mostly Pakistans and some Indians but not all of them. There are nice smelling Pakistanis and Indians, good looking too!
25. Starting salary is…well…low for overseas workers, which starts at 2,500 – 2,800 dirhams. But if you get paid like that in the Philippines its already heaven!
26. Most of the shops here are closed during 1pm and re-opens at 4pm. I was told, 1-4pm, they are worshipping.
27. I was told there is a lot of holidays here!
28. Since this is an Muslim country, I was shocked to find out I will not be able to open several sites I often visit in the Philippines. I completely understand that QueerClick, Waybig, and all other porn blogs can be blocked but guys4men and NathanExposed? C’mon! So I will not be able to read you Nathan for the indefinite time that I am in this country.
29. I saw males hugging and holding hands while walking. I am not sure what race they were but, wow! I was so amazed. They look sweet.
30. I was told that in Sharjah, people are rather different from the nationals in this city. Some were perverted that they masturbate in one darkly lit nook or even somewhere wandering eyes can see them. Weird!!!

Anyway….

I just miss home soo much. I’ll be missing Simbang Gabi and Christmas Noche Buena!! I am soo sad!

Labels: dubai, observation, people, travel