It's funny how one can elicit a positive response and the other, a negative one.
In the two months that I have been here, I have noticed that Dubai has a predominantly male population. Please note that of the city's population, the Emiratis (locals, as they are called) only comprise a measly eighteen percent. The rest are of different nationalities, mostly from India. Now you can just imagine how uncomfortable it is to be walking the streets of Dubai and being at the receiving end of these stares from men. Once, when we were waiting for the traffic light to go green, I looked at the nearby vehicles and to my horror, a busload of construction workers was next to our taxi. They were all peering from their windows, their eyes fixed on me and my female companion. Eewwwww!!! I get the same creepy feeling whenever I pass by the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station. It seemed that the male South Asian population in Dubai converged in that terminal. Some would size you up from head to foot. Others would even try to catch your gaze. It gets more uncomfortable when you are all lining up for the bus and it takes a while for the bus doors to open. Since you're all huddled together, it's not hard to notice their menacing stares. In my mind, I find myself saying, Ewww kuya! Wag po kuya!!! hahahah...Females are supposedly the first ones to enter the bus but sometimes, when the doors do open, it all becomes one mad dash to the door. The uneducated ones disregard the women in front of them and jostle their way in, much to the displeasure of the men and women trailing behind.
Today, I was lining up at Spinney's. A tall, Caucasian guy stood next to me at the counter. I was fixing my stuff and I unintentionally glanced at the next guy. He gave a polite smile, gesturing for me to continue with what I was doing. That made my day (Oh, did I mention he was cute too? hihihi). Finally, a show of refinement and good manners! That was a refreshing change from the uneducated actions of some of the men here.
I think it's exciting how a city's character unfolds as each new day arrives. Meanwhile, I continue my Dubai adventure with a silent prayer that I get more of the former and less of the latter. :)
In the two months that I have been here, I have noticed that Dubai has a predominantly male population. Please note that of the city's population, the Emiratis (locals, as they are called) only comprise a measly eighteen percent. The rest are of different nationalities, mostly from India. Now you can just imagine how uncomfortable it is to be walking the streets of Dubai and being at the receiving end of these stares from men. Once, when we were waiting for the traffic light to go green, I looked at the nearby vehicles and to my horror, a busload of construction workers was next to our taxi. They were all peering from their windows, their eyes fixed on me and my female companion. Eewwwww!!! I get the same creepy feeling whenever I pass by the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station. It seemed that the male South Asian population in Dubai converged in that terminal. Some would size you up from head to foot. Others would even try to catch your gaze. It gets more uncomfortable when you are all lining up for the bus and it takes a while for the bus doors to open. Since you're all huddled together, it's not hard to notice their menacing stares. In my mind, I find myself saying, Ewww kuya! Wag po kuya!!! hahahah...Females are supposedly the first ones to enter the bus but sometimes, when the doors do open, it all becomes one mad dash to the door. The uneducated ones disregard the women in front of them and jostle their way in, much to the displeasure of the men and women trailing behind.
Today, I was lining up at Spinney's. A tall, Caucasian guy stood next to me at the counter. I was fixing my stuff and I unintentionally glanced at the next guy. He gave a polite smile, gesturing for me to continue with what I was doing. That made my day (Oh, did I mention he was cute too? hihihi). Finally, a show of refinement and good manners! That was a refreshing change from the uneducated actions of some of the men here.
I think it's exciting how a city's character unfolds as each new day arrives. Meanwhile, I continue my Dubai adventure with a silent prayer that I get more of the former and less of the latter. :)
