Human Heart strings.....

Another month comes to a close today, the last quarter of the year is upon us...
Work is going well, I will know the final numbers for September tomorrow, and I think we edged out another record month with growth topping 100% again...We will review that next week....
I am attending the World's largest food trade show next weekend in Germany. I leave next Friday for a four day trip to Europe, I am attending alone for a couple of days, then Hani (Bob's Boss) will join me for two days...Should be interesting.
Tomorrow I become homeless...I am moving out of 8 Boulevard Walk and unfortunately my new apartment at Jumerah Village is not ready...(No electric or water). The movers are picking up my belongings tomorrow and my stuff will be stored at my new apartment until I can legally move in. My apartment was suppose to be ready September 1st, sadly November 1st looks likely now.
Rodz and I visited on Wednesday, she likes the apartment and the layout, but not so happy with all of the construction...I think I am in the "dog house", what else is new. I am moving into a hotel near the Mall of Emirates tomorrow afternoon...I can only hope for good cable....
One of the sadder parts of living the dream here in the UAE is the stories of the less fortunate workers that you come across. Maybe because of Rodz, I am most aware of the plights of the Philapena's (yes Mimi I still can't spell it). Nick and I have befriended a waitress at a local Italian Restaurant named Grace. She is very friendly and always greats me by name, after getting to know her, we find out that she is so desperately wanting an opportunity to sell retail instead of the long gruelling hours of her eatery. When I agree to pass her resume on to some retailers that our company does business with, she literally cried at our table. Grateful for the opportunity. I now feel guilty, because none of my influence has panned out for opportunities for Grace.
At one of our Arab customers another waitress asked me for help. She is here working while her husband is home in the Philippians with their child. Her contract prevents her from leaving and she is homesick and depressed. Her contract will be up this spring, and hopefully she will return back to her family. I know the owner of her restaurant and would even call him a friend, but to have her cry (literally tears running down her cheeks) and ask for me to help her to "escape" - I feel helpless...
Rodz best girlfriend here is a bright and beautiful young lady named Juvy. She is somewhat fortunate that she is working in retail. She has worked very hard to master the art of retail sales and now is the top sales person in her company making three times the commissions of her coworkers (don't get too excited she still makes about 15 thousand dollars a year, under a restrictive contract living in an area that you would not want a friend to live in) and she sends her father back in the impoverished Philippians four hundred dollars a month. Well, as a story about how employees are treated she got her first written warning by her employer (had to do with company uniform being worn to work - no verbal 1st warning) this month. From my understanding it was sketchy at best, she then found out that if you are given a written warning at her job, that her company does not pay your commissions that month. She found out Wednesday, and as she told Rodz and I the story of how they told her, I struggled with not crying. I wanted to just give her the money that she had earned....helpless to help another victim of the class society here. I will do everything I can to help her find a better employer (her contract is up in November) - hopefully I won't let another one of my new friends down...

I can not save the world, and I certainly can't help everybody I come across here in the UAE, but I can show American kindness and generosity at every opportunity. I am so fortunate in so many ways, but a lot of my fortune has not been created by my hard work, but given to me  by birth - A fact that I do not take lightly.
Well, this past week was a celebratory week for Nick. The old boy turned 47 on Wednesday. Rodz and I took him to a Phillapean Restaurant for lunch, yes I succumbed for love lol- well, I found exactly one thing on the menu that appealed to me (a fried white fish in a sweet and sour sauce- with white rice), it turned out to be tasty, Nick chose a chicken dish that was accompanied by "Margarine rice" and he cleaned his plate (not a challenge for Nick), Rodz had some kind of crock pot dish, she was not a happy camper, she basically concluded that had to be some "Injun" cooking in the kitchen, that no Philippine chef could make such a bad dish...lol - I do not have that on Rodz's wish list fer eateries anymore... Last night, Bob, Sandy, Kelly, Reem, Loren, Mimi and I (Rodz was working) joined Nick at Benihana's for dinner. They put on the normal show, the food was great, it was nice to celebrate with Nick and friends. The highlight of the evening was Nick eating his dessert, finishing Mimi's then eating Lorens...It is nice that Nick keeps the overeating jokes from being focused on me.
Well Sandy went to get her cast off her broken leg and prepare for her rescheduled trip home next week...Not so fast, they re exrayed her leg, it still is not healed and now has a new hard cast and three more weeks of crutches...she is still keeping an awesome attitude.
If we post a record month tomorrow, Bob and I are taking the team out for an Indian dining celebration...a curry fest to be sure...Homeless, but very fortunate Johnny will update you next week on my spicy dinner and hopefully spicier numbers!
All the best...

Sleep depravation and the NFL....

There are a few American adaptations that have happened in the last year that has made year two in the UAE a little more normal for me. Since this time last year the addition of several American Restaurant chains have made eating here much more "American friendly". I became aware of Papa John's pizza, they are in a couple of malls and one next to the office, the nice difference is that they are sit down pizza joints here and yes they usually have the garlic butter and those smelly pepperoncini's. As mentioned Shake Shack (awesome hamburgers), Pot Belly, Red Lobster, PF Changs, Texas Roadhouse have all opened - and opening soon IHOP and the Cheesecake Factory - Fred dreads visiting and flying 14 hours to have dinner at Red Lobster so I will try and be UAEish to my visitors.

So food wise, America is very present (didn't even mention Ruth's Chris, Chili's, Fridays, Fuddruckers, Ruby Tuesdays, Macaroni Grill, Hard Rock or the fast food (McDonald's, Hardees, Burger King, KFC, Johnny Rockets, Pizza Hut) that thrive here. There are also the specialty places, Krispy Kreme (Can't get them hot) Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robins, Cold Stone, and others, I am continued to be reminded here as much as the Middle East doesn't like America (UAE is American friendly) that they import our quality food and our quality life to their region and people like myself (a hired gun to teach, train and then leave behind an American footprint of know how). It's ironic that a region that may have the most valuable resource in the world (Abundant oil) imports so many resources from the greatest nation in the world.

Now the other thing that has improved for me is the cable TV (what a surprise Food and TV highlighting my social life). My cable still has a lot of American shows available on it,  Survivor, American Idol, Cougar Town, Fox News, and cable series like Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Entourage and Game of Thrones. They have all been great distractions, but the number one change for me was the addition of ESPN America and regular ESPN to my available cable in April. I went from seeing one or two Major League Baseball games a week, to games on nightly. I can see more American Football than someone living in a NFL City in America. I now have 4 different NFL Sunday games on live (your 1 pm and 4 pm games) also now get Sunday Night Football (early Monday morning football) and Monday night football....what a fantastic change...Now sadly, most of you know that I am a rabid Dallas Cowboy fan, Trust me, it is a lot more distasteful to haul my happy ass out of bed at 4 in the morning (like I did two weekends ago) and watch the Cowboys blow their game then have to hop in the shower and head to work and assume my role as "Mr. Grumpy Pants" as Bob calls me. The abundance of sports has been a definite enhancement to keeping me from being homesick for sports. Every PGA golf tourney is also on TV here...keeps my idol mind busy when I am not working or seeing Rodz....Food, Rodz, sports(TV) and work (in random order..lol)- my daily life in the UAE. Time does sail by....
Sandy is having her cast removed this weekend and will be returning home to her kids and grand kids in about 10 days. This was Mimi's (Nick's wife) first week at work, she seems to be enjoying it, Rodz still is not liking her job, and her search for a new one has yielded no results so far. Keep your fingers crossed that one of her interviews will reward her with a job that gives her a better living and a better work environment than she currently enjoys. I gave her and a girlfriend of hers a ride home last night and even after her long day at work with meager wages she keeps plugging along hopeful for better days ahead....I share her dreams for her and pray that happier days lie ahead for her...
My work pals went out for Pork ribs and adult beverages last night at hotel with a special permit to do both. Muzzy, Kelly, Nick, Mimi, Georges, Loren , Ceren, Magy, Peter, JP and I had a nice time (I enjoyed my pork ribs and chicken wings! with my diet Pepsi) but it was nice that people I that report to me would honor me with an invitation out. They are such quality people that I grow fonder of every day. Kumail finally started this week, he a quiet gentleman with an impressive reputation, I will turn him lose in his territory on the 1st of October. Juliane (our new hotel business development specialist) starts Tuesday. The team keeps growing better with quality people. I had a reminder of job desperation this week. I interviewed a gentleman from Lebanon (the country not the town,,,lol) and decided not to hire him. After I declined to hire him, he called me a couple of times on my cell phone and ended up begging me to reconsider....it was sad trying to explain to him in a nice way why I didn't have a vision of him being a part of my team, but I am even more confident I made the right decision after his second phone call...it's a tough world that we live in...
My new apartment is still not ready (new eta is October 20th). My new appliances that I bought for it were delivered this week, I plan on visiting tomorrow to check the progress. I have to be out of here 1 week from today. I have rented a hotel room near Mall of Emirates to have a place to stay between the 1st and the 20th. There is a convention in Germany that Bob is planning on sending me to from Oct 8th through October 12th. I really don't want to go, but on the other hand, I have never been to Germany and it will save me paying for a hotel room for four days while I am homeless...lol.
We are on pace for another record month, but I fear we might fall a few Dirhams short with the expected end of month slow down in business, before the big season that should be huge in October and November. Well time for me to hop in the shower and get ready for a Thai food lunch at Festival City with Nick and Mimi, then to Hyper Panda.
This weekend my high school classmates from Lebanon High school '81 is having their/our 30th high school reunion. hopefully they will remember me fondly as I do them and hopefully I will be there with them in 2016 for the 35th. Have a great weekend.....

The Dean's increase their income and their vocabulary

Fall is in the air here in the UAE. For the first time since early June, the high temperature on Tuesday was under 100 degrees at a cool 99. The forecast now for most day's is right around 100. I won't miss the 115 July/August regular highs, but it was a little cooler than the summer of 2010 when it reached 120 degrees several times...must be global cooling...I absolutely love the weather that arrives in early October and last into late December. highs in the upper 80's lows in the 60's and not a hint of rain. This year I plan on spending more time at one of the many beaches that are from 10 minutes to a half hour drive away.
Nick's wife Mimi has become gainfully employed. She actually got a decent paying job, and she and Nick now are on the path to improving their financial lot in life. She got a job working for an American (the details are in the foggy recess of my slowly decaying mind) Doctors office that does Invitro fertilization. Her first day is this Sunday and she actually is scheduled for 40 hour work weeks, which is only about 15 more hours a week than Nick works...lol. Now Nick, Mimi and I dine together a couple of times a week (charity is obviously close to their hearts) and I get to enjoy their one upmanships with each other. Mimi makes fun of something Nick doesn't know- that she feels he should and Nick delicately points out flaws in Mimi's life that won't get him in too much trouble (wives have the power) This weeks funny was Mimi's new employment contract. She noted that she would be paid in arrears. The problems was I think she thought that was something a little perverse rather than the time of the payment...yes, you can't make these things up...this week Nick wins, one can only wait for next week's Dean families funnies.
Work continues to be...work. This week Kumail finally will start (Muzzy's cousin), really expecting good things from him, and I am meeting Monday morning with Julianne (new young lady from Germany-if she accepts her offer, I will share more) to make her an offer that finally got approved. We are on pace for another record month (ho-hum), it will be great if we can do it, but then disheartening when the over 100% growth this year verses last and record sales won't be enough. It has finally sunk in, when last month's whopping 137% growth, didn't bring celebration from above, that we just have to enjoy our successes and make the most of it. I promised the sales team that if we had a record month in September, Bob and I would take them out for an Indian Cuisine celebration...I think the team is more excited about seeing me choke down curry laden food than the great things they continue to accomplish.

Sandy (Bob's wife) is still trying to let her leg heal. Bob says he has new found appreciation for handicapped people as he tries to maneuver Sandy around the mall to prevent her from dying of shear boredom in their apartment. She is scheduled to have her cast removed next week (I think?) and then rehab a little before returning to Atlanta in early October.
Rodz still hasn't gotten a new job, and I have real fear she will pack it up and move home (I would say the Philippians but Mimi makes fun of me never spelling it right)...I feel a little helpless and am very frustrated, I am trying to be encouraging to her as a friend, but of course I don't want her to leave, because I know down inside that would close a chapter of my life that I am not ready to close, keep your fingers crossed.
"911" is an interesting anniversary to spend in the Middle East. I watched a lot of the TV coverage on Fox news, but the comments from co-workers tends to fascinate me. One of the managers from Transmed's retail division made a comment to me (late 20's very friendly Palestinian gal) that she saw "911" as an opportunity for me to see what the Palestinian people face every day, that every day was "a Palestinian 911" for what her "people" go through. There is an open hostility (I know I should have paid attention in English class-maybe I could have spelled then) towards Israel, the United States Government and "Jews" here in this peaceful part of the Mideast, the maps don't even have Israel on them, Egypt just borders Jordan....I have little hope for peace with what I hear and see from the people of the Mideast....
On that somber note, I will say goodbye for now, and I will try and stay out of trouble for another week....

Gone from America, but not forgotten....well, sorta..

This week it seemed like there was a lot of things to blog about, and as I sit here on Friday morning all sleepy headed, doesn't seem like there are a lot of things to blog about....Oh well, let's start with the American that bit the dust, poor Sandy Green. She was leaving the Dubai Mall with Mimi and Nick this week, slipped and fell. No don't worry, Nick dodged her falling body and came away unscathed. (Obviously Nick played more dodge ball than catch growing up) to make a long story short, she ended up going to the hospital in an Ambulance and now has a cast that runs up her leg to almost her hip. Her broken leg will keep her in Dubai an extra 3 weeks with Bob, you can always find a silver lining if you look hard enough. She does seem to be in excellent spirits, I know I would be wining on an on, when I visited her she didn't even complain.
Well this weeks attempt at a clever blog title....I call my mother almost every Friday evening without fail. She and dad are up and about (I normally call around 9 or 10 in the morning Virginia time) getting ready for the day, and I get to hear stories about the weather and my relatives and she hears that I am still alive....well last Friday's phone call....not the normal...here's the recap...
Mom;  "Hello"
Me;  "Good Morning, are you up and about this morning?"
Mom; "Yes, we are already dressed, getting ready to go shopping."
Me; "great, that sounds like fun"

Now the conversation turned

Mom; "Well let me let you talk to your Nan"

Just to understand, my grandmother died in 1999, I know no Nan...

Nan (In an elderly whisper); "Hello"
Me ; Hello?
Nan; "Who is this?"
Me; "This is John"
Nan; "You have a wrong number, this is the Bruck Residence"
Me; "I know, I am John can I speak to my mother again"
Nan; "John, oh Helen it's for you- it's your son..."
Mom: "John?, oh I thought you were Nan's son".....

I guess I have been gone too long.....

Well, updating you on the employees, Vinny returned from a three day weekend with his girlfriend in Switzerland - some how that seems a lot more exciting than my weekend trips to Hyper-Panda. Hicham returned from his month long leave in Morroco. Our newest sales rep (Kumail) will join us this week, the team is doing very well and are working well together, now the company, not quite as good. We are still struggling to get orders processed and delivered and our warehouse is strained by capacity issues, we have a lot of things to get fixed if we are going to keep growing at 100%.
Speaking of growing at 100%, for you "Nick story" fans, Nick is feelin the blues about his elevator adventure at a hotel. He got on a crowded elevator to go down the 8 floors to the lobby after his sales call. Well, the elevator started beeping and unfortunately, wouldn't continue down, because of being overweight. Nick said it was silent as he got off, and the doors closed behind him and continued on its way, leaving Nick to contemplate the Iftar dinners that he enjoyed during August.
Speaking of eating, I am really enjoying the new dining establishments that have opened up in the Dubai mall in the past month, Red Lobster has now become one of my favorite places. I also enjoy the new Texas Roadhouse. We are bringing in Idaho potato's for them from the United States and they have been sorely missed by me. I have been eating at least once a week at both of those places.
Rodz is still waiting on her new job offer, she is so homesick for the Philippians...I am trying to get her happy again...we will see....
The weather is starting to cool, the highs this week are only going to be 102 to 104 degrees down from the 115 degrees of August. We still have a streak going back to early June of days over 100, I expect the streak to end soon...
Enjoy your weekend, I will catch up with you next week....

One third down, two thirds to go!

September 1st, was the beginning of my 15th month in the UAE. Bob and My contracts were for 42 months (Dec. 31st, 2013), so 14 months complete, 28 more to go. After my two week vacation in the states I feel like I have gotten my second wind.
The numbers are in for the month of August. We had a record growth rate of 137 percent in this year verses last years sales. Bob and I got a very nice congratulatory note from Bob's boss, hopefully our review meeting for the month will go smoothly. If we make our plan numbers for September, it will be a new record month. Keep your fingers crossed.
This past Tuesday was the first day of our three day national holiday called EID. It is a big celebration marking the end of Ramadan and the breaking of fasts. I don't remember the malls being as packed last year as the throngs of people escape the heat to celebrate in the mall. You can not find a parking place. Mall employees (like Rodz) are having their off days cancelled because of the onslaught of people. All I know is that the instability of the Middle East is creating a boom in business for the super safe and stable UAE. We have more Arabs here vacationing, the hotels are booked solid, it is absolutely great for business.
Apparently, from feedback of my blog readers, one of the things you all like the most is hearing what Nick is up to. Two of the funnier moments since I have been here happened this week, involving Nick. The first one is to hear Nick describe what happened when an invoice blew out of his hand in front of one of his customers. Nick, took off running after it, and needless to say the wind won the race. Nick said he thought he was going to die from a heart attack, and Mimi (who was watching from their car) said she couldn't stop laughing. The second incident occurred this morning in church. Once a month we partake in communion at our church service. This morning was that day. Well, they passed the bread wafers and shot cups out so that we could all share communion at the same time. Pastor Jim (from Georgia) asked us to bow our heads while he said a prayer, then asked us to eat our bread representing the body of Christ (I noticed Nick not moving between Mimi and I) then he prayed another verse and asked us to drink from our cup representing the blood of Christ. Well, good ole Nick, had zonked out, he woke up downed his drink then proceeded in a very confused moment to try and hide his bread. I was shaking the seat laughing (quietly suppressed)....Nick said after church for me not to dare blog about it, Mimi and I over ruled...it was too funny. I am so thankful for Nicks being here, I have always enjoyed our friendship, and his self deprecating humor is right down my alley.
Speaking of Alley's, a couple of my salespeople bowl on Saturday evenings in the fall and have invited me to join them. It sounds like something I absolutely would enjoy doing, so hopefully I won't worm my way out of it.
Have two new employees starting this week, JP (a young Philippine man) is joining our Customer Service team, and Kumail (An Indian gentleman) is joining our sales team replacing Lal in the Jumerah Beach Territory. The team grows stronger each month, hopefully we will lead them down the right path to sales successes!
Oh well, enough rambling today...Hope your EID is happy, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!
John