De aproape o luna mi-am primit "aripile" si incet incet am inceput sa explorez aceasta minunata lume care ma inconjoara. Este minunat faptul ca noi, oamenii avem posibilitatea de a strabate mari si tari cu ajutorul avioanelor. Poate unul dintre cele mai atragatoare lucruri pentru mine este faptul ca in fiecare zi ai de a face cu sute de oameni necunoscuti, culturi diferite, traditii deosebite..faptul ca in fiecare zi inveti ca ce inseamna frumosul pentru cei din India, reprezinta opusul pentru cei din China..si totusi este fascinant cum amalgamul acesta de vieti, obiceiuri sau preferinte gaseste acea linie comuna in care toate culturile si toate diferentele umane ajung nu numai sa se accepte una pe cealalta, dar sa si cladeasca relatii stranse.
Intotdeauna mi-au placut oamenii, mi-a placut sa fiu inconjurata de ei..nu-mi place singuratatea si cu siguranta nu as putea sa traiesc izolata. Dubaiul este un oras cosmopolit, o metropola in care doar 19% din populatie este originara din Dubai. Indienii reprezinta putin peste 50% din populatie, fiind urmati de asiatici. Seikhul Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum este conducatorul Dubaiului din 2006 insa familia Al Maktoum conduce Emiratele Arabe din anul 1833. Nu am mai vazut pana acum un conducator mai iubit ca acest sheikh. Intradevar, este un om deosebit, caracterizat de simplitate ( daca puteti crede elcalatoreste des cu metroul fara bodyguarzi sau escorte,si culmea! nu ii cade rangul atunci face asta ) si bunatate.
Este uimitor ce au reusit sa construiasca arabii in aceasta mare de nisip, in mai putin de 40 de ani. Downtown-ul are in jur de 300 de turnuri, fiecare avand mai mult de 50 de etaje. Bineinteles, fiecare cladire noua trebuie sa fie mai sclipitoare, mai inalta si mai incarcata decat toate celelalte la un loc. Kitsch-ul predomina in arhitectura araba insa cred ca asta este si farmecul locului - opulenta.
Cand am ajuns aici aveam o cu totul alta parere despre cultura araba. Toata campania asta din ultimii ani despre terorism ma facuse sa cred ca religia musulmana este una violenta, in care femeile nu sunt respectate. Am fost surprinsa sa constat exact opusul. Da, a fost ciudat sa vad un barbat urmat de cele 3 neveste ( mereu cand vad o scena ca asta ma gandesc la o gaina cu pui, nu stiu de ce :) ) insa femeile aici sunt tratate regeste. Au cluburi speciale in care numai femeile pot intra, au vagonul lor in metrou ca sa nu se inghesuie cu barbatii si in fiecare seara exista "ladies night" - seri in care femeile nu platesc bautura si mancare in diverse restaurante si cluburi. La ghisee exista cozi speciale care au mereu prioritate si toti oamenii sunt foarte politicosi si respectuosi cu ele.
( Desi conservatoare si imbracate cu abaya, musulmancele au preocupari moderne ) 
( Cafea la Starbucks )Multora nu le place aici dar cred ca depinde doar de tine daca alegi sa iti petreci zilele stand si gandindu-te ca esti departe de casa, de familie, ca este prea mult praf sau ca este prea cald. Da, sunt si minusuri, ca in fiecare lucru din viata asta insa daca am incerca sa avem cat mai multe momente frumoase si am invata sa profitam de tot ce ni se ofera, am fi cu siguranta mai fericiti.
Trecand de la una la alta...in mai voi zbura spre destinatii in care nu am mai fost pana acum. Printre cele mai interesante se numara Sydney ( Australia ), St. Petersburg ( Rusia ), Bangkok ( Thailanda ) si Calcutta ( India ). Promit sa scriu despre fiecare in parte si sa pun cateva poze reprezentative. Voi dedica un post special pentru zborurile de India ( prietenii mei stiu de ce :) ) pentru ca merita o mai mare atentie din partea mea.
Pana data viitoare.....have a safe flight!
I left Bucharest thinking about writing down something about every daythat I spend away from home but of course, not everything goes as planned. As soon as I arrived in Dubai I started training, 5 weeks with 8 hours of intense training each day. Though it was a hard training, I spent some great moments among my colleagues that are my friends now. There were days when my panties were shivering on me because exams and days while being in the simulator laughing so much that I felt like playing in one of the stupid american movies.
For almost one month I got "wings" and slowly I began to explore the wonderful world around me. It's great that we, humans have the ability to scour the seas and countries with aircrafts. Perhaps one of the most appealing things to me is that every day you're dealing with hundreds of unknown people, different cultures, traditions that are great .. every day you learn that what is beautiful for those in India, is opposite to those in China .. and yet it is fascinating how in the amalgam of lives, habits and preferences, we found a common line in all these cultures,beyond all human differences we got not only to accept one another, but to also build strong relationships.
I always liked people, loved to be surrounded by them .. I do not like loneliness and certainly I could not live isolated. Dubai is a cosmopolitan city, a metropolis where only 19% of the population is from Dubai. Indians represent a little more than 50% of the population, followed by Asians. Seikhul Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai since 2006 but the Al Maktoum family lead the United Arabs since 1833. I have yet not seen a leader more loved and cherrished that the sheikh. Indeed, he is characterized by simplicity - if you can believe it, he literally travels with the underground, without bodyguards!
It's amazing what Arabs have managed to build on sand in less than 40 years. Downtown site has about 300 towers, every single one with more than 50 floors. Of course, every new building must be more brilliant, higher and more shiny than all others combined. Kitsch architecture prevails in Arabic culture but I think this is the charm of the place - the opulence.
When I first got here I had a different opinion about Arab culture. All the media campaignst regarding terroreism had made me think about Muslim religion as being a violent religion, where the women are not respected but I was surprised to find just the opposite. Yes, it was strange to see a man followed by the 3 wives but women here are treated royally. They have special clubs where only women can enter, and each evening there is "Ladies Night" - evenings where women do not pay drinks and food in various restaurants and clubs. People are very polite and respectful to them.
Many do not like it here but I think it depends on you- if you choose to spend your days sitting and thinking you are away from home, family, or about the fact that it is too much dust or too hot. Yes, there are drawbacks, like every thing in this life but if we try to make every experience wonderful and learn to take advantage of what life offers you, we would certainly be happier.
Moving from one subject to another ... in May I will fly to destinations where I was before. Among the most interesting is Sydney (Australia), St. Petersburg (Russia), Bangkok (Thailand) and Calcutta (India). I promise to write about each one and put some representative pictures . I will dedicate a special post to flights to India (my friends know why :)) that deserve more attention from my side.
Until next time ..... have a safe flight!
