The geographic low down…

The United Arab Emirates is situated at the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman with coastlines on both the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The country is made up of seven different emirates – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain.

Dubai is the second largest Emirate and the coast is littered with coral reefs and over 200 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Dubai is a trading hub and a strange cosmopolitan Shangri-Lai smack dab in the Middle East. It’s not unusual to walk through a crowd and hear 12 different languages. Everyone seems to be here for the same reason – the promise of money. It’s the second richest Arab country after Qatar.

The wealth seems to seep from the pores of this place. The buildings are constructed with opulence and painstaking detail. My Dad’s apartment is almost completely marble. The construction continues at a rapid pace and I feel like I am watching the building of an empire. Perhaps it’s similar to the creation of New York except with a distinct Middle East flavour.

It’s a strange harmony here. After a trip to IKEA, I had to remind myself that I took a 16-hour plane ride to get here. You almost forget until the call to prayer reminds you where you are.
Ramadan..

Islam is the official religion of Dubai and Ramadan is the holy month in which Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Quran. Muslims abstain from all food, drinks, and cigarettes between dawn and dusk. In the evenings the fast is broken with the Iftar feast.

I arrived in Dubai- in the middle of Ramadan. As a sign of respect, non-Muslims are also required to refrain from eating in public places. You can still find a few open restaurants but the curtains are drawn tight and you have to enter from the back,

In the evening - all over the city, Ramadan tents are filled to the brim with people feasting and enjoying a few puffs of the shisha. It ends later this month with a three-day celebration similar to a westerner’s Christmas…

Religion…

Religion is woven into the fabric of life in the Middle East. It is seems much less compartmentalized than the North American version of Christianity. They sit on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Cofi..

I met man yesterday named Cofi (pronounced Coffee). He’s my Dad’s housekeeper and a seemingly genuine human being. Before I arrived, he told my Dad that God spoke to him. God told him to give me his resume as a way of getting into Canada.

Coffi is a Hindu from Sri Lanka. He works as a cleaner in the hospital and does housework on the side. He sends his money back to Sri Lanka where he has a wife and two kids. We bumped into Cofi at the grocery store…

Cofi had been carrying around his resume for a few days in hopes of meeting me – his hopes bound to a few sheets of paper. He was overjoyed to see us in the bulk food section.

Sitting at a table Cofi showed me his employee of the month certificate. He looked at me with great hope that I could change his situation. Cofi visits Sri Lanka every 22 months and his wife works in the tea fields. He said they didn’t have enough to eat until he went to Dubai. Cofi said his dream is to live in Canada with his family.

So now I have a resume from a man named Cofi. I told him to check the Canadian embassy, to follow the proper channels… Cofi said he prayed to Jesus who told him to give me his resume. I could see the faith in his eyes. I wondered if it was strong enough to handle disappointment. If I could get him a job- I would.