Hot...desert...arid...dry...camels...horses...
that basically describes my time here in this part of the world...it's hot, but it's understandable since it's desert country, which also explains arid and dry and camels, and horses ties it all up as it is the scope of my work here in this country.
though i'm originally from a mild muslim country, i'm surprised to find that there is still an aspect of culture shock...mainly because of how i'm viewed as a woman here.
naturally i'm asian so the first reaction of most men here is, 'oh, she's a prostitute' as most chinese here are...especially around my area because it is believed to be dubai's own version of the red light district. being constantly stared at while i'm walking down the street by myself, with no man next to me takes some getting used to.
the next thing that takes some getting used to is the fact that everyone drives an SUV....for city driving. so needless to say that cranks up the city temperature by another couple of hundred notches, making the summer here totally unbearable. And if it's not enough with the sandstorms, it's hard to say what the cloudy haze is above Dubai's shady skyline...is it just sandstorm or smog? gas is ridiculously cheap here ($0.20/litre) and more expensive than drinking water ($3.00/litre). The 'green' issue here is non-existant as everyone cranks the air con unit at their homes even though no one is home, consuming more energy than ever. There was a couple of days when Dubai was close to a city wide power failure...especially during the hottest part of the year as the generator automatically shuts down when it reaches dangerous levels due to heat. At work we had a couple of power failures during the afternoons, when it's the hottest and when the air con unit shuts down the heat creeps in at an alarmingly fast rate...almost instantly. that reminds me just how fragile humans are, and how dangerous it is to us when the natural balance of nature is upset...how easy it is to perish...and how people here just don't see to give a damn about any of that. the Sheikh wants to be first in everything, how about the first in caring for the environment? in today's day and age i would think that's what is needed to put this country on the world map...be the leader in global conservation.
the food in the region is amazing though they eat too little vegetables for my liking and since being here i'm in constant search of fibre to keep my systems going. but luckily they have Spinney's, a local 24 hours grocery store that sells Western foods and it's just a stone's throw from my apartment.
i'll add more to this journal later on...
updated: looking back - it has been a year since i've been gone from this land but it felt like a lifetime ago. you know life is really moving when things feel this way and also because the experiences were pleasant, memories profound. new memories will be made for the future and one's only option is to only keep looking forward.
dubai, i can say i learnt a lot of its culture, added another notch to my travel belt but will i want to go back? honestly not anytime soon because i found the ecology wastefulness a saddening reality. every sustainable good green things everyone is doing on this planet is single-handedly destroyed by one nation's ignorance. my background is in interior design and that's the reason why i went there...to work for a summer. i've been told many times over that our profession destroys the planet because of the materials we spec in our jobs. Living in Canada i thought it a preposterous notion, but going there i have to hang my head in shame and learn what NOT to do. it is a designers' playground - dubai, but that's not a playground i want to play in because no matter how good the money is there if i accept a job that will harm mother nature then i cannot respect what i do.
with that said, i have to say the spas there (especially the Park Hyatt spa) made the country bearable and worthwhile. i made sure to visit at least once a month, if not twice. :)
