Sandier Pastures

There was very heavy traffic going to Jebel Ali side of Dubai early this week which was caused by laborers mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh protesting in the streets demanding a 200 dirham (approx. $55) increase in their current salary of 600 dirhams per month (approx. US$166). They also complained of their accommodation, living condition and the fact that they have to pay for their visas to get here. 

Residents near the area said police sirens can be heard everywhere and in no time, the protesters were back in their shabby labor camps, fenced in with barbed wires more like caged animals than human beings. I can’t believe this is happening in 2007.

These men are the ones making the Dubai dream happen and giving it shape and form. Now, the news says they are to be deported and face a lifetime ban from entering UAE again. I hope they go home and tell the others who attempt to drown in debt just to go abroad, that life in Dubai as a laborer is not worth it. The streets are not paved in gold.

Update: The protest ended, the laborers arrested. In one forum I read one lady said, “The government of Dubai may not care if 1,000 Indians march down the streets but I wonder what 1,000 white Westerners protesting in the middle of the highway would do though.”

CNN also covered a story on this.

Since we got the car last week, M and I stopped running to catch the bus in the morning and instead take the car to work. He drives while I just listen to the radio. Listening to the radio make me feel that I am really living abroad, not in Japan at least as all the DJ’s are speaking in English.

Every morning since last week, a radio station had been hosting a quiz show and every day, the prize increases. Callers are to answer short general information questions in 60 seconds and whoever gets the most number of correct answers until Thursday this week will get the prize. Prize for grabs up to this morning was 2,100 dirhams (approx. US$572). The first caller just got 7 questions correct and the next caller tomorrow morning will have to beat that.

I love quizzes, I had been participating in quiz shows since I was 9. My first plane ticket was courtesy of a quiz show. The morning quiz show of course excited me so much, especially that I can answer as much as 15 out of 15 questions in 60 seconds on a good day. I am dying to call to participate! But I wonder would I still be calm enough to answer all the questions while I am on the phone just like while I am listening in the comfort of my car?

Here’s some of the quickie questions that the callers failed to answer:

• What country has the capital city of Vienna? (he answered Italy!)
• What does the computer term CPU stand for?
• Who was Britain’s first female Prime Minister?
• Who was Mel Gibson’s sidekick in the movie Lethal Weapon? (he passed)
• Where did the singing group Abba came from?
• Who developed the theory of relativity?
• Which of these actresses appeared in the movie Top Gun: Meg Ryan, Kylie Minogue or Helen Hunt?
• What country has the capital of Nicosia?
• Who is the singer with the current album entitled “I’m Not Dead”?
• Who was the actor married to Madonna until 1989?
• How many heads of US Presidents are carved in Mt. Rushmore?