I am not a voracious reader or a writer. When I was thinking of a new topic for my blog the first topic which struck me was the incident I witnessed during one of my journey to my homeland as well as some other things which I observed as being a Non Residential. I feel this topic will have the same effect even if it’s read two years later. I am sure someone or the other will think, “What is new about this topic?” Yes, I do agree it’s nothing new; but I don’t know how many of you have jotted this down…these situations that are so familiar to you.
Even though I am not a voracious reader or a writer,
I am a voracious thinker. On the way to my office, I always have some topic or
the other about which I think a lot, right down to the minutest details. The
topics may range from household stuff to films and songs’ from incidents at
office to those that are not relevant to me at all.
And it was on a day when I was too early to work
that I thought about and wrote this. My husband always asks me what I’m I
thinking when he feels I’m lost somewhere. So I always tell him not to ask what
am I thinking because its something even I can’t explain because I am someone
whose thought wanders like anything… And within a short time, I can travel from
UAE to my homeland, then to a shopping mall, then to some dream destination,
then to my kitchen, my kid, then to my old hostel or college memories, then to
my office… I can be an inconsistent wanderer :)
I landed in this country almost 3 year ago; to be accurate, 1 year and 4 months
ago. Within this span of life here, I feel I have experienced and learned many
things. I feel this is a land which God has created for expatriates. Yes,
absolutely a land of “Dreams”. When you are in a crowd—no matter whether it’s a
street, a shopping mall, a beach—you can see that everyone in that crowd is
longing for something or rushing for something. We can see it in their eyes,
their ambitions, wishes. I don’t know how much a man who’s staying in his home
country can feel this. But I’m sure those who are staying away from their homeland
will agree with me.
When I was here in this country for the first time, I felt everything was new. People, the culture, and the lifestyle... for some days, even the language in which my husband communicated with me was unfamiliar to me, even though he communicated in our mother tongue!
Yes, for all the expatriates, their life in this country starts with the unfamiliarity to these things, people and situations around. The compromises we make or are compelled to make here is immense. Those who look at the NRI life will feel “Ohh! They’re so lucky…making loads of money and living a great life.” Yes, to a certain extent, and for a certain class of people, it is right. But for the majority of the people residing here, it’s not like that. The pain we undergo here is tremendous.
During one
of my trips to my homeland, a small incident I witnessed at the airport touched
me. I was coming out of the arrival area, and saw a group of people who were
eagerly waiting for their loved ones. Since it was raining, we waited at the
airport for a sometime. In between, I was watching the people around. My
attention was taken away by small group of 10 to 15 members. From the way they
were behaving and communicating, it was clear they all were from the same
family. The whole group was waiting for a single person. Finally, one man emerged:
a middle aged, dark, thin man. Not at all the charming NRI. From his appearance,
it was very clear that he didn’t have a fancy job. His wife was also in the group
that was waiting. I became a little emotional seeing the reception they gave
him. He was surrounded by the whole family. In between all the joy-making, I
could hear his wife telling him to be careful about the puddles the rain had
made, and not to slip and fall. The care and the pride she must have been
feeling…
But I was also definite that she had no clue about
the life or work culture of her husband in that faraway land. It is hard to
believe—but some areas where the people reside here are more pathetic than those
of Indian slums. But when one reaches one’s home country, none of that worry is
expressed. Everyone will only see the many gilts, the glory of being an NRI.
Here, the day starts very early: almost from 5:30am itself, people start
rushing to office. We works 6 days a week… 50 to 60 hours a week for 1 year or
2. Then, a vacation for 1 or 2 months. Sometimes, it’s very painful to see
people working in the sun as the temperature soars above 50 degrees. It’s
difficult to travel in a car with its AC at its max. So, imagine the pain and
sacrifice these people are facing to keep their family safe and happy.
This is not only for the people who work in the sun; those with “white collar” jobs are no better off. They start their day very early too. Some have to travel hundreds of kilometers to reach their office. Mothers have to leave their months-old babies in day cares, with breast milk in bottles. Husbands will have a day off when their wife works, and vice versa. Husbands have day shift, wives have night shift. Late night work, travel, what not!
Whatever the hardships may be, people still fly to this country. To the land of dreams. When every flight land in this country, it carries a group of people with dreams and aspirations, who might be a son, father, brother, wife, daughter, mother. But one fact remains: whatever role they play in their life, they all are here for one goal—to work and earn money to make his or her loved ones’ dream come true. Some will fight and win; the other will lose and fly back. It is a continuous cycle.
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