The Accidental Author on Dubai

The corporate world in the most bustling city in Manila had provided me with a familiar and relaxed career for 12 years. Though I had lived a comfortable life, I thought of trying something new to find brighter stars.  

Despite the fact that I am single and have a master’s degree from the Philippine’s top university, finding a better paying job at my age in my country was beginning to get overly competitive.  

I looked and waited for my “big break”, but was unsuccessful. Many in the Manila job market are young and can work for less pay than what I wanted. So I looked further and found another option – work abroad. 

A couple of years ago, Dubai was the most talked about destination for work, mainly due to its booming economy and billion dollar urban development projects. Then, it also had a more liberal approach to its borders, so easy access was a definite advantage.  

I looked into basic essentials in Dubai: housing, transportation, communication and most importantly, jobs and salaries. Being somewhat persuaded by the information I had gathered, I started to process my documents for entry, heaped most of my savings, bought a two-way ticket, packed my belongings and flew to Dubai. 

When I got there, I noticed Filipinos seemed to be at least the third biggest community in Dubai, after Indians and Pakistanis. Many of them were under visit visas, taking chances with their time and money to find a good job like me. 

I stayed in a hotel when I arrived. The type and prices of the rooms were at either extreme. Eventually, I found a room which suited my needs – privacy, cleanliness, internet connection, a decent neighborhood in an accessible location and, most importantly, it was owned by friendly and accommodating people.  

After settling in, the Gulf News and my laptop were my daily companions to find that great-paying job I had heard so much about. I applied to hundreds of jobs, got some interviews and received job offers, but the salaries offered weren’t what I had in mind.  

They say beggars can’t be choosers, but living in Dubai is expensive. The rent alone could eat up your salary and I didn’t want to live with strangers.  

There were many good job positions which matched my credentials almost perfectly. However, there was a flaw. Many good job posts required specific credentials such as UAE /Gulf work experience, a UAE driver’s license, a father or husband’s visa and bilingual. Unfortunately, none of those criteria could be found in my portfolio. 

I came to Dubai a month before Ramadan. That was not good for me nor thousands of other jobseekers, since many of the decision-makers at companies were on vacation, slowing down the job-hunting process.  

When my visit visa was about to expire, I went to a small Iranian island called Kish. As much as I liked the place because of its serenity and natural wonder, I would not dream of going back for the purpose of a visa renewal.  

I heard stories of people staying and living there for more than a month because their employer or travel agent had abandoned them, or they didn’t have the finances anymore to get a new visa. Worse, some people committed suicide out of despair. 

Trying not to cloud my mind with negative thoughts, I toured the island and visited historic sites while waiting. When I received my visa it was a relief! I couldn’t wait to get back to civilization and end the fear of not being able to go home.  

While I was flying back to Dubai on a nerve-wracking plane, I said to myself, “this ordeal is not part of the plan to get that perfect job”. Perhaps you can say no pain, no gain. Yes, I agree, but not this kind. It was ridiculous!   

While patiently resuming my job-hunting voyage, I received an offer from a colleague to work in a telecom company in Afghanistan.  

Did I hear it right? Afghanistan?! Naturally, I was hesitant to accept the job because the country was at war. Then I thought it over. Had I not left my country for a better opportunity? Was I not already disillusioned with the job prospects in Dubai? Perhaps Kabul was not that bad after all, I thought, or else why would my colleague put me in danger.  

So, after weighing the pros and cons of Dubai versus Kabul, I took the offer.  

In general, Kabul was a very different experience in my life. However, like any organization where you have to work with various personalities, attitudes and cultures, working in Kabul offered diversity. Organizations are not familiar with work ethics and oblivious to corporate ambiance. Of course, there is the language barrier but I managed to get around it pretty well.