Episode 1

It's been a long time since I last posted. Been busy searching for the right path you know. This past month was like a roller coaster ride. There are times that I wanted to blog but there's really nothing special to write or share about. I have also been moody these days. Still anxiously waiting and trying my luck to find a decent job. Sometimes I feel like I am about to break but day by day, I am learning to embrace everything that is thrown at me.

It's hard to leave everything back home but it's a choice, my choice. I personally love challenges and I guess, this is one of the biggest that I have to fight for or at least to prove to myself I am worthy of this choice. Sounds corny eh? But what can I say? It's true. I believe that one day, I can tell myself "I've done almost everything I wanted to do and so I am now ready to die." Well, actually not. Haha.

Now, am still here in a beautiful yet very hot place called Dubai. If I will say UAE, I don't think my limited readers would relate. Everyone thought of Dubai as a country and if you are one, you're dead wrong. Dubai is just one of the seven Emirates that makes UAE a country. Anyway, I've been here for a month and a half now. And yes, my skin's now dry, got blisters on my lower lip and hair fall never ends. But it's okay, I still like UAE.

For the past month, I've been into numerous interviews: one-on-one, telephone, panel, name it! But I haven't seen the job that I really want. I have some concerns most of the time regarding the salary package, the contract and even the boss itself. If I could just elaborate my experience with a local here, I would but I don't want to waste my brain thinking of that event in my life. Let's just say, there's one particular moment that made me more stronger and wiser.

You might or might not be curious but I have two good reasons why I landed here: JOB and TAX. I heard some stories that it's so easy to get a job here. Like when you snap your finger, job's right there. This may be true and really false. True for those idiots who will grab anything just to say "they have a job" and false for those who act, think and choose the right one according to their area of expertise and of course experience. You see, there are loads of jobs here but the question is, is it the right/best one for you? In terms of tax, I assume we are all aware that this is a tax-free country, right? Need I say more?

Anyhoo, a month or so has passed and still, I am a loser jobless bitch. I can't even sleep at night and my self esteem is decreasing almost everyday. I sometimes ask myself, did I just throw everything that's already in my hands? You know, I am just so lucky being surrounded by beautiful people. They're the ones who make sure I keep my sanity. 

So, I'm now running out. More senseless stories in a few days or maybe weeks. Wish me luck on my job hunting!

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Sandpit

I've been here in Dubai for a week now and still have no luck in finding a good job. There are some, yes, but the offer isn't that worth it you know. My friends keep on telling me that that's the way it is. If you want a really nice job, you have to wait. So I'm anxiously waiting and hoping and wishing.

Anyway, t'was my first time visiting this country and let me tell you about some of my experiences so far. I arrived here last April 28 and I've been to numerous places -- Sharjah, Deira, Karama, Sheikh Zayed and so on. I am good at finding specific location but here, I'm not. Buildings or establishments here aren't the same in the Philippines. I couldn't even figure out whether it's a hospital, a school, a villa, an office, a mall or whatever. Also, Dubai has long, wide roads so you won't see any traffic jams anywhere.

My first week here is quite boring but happy at times. Boring when my friend Elaine have a flight which means I'll be left all alone at home but happy when she's here. We usually go dine out and stroll. I was lucky to be able to see Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. There was also this show that I saw which they call "Dancing Water". It was in front of Burj Khalifa and show starts every 6PM and continues every after 30 minutes to entertain tourists around. It was kinda beautiful and nice. I also get to see the 7-star hotel here called Burj Al Arab. Haven't got in to that place though, maybe next time.

When it comes to food, I wouldn't say it's cheap but it's average. A simple shawarma would cost around 5-10 dirhams. I've tried the famous shawarma from Aroos Damascus and oh boy it was soooo gooood! It's very far from our shawarmas back home. And since this country is mostly populated by Indians, there are loads of Indian restaurants or cafeteria everywhere. Indian foods were typically spicy and I keep on saying that I should be used to those kind of foods or maybe not! Meh. Well, almost everything you want to eat are available, from western cuisine to eastern cuisine.

What else? Oh yeah, I've learned that cellphone loads here don't expire, sim card does but you can renew it after like a year. Buying sim cards here requires you to show some identification. So if ever you lost your phone or someone stole it, they can easily track it. Best part is you can still use the same number even if it was deactivated for so many years. How about that? And buses... buses here seems to be cool. In Dubai, you can only ride a bus if you got a bus card. They don't have bus conductors here. All you need to do is ride a bus, from a bus station (buses here don't stop to load and unload passengers just anywhere), swipe your card and voila! Mind you, bus cards can't be used by 2 or more persons, you'll be fined 200 dirhams if police officers caught you. And what's even cooler is that buses here got their own numbers for their respective routes. So organized! But you better be sure that you've checked on the numbers before you board or you'll be lost haha!

I think that's about it for now. More of sandpit adventure later! Toodles!

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