It seems that I am not a born blogger. I am just too lazy to write. So it is September Ramadan was great. For Eid we had friends over from Dubai. We went to Ferrari World and the Grand Mosque again, because here you don’t have as much choice as in Dubai.
After an impossible mission to find a shisha place on our first evening the next day we also had a rather accord night at Yas Hotel, because they run out of lime. After a great dinner we went up to the bar to have some more drinks.
Waiter: Are you ready to order Sir?
Husband: Yes, we would like to have two mojitos and two apple martinis!
Waiter: Sorry Sir we don’t have lime Sir?
Husband: What? You don’t have lime? You are a bar in a hotel, in the whole building you don’t have lime?
The whole company:?????????????????????????WTF??????????????
Waiter: Tomorrow we will go to the shop and buy it Sir!
Husband: Tomorrow is not today so that doesn’t help us now . Ok we take two XY drink instead of mojitos.
Nice discussion about how bad is Abu Dhabi’s night life (it does not exist).
We got our drinks and after enjoying them we order another round the same.
What we got two apple martinis and two beer glasses with total different stuff in it.
Now I lose it and ask the guy that why we got different drinks in different glasses.
Waiter: Other mixer Mum!
WTF?
Of course the manager is nowhere.
So we pay our first round and leave. Conclusion: the guy is lucky that none of us was Naomi Campbell (she would have gone brutal on him) and I know why rich people are having their yacht in the marine during Formula 1.
Anyway it was really embracing not to be able to show our guest some decent place and had to make a scene. Sure it looked like we were rude to the bar stuff but those never been in countries where serving is a job or even a way of life for many people here are some thoughts.
Read these books: White tiger –Aravind Adiga
Slumdog millionaire- Vikas Swarup
Being a waiter or home help, cleaning lady nanny etc. is also a job like another. You paid and you have to do your job. As their boss you show them respect and appreciation but it doesn’t mean that they can take anything grounded or they can think you are stupid. In the UAE you are responsible if your employee involved in any kind of criminal act. When I first heard, that a nanny has no free day or no visiting home in the first year I thought it is inhuman. Then I ask why, the answer: many of the Asian nannies go out on their free day to prostitute themself for extra money although you already give her double or triple of the usual 600-700Aed.When they go home for family visit there will be some kind of problem in the family or with their house and they ask some money around 1000 euro usually. You are a good person and you want to help her next thing you know that she never comes back. You already spend a nice amount of money and time to get her visa, medical etc. now you can go and cancel it and find a new nanny while you straggle with your kids. (school hours are odd) The problem is the cultural difference, because you cannot expect high level service from someone who grown up without running water or electricity, cannot really write or read. Never had to think of tomorrow, because they had to make trough today. So you are nice when you visit these countries and you have the patient but when you face it daily you lose it time to time. For example last time even in Emirates Palace they got our order wrong, (we had the degustation menu once with fish once with lamb, instead got only the main course) and that can happen but when a Philippine or Thai waitress says that our pronunciation was wrong in front of us we said nothing just looked at each other. Fortunately the manager was just passing by and heard it so he sent her away with his eyes for the rest of the evening. Also all the “Third World “people who speak English they do not understand correct English! Don’t say to a taxi driver that ‘’would you mind turning right after the next traffic light please?’’ He won’t get it .Though he will understand ‘’after signal right!’’ Dry cleaning was also an unforgettable experience. Normally I bring all my dry clean stuff if we stay in a hotel that is the safest here. I was bold enough to take it to a small shop front of our flat. All the suits of my husband nice wool ones very delicate but you need them in 50 degrees. I said to our Pakistani friend dry clean you understand yes madam it will be ok dry clean. Two days later I go to pick them up. Surprise! All of them ironed with a dry iron until they totally burned the buttons from inside created shiny spots on the outside next to the other shiny spots from the iron! Why because I was stupid to think that he understood me. It is like when your dog or little sister or the cat ruins your schoolwork. It is not their fault they didn’t know better. Sooner or later you reach the point when enough is enough. You cannot possibly think of each and every scenario. It is really exhausting. So when someone is not so nice with the waiter or the house maid like in Africa or India or here do not judge too quickly. There are terrible, criminal cases but those are not happening on the street or in the malls! There are also lots of criminals who use us our good heart.
Anyway I am keeping my dry clean stuff until we go to a hotel again, I always ask ‘’Are you sure?’’ when an Asian says no to my question and ask for a confirmation txt for everything I book on the phone!
