Episode 3: The Day

I thought that that was just an ordinary boring day but it turned out to be "THE DAY".

I was in a grocery store when my mobile rang. T'was a call from a company which I applied a month ago. I was asked if he can interview me right then and there. I was skeptical at first but hey, what am I thinking? In the end I was interviewed. There was this question about the company that I thought I messed up but I was surprised when he called again the other day inviting me for a panel interview in Abu Dhabi the day after tomorrow. I asked if he can give me the exact location of their office and he said that he'll email it to me after we're done talking.

The day has passed, still no email received from this company. The very next day, I checked on my mailbox and found zero again. I begin to think they've changed their minds so I just accepted the fact that the job wasn't really for me.

The interview date came and am still lying on the bed doing nothing when suddenly my mobile rang. It was somebody else from that same company and was asking me if I have plans on going for an interview. I was like confused and told the lady that I haven't received any email from them. She quickly asked if I'm still interested and if I can come within the day. T'was almost lunch time and my scheduled interview is 10am. I told her that I'm still in Dubai and she responded that they're open until 6pm. So I just said yes to finish the convo. I checked my mail again and that's when I found out how stupid I am. The instructions and location map was in my spam folder. Fuck! Why the heck I never thought of that?! Anyway, I rush to the bathroom and took a bath. I was thinking I can make it by 3pm or 4pm. For your info, Abu Dhabi is a 2-hour drive from Dubai. Fuck me!

I finally arrived after 2 or 3 hours. Imagine a hungry bitch (I haven't taken any breakfast or lunch) with raddled face -- yep, that was me! Finally, the receptionist called my attention and asked me to follow her. As I entered the room, there were 3 persons waiting. They're my interviewers I suppose? An Arab, maybe a Malaysian and a Filipino. Lots of questions were thrown and I think I've been inside that room for 30 minutes. After, the Filipino told me to wait for a while as I'll be having one more round of interview. Gawd, my stomach was really in a revolution! I could eat up a whole chicken in 10 seconds!

When we got to another room, the Filipino girl informally interviewed me. She told me every little thing to expect on this job and of course, just to impress her, I kept on saying "I can do the job." You know, I have this new motto when I arrived UAE. Always intellectually say yes and never say no. I do believe that everything in this world can be learned. Don't you think?

After some time, I finally met my last interviewer. It was the Dean of the department that I'll be in IF in case I got hired. He was so warm and nice. The interview wasn't an interview at all. He just told me stuff that they're doing within their department. He actually praised my CV. Then it all ended there. Would you believe if I told you that I got lost on my way out? I didn't know that I was inside the actual university not a company! I just thought it was an office where they recruit employees. Boy, it was really a big confusing school! I suddenly recalled my college days.

Anyhoo, as my tummy's rumbling, all am thinking at that very moment is where to eat. I am sooo tired when I got to this Al Wahda Mall near the bus station. I immediately looked for a food chain and saw Popeye's. I had 3 big fried chickens, a muffin, some fries and a coke. YUMMM! While eating, my mobile rang. It was the Filipino girl from the company where I just had my interview. The first lines were like, "So, are you really ready for a challenge?" I was like, "Uhm, yes?" Then she told me that it was me that they want, she mentioned the salary package plus benefits and so many things that I could not remember anymore. Damn! That was so fat! Tears just came out of my eyes when I heard that. I just can't believe this is happening plus all the mistakes and hassles I've been through that day. I think "Okay" was the only word I have said. She made sure that the HR will call me the following week. So I went home feeling happy with full of hope. My dreams are becoming clearer now... I guess.

One thing I've learned from this journey: Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.


Until my next senseless episode. Am out!

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Epidose 2

I can definitely say that these past days and weeks are the most boring days and weeks of my life. Sure am going here and there to have some fun but you see, this is my first time of being a huge ass bum since I graduated from college. I'm not into it and this is sooo not me! I always thought that this would be easy, just a piece of cake. Well, reality check, it's not! Fucking depressing!

There was this huge construction company that I really like to work for, problem is, they can't raise the salary. Come on, I shouldn't have left my previous job if this is the only thing here! Deadline's until next week for me to decide and it's a no-brainer. I mean, HELL NO!

Anyway, have I told you that I'm like a ping pong ball? Been travelling Dubai and Abu Dhabi back and forth for some interviews. I personally love Abu Dhabi. Why? Because I think there's less temptation there. It's more of a relaxed and laid back type of place to live in. Dubai has loads of beautiful places to go and hangout to, no doubt about that, but if you think about it, it's more of an outflow of money. Not good.

Hayyyy... life in UAE. I wish to have some more action rather than just sitting here at home gaining weight and doing nothing. Ugh! Speaking of weight, got to go to the gym and do some cardio. So, toodles!

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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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DXB

Never thought of stepping my feet on UAE soil but now here I am, trying to enjoy every second of it. It's hard to leave families and friends but that's the way life is. It's hard to explain but I'm pretty sure you know what I'm saying.

Anyway, I was all prepared -- financially and emotionally. I've got high hopes being here but most importantly, I have a plan. But before that drama I want to throw out everything that happened to me before arriving Dubai.

It seemed pretty easy on me but that wasn't always the case, okay. I'm doing this for the sake of those people who wants to go here so they'll at least have an idea. As what would everyone say, I decided to go here for better opportunities. So I fixed all my documents and within a month, I got all the results. I have a friend working in Dubai who helped with my visa and ticket processing. The only thing that I'll be thinking about is on how to pass through those immigration officers in Manila. Immigration officers in the UAE are more lenient (as long as you have all legit documents of course) so I don't need to be worried about that.

April 28, my departure date. I arrived in NAIA three hours before my flight schedule. First thing you need to do is to have your visa scanned for authenticity then off you go to check in your baggage. I couldn't stress more on the fact that checking in online a day before your flight is pretty helpful. You will benefit by not queuing from those long lines at the airport as there are specific counters for online/web check-in. Oh before I forgot, pay the freaking terminal fees first before checking in your baggage. You need that receipt enable for you to check in your baggage. So after checking in your baggage, you will be given your boarding pass (don't forget to ask for a departure card, you'll need that at the Immigration counter), then you can now go straight to the Immigration. This is the last step before you board a plane. Some say go to a line which you think will let you pass easily but who can tell, right? Anyway, I picked on the most snob-looking immigration officer and when it was my turn, she asked for my passport, boarding pass, and departure card. She looked at me then to my papers and asked, "Why are you going to Dubai? What's your purpose?" I calmly said, "Just visiting a friend." Then she asked for my visa and return ticket. She then asked, "Who is Elaine Cruz?" I told her she was a friend and that's it. She stamped my passport and gave it back to me. I exhaled deeply. I thought that wasn't hard and I'm lucky. There are some people who have been going back and forth in different lanes yet they've always been denied. I overheard one of the immigration officer telling the other officer, "Pabayaan mo silang magpabalik balik diyan. Maghahanap lang ng trabaho yang mga yan sa ibang bansa." In English, "Let them go back and forth. They're just going to find a job outside Philippines." Honestly, I felt angry. I understand that it was part of their so called "job" to make sure every Filipino citizen will always be on safety but can't you just let them pass? I mean, most of them are in the right age and it's up to that person whatever he/she will do to whatever country he'll/she'll be in. They have visa, they have passport, what else do you fucking want? Gah! Anyway...

So, I waited for boarding for almost two hours. My flight was delayed, what's new? Eventually, I boarded a Boeing 777 Emirates Airlines' plane and it was freaking huge. The whole trip was about nine hours straight. When we reached Dubai, we did not land that instant. The pilot said that they're experiencing traffic. I was like, "Traffic on air? WTF?" We've been circling around for like 30 minutes and then we landed.. safely.

I was so stoked upon entering the Dubai airport. T'was huge and clean and seem to be very organised -- well, compared to NAIA for sure! Oh, here's another tip, don't ever wear heels! I was wearing my new stilettos and never thought that I would be having a verrrrrry long walk inside Dubai airport. Anyhow, before the immigration officer, you will do the eye scan. I dunno what the purpose is but it's their protocol here. After that, go straight to the immigration officer. When it was my turn, the Arab officer greeted me "Kamusta?" which is basically "Hi" in my own language. So I told him, "Mabuti." which is "Fine." He asked for my passport and visa, typed something on his computer then stamped my passport. And that was it. No questions asked. This is when I realized Filipinos are more strict when it comes to the immigration thingy and I wonder why. When I passed through the immigration, I immediately saw and got my baggage. Then I got out of the airport and my friend was already there waiting for me. =)

It's 2AM when I arrived and I can feel the heat from this place. I really am in Dubai now.

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