Rarely outsiders realise that only 10% of this country's people are locals, i.e. the ones who dress in either immaculate black or immaculate white. Otherwise, rest of the population is either junkies from south asia or outcasts from europe. With the paraphrase ‘Two of yoU A E” (UAE can be expansible as yoU Asians and Europeans) I mean to refer to this country, which has conveniently divided itself into two extreme societies - one rich and one 'not rich'. There's hardly anything in between. I personally would have liked to avoid making such distinctions, i.e. the topic of this blog, but could not help. Go out in the streets for a stroll in Dubai and ask anyone. He will manifest that this difference is in fact the way of life here. And probably, the only way forward. Each man here sounds super clear when he tells me that the only reason which brings him here is money. Now I conjure that it might be either the ‘need’ of it or ‘want’ of it. It is funny because if one looks the way this money is distributed, the one who ‘wants' earns more and the one who ‘needs’ quite less. The yoU A E government has taken pains to define the minimum wages accordingly to the nationality. For a European it is around 25,000 Dirham and for an Indian it's 600 - yes, no commas. This is the law in theory, and in practice, as an example, in my own office the engineer from Philippines will draw only half the salary than if he was from the United Kingdom. Inspite of doing the same fucking job. Definitely, they will both have different lifestyles here.
One Indian shop helpboy told me he was given a wrong salary figure before he had left for this place. He gets only a half of what he was told - 600 Dirham a month (6000 rupees) and now reels in a debt of a couple of lakh Rupees - thanks to his agents in India. Now he plans to go back to Mumbai and work and hope to pay back selling VadaPav. Think why? Because, The pressure is rising... To One of these Two (the one who needs) the middle east governments were paying peanuts until now, but times have changed and they will have to dole out nuts double in size. Not only because they cannot offer anything else, the other reason is Dollar falling down, so is Dirham (UAE’s currency) that pegs itself to it. With inflation, things are getting expensive. So the lower earning group lives even more tighter. The other group only cribs feebly about this inflation which he realises when buying groceries in supermarkets.
This difference is very well reflected in the present lack of public transport. One hardly earns enough to afford the only available taxis. Buses are rare and run limited distances. Even though taxi is cheap here for the richer there aren't many around, and waving for one to stop is an effort that will easily build your triceps, accompanied with limitless perspiration and traffic smoke. Therefore, this richer group prefers to use the multilane roads to zoom by in latest Japanese models. So, if you are waiting for a taxi, wait alone and if for a bus, then in queues.
Interestingly and disappointingly, either group feels that the other is enjoying their lives living in foreign shores, and it's the luck that an individual has brought with himself. I suggest, if you are an Asian the best deal is to work as a taxi driver, so your own transportation problem is solved, and you will earn six times than your kind. If you are a European, then somebody has misinformed you - or maybe you are really sick of your own country? Apparently, both these two groups are here to work, not to live. In a country that visions itself as a top hotel and shopping tourist destination tomorrow. So, is there anything to expect from the rulers who lay such a strange vision for a country? Probably not.
One Indian shop helpboy told me he was given a wrong salary figure before he had left for this place. He gets only a half of what he was told - 600 Dirham a month (6000 rupees) and now reels in a debt of a couple of lakh Rupees - thanks to his agents in India. Now he plans to go back to Mumbai and work and hope to pay back selling VadaPav. Think why? Because, The pressure is rising... To One of these Two (the one who needs) the middle east governments were paying peanuts until now, but times have changed and they will have to dole out nuts double in size. Not only because they cannot offer anything else, the other reason is Dollar falling down, so is Dirham (UAE’s currency) that pegs itself to it. With inflation, things are getting expensive. So the lower earning group lives even more tighter. The other group only cribs feebly about this inflation which he realises when buying groceries in supermarkets.
This difference is very well reflected in the present lack of public transport. One hardly earns enough to afford the only available taxis. Buses are rare and run limited distances. Even though taxi is cheap here for the richer there aren't many around, and waving for one to stop is an effort that will easily build your triceps, accompanied with limitless perspiration and traffic smoke. Therefore, this richer group prefers to use the multilane roads to zoom by in latest Japanese models. So, if you are waiting for a taxi, wait alone and if for a bus, then in queues.
Interestingly and disappointingly, either group feels that the other is enjoying their lives living in foreign shores, and it's the luck that an individual has brought with himself. I suggest, if you are an Asian the best deal is to work as a taxi driver, so your own transportation problem is solved, and you will earn six times than your kind. If you are a European, then somebody has misinformed you - or maybe you are really sick of your own country? Apparently, both these two groups are here to work, not to live. In a country that visions itself as a top hotel and shopping tourist destination tomorrow. So, is there anything to expect from the rulers who lay such a strange vision for a country? Probably not.
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