"I love this place!" - I shouted excitedly to the Frenchie as we sped down the Corniche in his spanking new "beemer" on a recent Saturday Drive.
And what's not to love? Just mere days after landing at the Abu Dhabi International airport, I had a fantastic job; still jet-lagged from my recent move across the globe, I'd pull myself to a little silver rental in the mornings and drive through the ever-sunny Arabian desert to my corner office on the island. During those 30 minute drives I'd sing along to the oldies, so lovingly selected by "Duckworth and Daisy and a little bit of Rakesh" on a local radio every morning. Then, the Frenchie would meet me for lunch at a nearby bakery. We'd laugh and gossip over a slice of quiche and our weekend plans would be drafted during those lunches, too. We loved spending weekend mornings basking in the sun over a newspaper and coffee, and in the evenings, we'd set on to explore this exotic city: its' sounds, smells, and people. Gosh, I really, really, loved this place.
As I muse over those days, it seems that we live in a different country today. Gone are the lazy afternoons in the sun, replaced instead by quick runs from an air-conditioned car to air-conditioned offices, home, malls, and restaurants. We stopped seeing our life in Abu Dhabi through pink colored glasses, too. Behind the facade of a shiny new city we discovered there’s a different Abu Dhabi; a city where ignorance and overindulgence are a way of life.
Behind the facade, many things come to light over the months....not all good. Sometimes I feel trapped especially after the large personal investment required to move over here.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Ace. I think we had too many expectation of this fascinating new country. Initially we came here thinking we'd stay until the retirement, but I think we seriously underestimated how young this city is. In 5 to 10 years Abu Dhabi will be a marvelous place, with a well planned infrastructure and high quality of living, but for now it's a nightmare. I can tell you that we both felt trapped at some point too. I hope everything works out for you. All best.
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