Evolution of the Dubai man

(Pictorially, the above picture shows evolution of man in Dubai. The last pic says ‘converted to camel’..this pic is a repeat from an earlier post in 2006, but, very apt for this post)

Thought for the day: The only road to success is always under construction.

Before anything else, let me say I'm finally a member of BUF. To see what BUF is, click the link at the end of my blogroll, and be ready for a grand surprise. Read two of my posts here and here. Good bloggers are always welcome - so, rise and shine, send in your applications to the admin team. You won't regret it.

Evolution of man in Dubai:

Now, this is based on my keen(ahem) observation of people here. Having met people right from freshers to those who have been here for twenty plus years, this is a brief summary of how things go, for the average job aspirant who lands in Dubai.

Year 1:Arrives in Dubai, goes to place of work, with hair well-oiled, tight clothes( neatly ironed by Mom in India)-usually checked shirt with dark trousers, jhola hanging on shoulders. (Easily identifiable, as I said)

The *into 12* phenomenon has just begun, of course- in the search for the house, going to restaurants, traveling, etc. And, the ‘doubt’ shown in the 1^st week pic above, begins creeping in. The first purchase for most people, is a mobile phone- and, no, the standard 3310 won’t do- he has to buy a camera phone, with FM, minimum.( So, that’s the first dent in the savings.). The next day goes in showing off the cell-phone to all the others.

The first few months bring about a slight metamorphosis in the dress style- from checks to brightly coloured shirts with black/blue/grey trousers, a ‘kanth-langot’( tie, in normal words) if he is a sales rep and a leather carrying case replace the earlier attire.

Year 2-3: It’s time to buy a pair of dark sunglasses, smart shoes, a watch…..and so on, depending on how materialistic he feels.(And, believe me, he does feel so, after the restricted spending allowed in his hometown).

You can identify the guy easily- he’s put on around 5-10 kgs weight, face is chubbier, comes to meet you with a slight swagger in his style, sunglasses, hair styled. He’s naturally taken a license as well, and is driving a Toyota chamdi, err, camry, the most common car here.

So, he’s spent around 3-4000 dirhams getting the license(Now, it costs even more) and another thousand goes in the car installment) Plus, he’s paid a few hundred dirhams in fines, for double parking, crossing red lights, etc. Ask him how much he’s sent home and he’ll say ‘nothing much’, in fact, he had to get some money from home to match his extravaganzas here. But, now he’s happy that he’s decently ‘at par’ with others of his ilk.

Year 4-6:

He thinks he knows everything there is to know about his topic. Has learnt ‘phenkna’ of the highest order, where talking about life in the Gulf is concerned.

And, so life progresses, until the 10^th year, which is accurately shown in the pic as ‘converted to camel’…now, this ship of the desert cannot ever think of returning to India and taking up a job there, since working there seems to be too difficult an option. (And, probably, nobody would appoint him, either, unless he’s an exceptional genius).

At this time, you can tell he's been in the Gulf long- he has either lost all his hair, or, all have turned white, or, there's a few black ones showing if you look hard enough. The paunch and all are very noticeable, he cannot walk anywhere on the street- the car is a must.
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There's the other extreme of people who wish to save every fil they can, and go to ridiculous extremes to do so, but, they will be (un) covered in another post.
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Here's my favourite samples of English battering, which I still hear, even today:

1) At dinner table in restaurant:

Oh, if we don’t want a mini thali, let’s try the A La Karate.

2) Dialogue heard at work:

A: Is all well?

B: Yes, all is in the well

3) Tired co-worker at end of day:

Oh, I am so tired. I have been hardly working.

(I always thought this was a joke, never expected anyone to say it in reality)

4)Letter received from supplier:

I am enclosed herewith……

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On to the end-jokes:(Again, some of the most popular ones from the '06 post): Lots of new jokes coming up from next post.
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Karan Johar's new film: Ak-kal Ho Na Ho.
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Confuscious' Deep thought of the day: What matters is not the length of the wand, but the magic in the stick.
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Q: What do blondes do after they comb their hair?

A: They pull up their pants.

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Q: What do you call a zit on a blonde's bum?

A: A brain tumor

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Till next time, keep smiling.