Dubai Flipside: October 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

Dubai the Movie

A recent Filipino film was shown here in UAE about Filipino expats in Dubai.

But before Filipinos start rushing in Dubai, there are some scenes in the film that need a lot of explaining:

1. The lead actor was shown to be living in a quite spacious flat, with one room reserved to his newly-arrived brother:

Fact: Rent in Dubai is at sky-high and still rising. If one person is to rent a flat with two bedrooms, boy, oh boy. you need more than 4,000 dirhams per month to get a decent flat in the downtown areas of Bur Dubai and Deira (forget about Jumeirah and the Al Barsha) unless our favorite lead character is living in Sharjah which is the emirate next to Dubai (ten minutes travel time plus at least 30 minutes for traffic and if you take the bus or take, add another at leastt 30 minutes).

Let us hear from the film's production outfit representative of courtesy of 7 Days):

".....the "delivery boy" is really supervisor of a courier service company who earns at least dhs3,500.
He lives in an old villa which he shares with other people who were no longer shown in the movie. As you know rents of old villa are much lower than rents of flats.
The lead character has been living in Dubai for nine years, therefore, he has bought some good things which are not very expensive considering that there are at least three seasons when sales discounts are the norm -- Shopping Festival, Summer Surprises, and Ramadan."

- Art Los Banos, ABS-CBN Middle East

If he is sharing it with other people, I think it was a mistake not showing it because it becomes misleading.

2. If one is taking a day-job and a car-lift sideline in the evening, one year is not enough to save money in immigrating to Canada. The car that is used is probably one that is rented (for 45 to 60 dirhams a day depending on the duration) and even if you earn 100 dirhams a night, waht about spending for your petrol-- 50 dirhams for about 39 -40 liters). You cannot even immediately drive on the streets of UAE unless you are from the US, Europe, Australia and the rest of the first world countries and the GCC. You have to apply for a UAE driving license after you get a Resident's visa.

3. The lead female character is working in Wonderland as a staff and yet can afford to live in a spacious flat with another? I don't think so, maybe more establishing scenes are again missed out for the sake of editing.

4. The lead character lived and slept under Maktoum bridge during his hardship-filled initial years(?)/months(?) in Dubai. Under the noses of the patrolling Dubai police around the creek?

I can go on with some more issues like absconding, the recent posts I written (How to lose a guy in 10 days and Dangerous Liaisons), visa change in Kish, the frigid care of the embassy, the warmth of Saint Mary's Church, inflation, taxis, harassment, etc. etc.

I'm quite disappointed with this film because I liked Milan last year, and it was made by the same director and outfit as it tackled head-on most of the issues of the expats and illegals in Italy.

Don't get me wrong again, Dubai (or Abu Dhabi) is a nice place to live in for the right people and professionals. I do pride in a fact that Filipinos have built quite a good reputation in the emirates, despite stereotypes.

Maybe this film can be saved and I just hope that the filmmakers clear up the misrepresentations especially for the audience back in the Philippines. They owe it most to the Filipinos, especially those contemplating of working abroad, in a place like Dubai.

Dangerous Liaisons

A recent post by Secret Dubai, described an unusual report from Gulf News involving a Filipina maid, her kabayan lover and the spurned Canadian boss:

"A Dubai court sentenced a barber to one year in prison for having an illicit love affair with a housemaid who also alleged that she was sleeping with her sponsor.

The 23-year-old barber, identified as D.O., and the 21-year-old housemaid, both from the Philippines, will be deported.

The Dubai public prosecution charged the barber with trespassing into a private property and having an illegitimate love affair with the housemaid.

The Dubai police heard that the Canadian sponsor, who works as an engineer, returned to his villa in Al Safa Area and saw the barber, whom he had not seen before, sitting with the 21-year-old woman.

The engineer became angry and started shouting at the two accused. Then he quarrelled with the barber before the police came and arrested the two Filipinos.

In his statement to the police, the 23-year-old denied having an illicit affair. Meanwhile, the Filipina confessed that she was having a love affair with the barber.

She alleged that she was having a similar affair with her sponsor.

The Canadian sponsor denied her claims but his wife said she had suspected that something was going on between her housemaid and her husband.

The Dubai Court of First Instance did not consider the Filipina's claims of an affair with her sponsor because she could not prove this."

Reading further on the series of exhanges provide a curious commentary that despite the cosmopolitan atmosphere in Dubai, still not a few schmucks carry wrong general perception of other people / races.

Filipinos as romantics and horny toads? I would have to agree with SD, notwithstanding the strict Islamic rule against premarital sex or adulterous affair, it was hypocritical for that Canadian guy to prejudge and throw these lovers in jail (and deport them).

And about generalizing Filipina maids (or the Filipino men) as sex-crazed lonely worker? I always hear this crap pinning easily the blame on them after complaints of rape cases with their employers, be it in the suburbs of Manila, Singapore or Dubai. The truth of the matter is that these women are most often vulnerable, with some having less education and just wanted to follow their dreams of escaping poverty back home.

Don't get me wrong, I'll have to admit that Filipino men have their own share of perverted sense of machismo, oftentimes underscored by the stark contrast of strict family code in Philippine laws and the hush-hush mistresses on the side and the absence of divorce. And I myself frown upon this kind of chauvinism (- no thanks to TV soaps in the local scene! and the strong influence of the Catholic Church) that abuses the vulnerability of Filipino wives and the For-the-sake of children argument. But that is not something of a monopoly to the Filipinos. And Secret is right in pointing that out in responding to some comments in her blog.

Curiously, some said maybe the Canadian is probably is a recent Canadian by immigration, and implied his actual race/religion of origin. The debate that ensued again opened a mini-Pandora's box of the silent divergence on how Dubai expats see one another (Arab, Asian or Caucasian).

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Ramadan 2

It's been a while since I made my last post. I'm now posted in Abu Dhabi, and maybe, SD has been right all along, I will really have to change my nick in time.

Anyway, this blog will remain all about UAE life so blogging about Abu dhabi will not change the character a bit.

Speaking of character, Abu Dhabi is one capital city that curiously has much laid back pace of life compared to Dubai. For one, traffic is almost (!) non-existent. Taxicab is so cheap that it is usual to pay a 3AED fare for a 3-block distance within the city. Although the streets and roads are still well'lighted, they are still no match to the bright lights of Dubai and the complementing vulgarity of opulent neon lights coming form the shops and glitzy buildings.

One noticeable aspect as far as cit y landscape is concerned is the wonderful green sceneries that dot the airport and corniche road leading you to the heart of the city. Unlike Dubai with all its bermuda grass and dates, Abu Dhabi has more trees to offer that somehow makes you feel that the city is breathing, and not choking on its smoke.

But because it still Ramadan season, street life is more subdued especially in the daylight. You can't eat nor drink in public and sometimes, I even have to go to W.C. just to catch a quick drink. But in the evening, it is an enjoyable sight to see fasting Muslims take their iftar and share it with their fellows specially in some road corners and mosque grounds.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Start of Ramadan

Today is the start of Islam's Holy Month, Ramadan. After the partial solar eclipse yesterday (- which I failed to witness here in Dubai), the first sighting of the new moon signalled the start of the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar.i All physically fit muslims are required to fast, abstain from smoking, and avoid getting into quarrel or swearing. For us, non-muslims here in UAE, we are not supposed to eat, drink nor smoke in public, especially during the daylight, lest we'd be accosted by the police (- I can deal with that.) However, my flatmates told me that night time can be a different story. All malls and commerciall establishements which were closed partially in daylight, would open until the wee hours of the morning. Night bars, however, would be somewhat restrained (drinking but no dancing?, I have to verify yet.)

I look forward to experience Ramadan as this is my first time. For non-muslims like us, it could offer us opportunity to reflect (I cannot find any equivalent celebration in the Christian world but the practice is somewhat similar to the Christian's observance of Lent) and pay respect to one of the most influential faiths in the world today which is Islam.

Dubai Flipside