Land of Treasures

Dubai.

The place everyone wants to go with both a bad and good reputation. The middle east, scary? The gorgeous beaches and architecture? Or perhaps a separate opinion, one formulated by ME.

Dubai is unlike any place in the world. It has qualities of many cultures all wrapped into one. Westernization no doubt has dominated this area, enhanced by its wealth. I will most definitely miss this place. Due to business errors and foul play on behalf of companies, my adventure here ends rather soon. I sit in my place of work at this very moment, trying to memorize the essence of this location only to reminisce later on. The people. The traffic. The clubs. The buildings. The views. The feel. The wealth.

A genuine experience to say the least, one of which I declare to return to one day.

The area around me mocks me, teasing me with the woulda coulda shouldas. If only. What would my life be like. Being here has helped me realize that I merely TELL myself that I need friends and things I know, when in reality, I don't. If you remain open to the world, you realize how easy it is to be You, and then have everything else follow. 3 Months is the magic number. If you ever get to travel or move to a new place, you will learn that in 3 months time, you will fit in. You will have a life and a way of doing things. Comfortability.

India, now Dubai and Im sure I will doubt again only to hopefully recall this moment where I know I will always be okay. Time will take me to where I am supposed to go. So the question is what do I want to take with me as a reminder from this end. What to prevent, avoid, or embrace next  time around. That is why I write. And that is why I must never forget who I am, who I was, and who I will never be again.

The Real India

The Real India.

When I arrived in India, it was numbness as with arrival to many foreign countries as you take in everything new at once. Streets are lined with trash sometimes burning as a means of getting rid of it. People with one set of clothes only and no shoes sleeping in the grassy knoles. Their lives consist of constantly begging for money at every stop light and selling meaningless items such as toy airplanes, umbrellas, and wash rags…Anything that could make them a dollar, inflated of course. So many people homeless and struggling to survive yet no relief in sight other than the mere hope that tomorrow will come with limited rain so they can stand in the heat to beg once more.

Ram a close friend of mine in India alerted to me that when he first moved to Hyderabad 8 years ago he was making 2,000 rps a month, conversion of about 40 bucks. How could he do this? He worked so hard, 8 hours a day. I now buy an item of clothing for that much if not more. What becomes of us is quite interesting. We adapt to the environment we grow accustomed to.

The food in India is all fairly the same, but after thinking about it I agreed that most countries are this way when it comes to native meals. Americans love their potatoes in any form they can get them, much like the Indians and their curries. They love spice as well! Almost every meal I ordered in India was followed by the phrase of “non-spicy”.  The curries contain tons of oil and even on tv commercials advertise for it. I became aware to the health issues that this country has as a result of this. Stomach ulcers and intestinal issues become a normality as the oil and spice is too much to take year after year as is the fasting. Women’s bodies take the food differently than men’s, going straight to their back fat and stomach. When wearing the sarees it is common to see women of all ages showing off their mid-drifts with several bulges, and little self-conscious issues.

Being as the country is predominantly dark-haired individuals and dark eyes, my blonde hair and light eyes with light skin naturally caught much attention. In the midst of visiting monuments I became one of the attractions with people asking to take my picture, snapping shots without me knowing, asking to hold their baby and to touch my feet (a huge sign of respect in India). People saying hello just so I will look at them then laugh and turn away. Kids saying hello and grabbing my hand to shake. Never in my life had I felt like a celebrity or royalty, all because of what was natural to me. I learned that wherever I go I blend in. Whether it is with clothing or mannerisms.

Buffalo roam the streets being dodged by cars and dogs wander aimlessly in search of heaps of trash to consume. Mosquitoes everywhere suck your blood, almost as ravenous as the people they feed off of most of the time—constantly seeking out the next meal. Water heaters are turned on with the flick of a switch (rarely providing the heat for the length of your shower) and everyone is so conscious of energy conservation by turning off every electrical outlet not in use. Beds are harder than the floor it seems in most cases and almost all cars are identical, being mostly that of Suzuki Swifts. Families pile onto one motorbike including the mom, dad, brother, sister and sometimes the family pet. Traffic is horrendous as everyone beats to their own drum, and where any opening is a chance to move—leading to 4 cars sometimes squeezed into 2 lanes. Horns are heard as a symphony never ceasing as a means of saying "hey Im coming by" or "Hey move over". Traffic signals and lines in the road are often ignored and people jay-walk wherever they can slowly inching their way across the oncoming cars hoping not to get hit. Seatbelts are rarely worn by almost all people in the car aside from the driver and passenger in the front seat.

Outages are very common sometimes occurring up to 20 times a day leaving you in the dark for a few minutes at a time until the generator kicks on, only to switch back a few moments later to electricity. “Took-tooks”, “Tick-Ticks”, and Auto Rigshaws act as taxis cost only a buck here and there but ride on 3 wheels without doors and windows, allowing the exhaust of fellow cars to fill your lungs in traffic.

 I attempted to buy more conservative clothing and learned that less isn’t necessarily more, in fact the opposite is true. I learned that society has consumed Americans and turned them into materialistic selfish people who only think of themselves. Indians do things for other Indians. Including opening doors, cooking, cleaning, and driving; basically the normal day to day things Americans do on their own. They create jobs where as we eliminate them with our independence and technology. Ive learned that the more I lose myself the more I find myself. I am a simple person and can live both the high life and low life. I meet people worth knowing everywhere I go naturally and get remembered. I learned I am the exception, the independent, the eternal wanderer.