Can I Take It Back?
In our little corner of Arizona, it was not uncommon to see certain adults riding around town on bikes. Sometimes the bike carried more than one rider, sometimes the bike had no seat, oftentimes the original paint color was a mystery. Occasionally the adult could even be seen riding on a bmx bike, which is much smaller than a regular adult bicycle. Things that are seen frequently can become part of the scenery, and we cease to notice or pay attention to them, but every once in awhile, something about a biker would catch my eye, and I would feel it necessary to comment about his actions, or attire, or mode of transportation, especially in the heat of the summer. I admit, the words illegal and/or immigrant may have been heard in those comments.
When we arrived in Dubai, we had three choices of transportation: taxi, metro and our own two feet. Walking outside felt like trying to breathe through a blanket still hot and damp from the dryer. Several miserable walking incidents stand out in my mind - foremost, our first trip to the Mall of the Emirates - approximately 3 blocks from our apartment. We walked a suggested route that had sidewalks the entire way, but had the disadvantage of little shade, and neglected to find out the exact location of the entrance to the mall. (Sidenote, it's also Ramadan when eating and drinking in public during the daytime is against the law, to respect the Muslims who are fasting.) By the time we reached the shade of the enormous parking garage, we were seriously questioning our decision to move to this place where the heat sucked your will to live. And even the shade of the parking garage was no respite - it took several dangerous crossings through speeding traffic and many minutes to find an entrance and blessed air conditioning. The relief was great, but the return trip hung over our heads. 
Last night, we needed to make a quick run to Lulu's Hypermarket (the Dubai version of Super Wal-Mart), and Nate was off refereeing a basketball game. I am brave enough to drive to some places here, but Lulu's is just through the parking lot of the school and around a small curve in the road, and our list was short so I decided to just take the stroller. As Will and I dodged the speeding cars, and I kicked sand out of my flip flops, I was again reminded of my former life, and the sometimes not so nice comments I made about immigrants and their chosen modes of transportation. I wonder what kind of comments drivers have made about us as we push our stroller stuffed with groceries through the sand on the side of the road? Is it too late to issue a heartfelt apology to all the bike riding day laborers in QC?
In our little corner of Arizona, it was not uncommon to see certain adults riding around town on bikes. Sometimes the bike carried more than one rider, sometimes the bike had no seat, oftentimes the original paint color was a mystery. Occasionally the adult could even be seen riding on a bmx bike, which is much smaller than a regular adult bicycle. Things that are seen frequently can become part of the scenery, and we cease to notice or pay attention to them, but every once in awhile, something about a biker would catch my eye, and I would feel it necessary to comment about his actions, or attire, or mode of transportation, especially in the heat of the summer. I admit, the words illegal and/or immigrant may have been heard in those comments.
When we arrived in Dubai, we had three choices of transportation: taxi, metro and our own two feet. Walking outside felt like trying to breathe through a blanket still hot and damp from the dryer. Several miserable walking incidents stand out in my mind - foremost, our first trip to the Mall of the Emirates - approximately 3 blocks from our apartment. We walked a suggested route that had sidewalks the entire way, but had the disadvantage of little shade, and neglected to find out the exact location of the entrance to the mall. (Sidenote, it's also Ramadan when eating and drinking in public during the daytime is against the law, to respect the Muslims who are fasting.) By the time we reached the shade of the enormous parking garage, we were seriously questioning our decision to move to this place where the heat sucked your will to live. And even the shade of the parking garage was no respite - it took several dangerous crossings through speeding traffic and many minutes to find an entrance and blessed air conditioning. The relief was great, but the return trip hung over our heads. 
2 comments:
crazy how life changes our perspective, isn't it?? and your description of the heat made me want to turn on my ac -- or go outside and cool off. :)
I think it is a good thing to have experiences that make us rethink some of our actions. I know that I have been there more than once! Loved our Skype date the other day. Will is SO big! We miss you guys!
Post a Comment