Hannah d' Angel

Finally, after 8 months in this desert, we struck a gold mine (or would it be apt to say an oil well?). Yes, we have long admitted that some people here treat us like we are beneath them just because of the difference in the color of our skin. FOREWARNED WAS FOREARMED. I was half-expecting this to happen, yet in the deepest recesses of my soul, i was still hoping for something better.

Somehow, amidst the people who have either intentionally or unknowingly let us down, somebody emerges which restores our faith in humanity. Angels come in different packages. They may come from afar or just there, where you are.

Meet Hannah Gelati, our UAE angel.

Ms Hannah Gelati

The first time we met her (3 months ago- during our trip to Oman) I thought, she was just too good to be true.

road trip to Oman

She wasn't like any other European. Not that I consider myself quite an authority on the subject, but I am basing my observations on my (very) close and constant brushes with some in school where I am presently employed.

Hannah wasn't patronising at all and she seemed to take genuine interest in what we were saying and doing.

Then, a month after, she invited us to a simple gathering in her flat. There, I observed how she prepared for us ... not only our dinner but she presented herself without any artifice... welcoming and immersing herself in our company.

at Hannah's place

I thought it was to be the end of our liaison because the succeeding months, we were both besieged with a cornucopia of school activities, thrown into some serious work-related maladies and faced with our personal demons. Yet, wonders of all wonders, she kept in touch. A few weeks before the school year closed, she invited us again for a get together.

I am not much of a party girl, but I am not also one to disregard an offer of genuine companionship...minus all the trappings. Thus, one Thursday, after a particularly stressful week, we found ourselves mingling with a new crowd (of mixed races-partygoers).

We agreed to meet in Barasti, quite a crowded bar by the Jumeiran seaside.

at Barasti and Zinc

Good people attract good souls. That was also the time when we first met Bryan, Hannah's good friend.

meet Bryan

After a bottle of soda and beer for some, we decided that the music, mainly, in Barasti is not that "riveting" and "danceable". So, we jumped in at Bryan's car and headed out to Zinc, a disco house at the heart of the city. (Well it could've been the "guts" coz i'm still debating if the city does have a heart). The party was already in full swing. The huge dance floor, was literally packed with bodies moving in time with the music which, thankfully, this time is ultra-hip and modern. We just danced until dawn, never even pausing to take a breath.

That was followed by more gatherings, which we deemed necessary when we found out that Ms Hannah is planning to quit her job and probably leave Dubai. It was as if the Fates blessed our liaison because she presented us with opportunities to be together again:

the campaign of Star International at the Sahara Mall;

Ms. Anne's Birthday;

Disco at the Chi Bar where we met the infamous Kaya of the Pussycat Dolls.

Finally, it was time for us to say our farewell. Generous as she is, although we know life dealt her with several blows, she still managed to present each one of us a parting gift: a bracelet with the inscription: Forever H .

The Forever H Bracelets from Ms Hannah

Little did she know that the inscription was not merely to stay on the bracelet, for Ms Hannah Gelati, made a deep and lasting impression in our hearts.

We love you, Ms Hannah Gelati. God Bless You.

This too, shall pass

Dubai. A place where no one in his right mind would stay forever. Don't get me wrong. It's supposed to harbor the "-ests" of this world... as advertised AND EXXAGERATEDLY SO all over major networks and newspapers all over the world. The first time I came here, a part of me which always craved to be an architect marvelled at the skyscrapers, the neo-designs, the absurd the seemingly impossible but staring at you right before your eyes.

Well maybe, i am just missing home too much. It's warm enough here (are you kidding?) But i miss the soulful warmth of my country. They say that Dubai is a crime-free country... but why did i feel more secure in my homeland? It has been 8 months... and that's all it took for me to see Dubai for what it really is. Sans the magnificent and awe-inspiring artificial mammoths, it still very much what it was, a good 10-15 years ago: A DESERT.

I have always prided myself as a positivist. But i am also a realist. Whenever i find myself in a middle of a crowd, and observe people, i have never seen so many who walked mechanically... whose smiles don't quite reach their eyes... whose inner struggles seem to follow them and flash on their heads like neon lights. Sometimes, i don't want to look at people here anymore for fear of what i'd discover in their eyes.

And i am afraid... not only for myself... but for the people near me. I think, the artificial arms of this place is already snaking thru their minds...claiming their hearts. Oh God, is it just a matter of time before this impending doom claim my being as well? There is one rule that dominates this planet since time immemorial: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. I need help. But i have no one to turn to. I dare not speak my thoughts to anyone for fear that they'd mock this weakness.

Somehow, i know, i believe that this too, shall pass. I just hope that when this interim in my life is over...that i still have my values intact.

God, grant us the serenity
to accept the things we cannot change
the courage to change the things we can
and the wisdom
to know the difference.