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...
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