Images – Can we be more organised?

Imagine entering a hypermarket without knowing what is kept where and how to go there. Life would be miserable when it would come to shopping around in a hypermarket. God bless those who came up with the idea of signs and symbols which make life easier then we could ever imagine. Although we don’t give these signs and symbols the importance they deserve but still we know that if they dint exist things would me much more different and way more difficult.
When you think about detergents, the first thing that comes in your head might be a washing detergent used for clothes or a softener but there are a lot more things that actually come under the word detergent in a hypermarket. Products like, sponges, aluminium foil, insecticides, air fresheners, shoe care and kitchen cleaning. Looking at the sign it made it so easy for the people to shop around and save time rather than looking for things and not knowing where exactly the products were situated.

(Photo Credits: Khadija Ashraf)

Similarly, they have signs are dry food, beauty, frozen food and fruits and vegetables. Everything in there is so organised and the only way of organising all of that is through signs and symbols.

Mrs. Ahmed a customer in Carrefour says, “because of the signs and symbols everywhere, it is very easy for me to go to just those areas where I have to go, i save a lot of time and energy.”

(Photo Credits: Khadija Ashraf)

Likewise Vinod Akshay a worker in Carrefour says,” we all are allotted in different sections of the hypermarket, because of the signs and symbols we have different sections and we are responsible only for these sections and we help those customers who come to our section, we have knowledge about other sections as well, but because of the signs and symbols we know what product is where and it’s a lot more organised than the other hypermarkets.”

(Photo Credits: Khadija Ashraf)

So when we talk about signs and symbols, we might not consider them as an important part of our everyday life but they actually are. Signs and symbols make rules and when a city has rules it runs smoothly and more efficiently.

Has Money become the only reason to stay in U.A.E?

“Nice place to stay”, “its home away from your real home”, “life is good here”, I hardly hear people saying this now when asked about why are they in the U.A.E. I was shocked to see that expats here have no reason other than work to be in the U.A.E. Talking about expats, Philippines are people who can always be differentiated when seen in a group of people, by their looks and by their way of talking. You see them everywhere, in shops, in cinema counters, in hypermarkets and some of them working in multinational companies.


Paulina who works in Debenhams in Sahara Centre, has been here in the U.A.E for the past four years says, “We cannot celebrate our festivals here with full freedom; it is very difficult for us to celebrate them the way we used to when we were back in our country. If i get a chance i would run back to my country. I got a good job here, and that is the only reason why i cannot go back.”

On the other hand Jun Rayis and Rose Rayis, a newlywed couple started their married life in the U.A.E; they have been here for more than a year now. Jun Rayis says, “I like it a lot over here, it’s a different experience with different people from different nationalities around you. At first I dint like this country at all mainly because of the climate and a lot of other things, it was very difficult for us to adjust. But as we got to know more people from our country, we started enjoying here. I would like to stay here for some more time save a lot of money and then go to a better place and settle there for good.”

Jun Rayis with his wife Rose Rayis

(Photo Credits: Khadija Ashraf)

Their different way of talking is what makes them stand out in a crowd of people. Catherine Joveline who works in gulf greetings in Sharjah City Centre has been in the U.A.E for two years. She says, “I have heard a lot of people imitate us. The way we pronounce fifty and forty is very different from the way it is supposed to be pronounced. But that is the way we talk and we find it right. At times it does hurt to see how people make fun of us, but then that happens everywhere. If i get a chance i would love to go back to my country, but i work here and i stay with my boyfriend here. I don’t want to give that up!”

Raymond Ambant having a good time in Sahara Centre

(Photo Credit: Khadija Ashraf)

When I was talking to them, they all wanted to go back. They all had different reasons like missing family or their country, but only one of them actually accepted that she doesn’t like the way some people here behave and discriminate every other nationality. A 28 year old Philippines female, named May Paul says, “The only reason i am here is because i want to learn many things and experience everything in my life. If i want i can go back and I will be going back soon. There is no place like home. This place has a lot of people who think low of others who don’t belong to their community. I have been here for four years now and i don’t think i love it enough to stay here all my life.”
Raymond ambant her boyfriend added with a laugh,” I will go anywhere she goes, but I like this country too. If the bad people are thrown out this place, it will be heaven. Not to forget the expenses should also go down and the traffic should reduce. Then i would do anything to stay here.”
When i asked them if i could click their picture, Raymond says,” you click my picture but leave my girlfriend out of it. I don’t trust what people can do over here.”

They are different, and they proudly accept that they are different from the rest. A lot of them are here because they are desperate for money. I spoke to five Philippines and four out of five said they would do anything to go back if they got a chance. I wonder what that means. Has U.A.E lost its charm of attracting people to settle here? Or is this just an opinion of a few people staying here.

MAKING A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

“Dubai is the heart of The U.A.E”, this is a phrase used by many people living in the U.A.E. Similarly lying in the heart of U.A.E, Sharjah has also made its place in the heart of U.A.E by winning, “The Cultural Capital of the Arab World” Award for the year 1998. Located in the center of U.A.E, the distance to Dubai is just a 15-min drive (i.e. 15 Kms. approx.) connected by one of the most advanced road networks in the country Abu Dhabi, just a 90-min drive away, is about 200 km from Sharjah.

Sharjah is a mixture when it comes to culture. Living in Sharjah for a Pakistani middle class family is ideal because it is easy to fit into the expatriate population. It is not difficult to adjust; as everything s available here from rented flats to buying villas, from supermarkets to malls and from parks to beaches. Buying a rented flat is affordable for a middle class family as they are new to the environment and it will be easier to get to know other people around. Looking for a flat is not difficult in Sharjah, thanks to the To let signs on every second building. There are different flats according to the family’s requirement, and the rents increase with the increasing number of rooms in each flat.

Bedrooms, living room, kitchen everything single corner of the flat is shown to the tenants before they rent the flat. The best thing about the Flat in U.A.E is that the tenants don’t have to work much on the kitchen cabinets, and washroom fittings, as everything is fitted in the flat before renting it out. the family only has to furnish the house and decorate it with their own wish. A middle class family looks at their needs more than their wants, if a family cannot afford brand new furniture to furnish their house they always have an option to buy second hand furniture in very good state anywhere in Sharjah. There are shops owned by pathan men who sells second hand furniture. Abu Shagarah Area is one of the places where one can find second hand furniture in really good condition.

There are mosques in every area of Sharjah, so finding a place to pray is not a difficult job! A Pakistani family can feel at home as they will come across many other Pakistani families, who keep the Pakistani Culture Alive. Meeting new people is also what can be experienced staying in Sharjah, since there are different people from different nationalities. They are taxis and public buses to make transport convenient for people to commute from one emirate to another. There is a wide variety of education provided in Sharjah, parents can put their students in schools that suits them best. There are British schools, Pakistani schools and Indian schools. Institutes are also very popular, since they provide all courses and have flexible timings. Getting a driving license is a difficult task in Sharjah since people have to go through many tests, but at the end of the day Sharjah has a very organized driving license system.

With all the facilities Sharjah is providing, living In Sharjah is definetely a good choice for any family from any country!

Recycling- a Myth or Reality??

Visualize the number of buildings in the U.A.E, all of them lined up together. That is the amount of waste U.A.E produces every year. U.A.E is expanding in every way possible every second, and with that the amount of waste produced is also increasing. The question here is are we doing something about it? We usually see pathan men riding a bicycle carrying a stack of papers and cartons and selling it off to firms illegally for recycling and earning a minimum of 50dhs every day.

We usually see cartons and waste products lying outside a super market and some pathan men coming and collecting it either from the garbage can or from the side of a road.
Majority of the people do not give importance to waste, all they do is use, throw and not bother about it. We imagine them to go to places that are far away and vanish in some magical land. Unfortunately nothing of that is true. Recently U.A.E has taken steps to encourage people to recycle waste as much as they can. Many schools have started recycling campaigns for waste paper, cans and glasses. Schools have also been given the authority to have their own recycling bins within the campus. This will help in increasing awareness amongst the children and the youngsters of today’s generation.

Similarly, Emarat has installed recycling systems in various stations which encourages people to recycle and win a prize. If a person takes the step to recycle something he or she will end up winning coupons or discounts for products is at Emanate Retail outlets. Stationeries have also taken the step to recycle paper and plastic and sell products made of the recycled material.

U.A.E has taken steps to encourage recycling of products. Recent reports show that more than 70 tones of paper and cardboard have been collected and recycled in the past few months. The municipality has bins everywhere around the cities for people to throw their waste in so that it can be recycled.

At present Recycling is neither a myth nor a reality in the U.A.E. The government is taking the steps it should, they are planning ways to spread more awareness. Now it totally depends on how the people react and if they give prime importance to the reality that exists in today’s world. If we look at it as a whole, a lot more can be done than what is happening at present. The government and the people should start taking this seriously so that what has to be done is done in the right way.

Quirky Thoughts

It may not sound convincing but has anyone ever heard coke cans scooped of their tops and reused as pencil stands or very minute collections.

Roshny Rao, loves ice-creams cans for a reason as it reminds her of her old gone school days, where she used to collect invariably these small ice-cream tins, and fill them with sand, sow seeds and compete with the other in the quest as who can grow a plant fastest first.

Divanka Gupta fancies collecting nido tins as she considers them very sturdy. She says, papads and other crispy items do not loose their freshness for days once stored in these nido tins.

Similarly, Isha Chopra is also one of those people who collect ice cream boxes just to store bead and threads. She says, “I have a hobby of making bracelets with beads in different colors and for the collection of this ice cream boxes come as a very reliable option.”

Nida Ahmed a Muslim fasting during the holy month of Ramadan says that, having and iftar with many relative it is too tedious and requires a lot of material so disposable spoon and plates from confectionaries and coffee shops.

Afshan Khan a twelve year old school going girl says,” Pringles are my favorite and I get then home every second day. I don’t dispose it because I know I can make unique and beautiful pencil holders and other stands out of it.
Juice cans are considered as very good to store any liquids once they’re empty and they are considered as very good to store any liquids once they’re empty and they are considered pretty durable and keep it refreshing.

Gitex 2009- A Crowd Puller

Gitex took place on the 17th of October till the 24th offering a great deal in gadgets and electronics. The prime event for technology is conducted on a large scale for the customers of the Middle East. People come from all over the world just to be a part of this event that exists only for a week every year.

People waiting outside the doors waiting for Gitex to start.

(Photo credits : Khadija Ashraf)

Gitex 2009 was one of the most awaited events this year. I visited this massive event on its second last day. On my way to the Shoppers I saw people walking from the other end of the road towards Gitex. In a way it was very surprising to see people walking on the roads of Dubai. People had parked their cars in the middle of the road not caring about the fact that they would be fined. Everyone was desperate to go in and buy all they could. When I sat in the shuttle bus, it was almost full of different people from different classes sitting in one bus desperately waiting to visit this event.

( Photo Credits : Khadija Ashraf)

As I stepped out of the bus I felt tiny looking at the crowd nearing a stampede. It took me 20 minutes to enter, as people from different sides were pushing in different ways just to enter first. I felt like I was back in Pakistan in a fish market. The only difference here was that this place was air-conditioned and well thought-out. There was no place to walk, I literally did not know where I was going, to me everything looked the same, red and yellow were the only colors I could see. People were keen to go into every stall to see the latest discounts and the latest products. The promoters were standing in the middle giving out brochures to everyone even if people were not interested. They were just doing their job!

There were people from all ages, all classes. From students to parents to children to bachelors, you would find everyone under one roof! I thought if Gitex was extended for a month would the crowd be the same? Or would people slow down a bit taking it for granted.
With so many customers, there were many promoters offering different products. There were promoters standing in the middle giving out brochures, some of which the customers wouldn’t even bother looking at, throwing it away in the bin. When I was walking I looked at 5bins, and I was shocked to see it full of brochures instead of other waste products.

Dustbin full of Brochures

(Photo Credits : Khadija Ashraf)

On the other hand there were people keen to see what was there on the brochure. What the company had to offer its customers. There were different people with different reasons to be there at Gitex.
Some were there just to see what Gitex was about and some were there to do serious business. People had come there by their own cars and many of them using the metro. The metro also experienced a boom with Gitex, as there was a huge crowd at the Rashidiya Metro Station where people were desperately waiting to reach Shoppers.
Overall Gitex has always been the same, every year the people visiting this event increases which makes it more interesting, but I wonder if there will be a time when people might find Gitex too monotonous to visit it every year. Would it lose its charm like global village has or would it keep growing with every year coming its way?