This ordeal called house hunting is really taking its toll on us especially on Nico. On weekends we'd normally schedule a visit to different properties and Nico would meet property agents after office during weekdays. Add to that the fact that we need to compute and recompute our budget to check if we can afford the rent. As I have mentioned so many times before, we need to make do with our limited housing allowance. Last night as I was reviewing our budget again, it seems a bit stretched already. I have listed the basic expenses like groceries, utilities, transportation, credit card payments and the like. We need to make do with our current income and perhaps I can pursue a part-time, home-based job eventually so we can afford a bit of luxury like shopping and probably Las Vegas vacations. Oh, how I look forward to that day! :)
I realized now that I underestimated the cost of renting a flat in Dubai when I talked about it in my previous post. After two weeks of scanning the daily paper, specifically the properties section which has about one hundred and twenty something pages (of for lease and for sale properties, imagine!), we still haven’t found the right place that fits our needs and our budget, sigh…
Our requirement is simple—we just want an apartment within a community, where there’s a place outdoor where Miguel can stroll in the morning and play in the afternoon. And it must be within our (meager) budget. Apparently, and to my great disappointment, Dubai remains to be a huge plot of dessert land where property developers find pleasure (and profit, of course!) in putting up fancy buildings, forgetting in the process that this part of the world would be a lot, lot nicer with some trees and grass here and there. The typical look of a residential area in the center of this city is clusters of buildings divided by parking lots. So it isn’t surprising to see children playing between parked cars.
There is one development that we found last week to be almost meeting our criteria. It’s a bit far from the center of the city, though, where Nico is working. We’d love to get a one-bedroom apartment here but we just can’t afford it. We’re considering the studio type since it’s what our budget can afford, though it’s still pricey by our standards. It’s a bit small considering we have a little boy who might just bump into every corner of the room but the layout is pretty great. The kitchen has a provision even for a washing machine where both the water inlet and outlet are properly fixed such that I won’t need to get water form a separate faucet. The bathroom is tiled nicely, with a sink that looks like the one normally found in hotels. There are plenty of closets, too. And best of all, there are facilities available to tenants like a pool, and a children’s play area.
I am really hoping we could get this one. The only other remaining consideration is that we heard news that Nico’s office might be transferred to the other end of the city by October, in which case, the location of this apartment won’t be ideal. Help us pray.
If you've seen Aga and Claudine's Dubai movie (I haven't, lol :)), you must have an idea how expensive it is to rent a flat in Dubai. I was told that the movie even shows a situation where several people live in one small studio type flat that's been divided either by curtains or cupboards to make separate rooms. And I think that is not an exaggeration.
I've just checked the net if we can afford to get a one-bedroom flat at least and I was stunned at the rental rates. It starts at around 65k a month, converted--and that is a very modest flat, and goes up to 150k if you prefer something more fancy! Imagine spending that much money for something that wouldn't ever be yours. Of course, I really cannot compare it with the Philippine market but I just can't help but think that in the Philippines, if we can afford to allocate the same amount of money monthly, we can get a house and lot in no time and in a nice location with the help of mortgage lenders. And then I realized that if our jobs here can afford us a house and lot, we wouldn't be going to Dubai, would we? :)
enjoying dirty ice cream with oyo and kuya pei
Kudos to Nico for being able to pack one balikbayan box-full of personal stuff yesterday (holiday). I just got a reply from one forwarding company and they quoted 15k for 2 boxes door-to-port and around 20k door-to-door! Susme, mas mahal pa yata shipping cost kesa sa value ng boxes namen. Pano na ito?!
*allow me to post these photos, minsan lang mkatyempo na parang nagpose talaga ang anak ko...usually, para syang tornado, by the time ma-click ko ang shutter, pwet na lang ang na-capture :)
So far there are 3 luggages awaiting my attention. Hindi ko pa maisara cause there are stuff we're currently using that need to be included. Tapos hihiram pa ko ng weighing scale. Ayokong mag-excess at mapilitan magbukas at maglipat-lipat sa airport.
Di ko pa madecide kung magdadala ko ng duyan. It won't fit in the luggage. I'm thinking itali sya sa luggage. Pgdating sa Singapore and Dubai airports, parang na-announce sa mundo na pinoy ang mayari ng luggage na ito! hahaha! Pakelam ba nila...kawawa ang anak ko dahil nasanay sa duyan. Laking adjustment na nga nya when he wakes up one morning in a totally new environment, seeing totally unfamiliar people, tapos wala pang duyan! I think we'll bring one. Problema lang, pano ko isasabit yun sa hotel? hehehe :)
It's official. We're leaving on the 17th. We'll be visiting my nephews in Singapore for two days before we head off to Dubai. I'm having mixed emotions. At times I feel eager and looking forward, and then I'd feel anxious. I'm happy that finally we'll be independent and at the same time sad at the thought of the family that we'll leave behind.
Hay, buhay. I'm having guilty feelings about Miguel missing everyone here at home. The only good thing is that he still cannot verbalize his feelings. Torture sakin yun to hear that he misses them and wants to go back home. Oh well, we've thought and prayed about this a hundred times. I guess no matter what I tell myself, I still won't be comforted by anything until we're settled and adjusted. I hope it will be soon.
Contrary to what most people believe, there IS winter in Dubai. And although we will be arriving in the middle of summer, I am already making notes of the activities we can do and the places we can visit when the summer heat is over.
Winter in Dubai, though, isn't the type with snow and blizzard. In fact, the weather starting November is just perfect to spend your days in the park. During this time, streets are lined with teak outdoor furniture set up by the restaurants as most people prefer to dine outside. And rightly so, because I couldn't imagine anybody wanting to be shut indoors when the weather is perfect for relaxation.
Already I am excited to dine Venetian style. :)
We're excited about the impending move to Dubai. Among many things, I'm looking forward to having my own house. It seems in the past weeks that we keep accumulating stuff and I don't know where to put them now. Our bedroom is so cramped. We need space!
If there is one thing Nico and I agree upon, that is, we both want cozy and functional home, where everything has its own place. And I am particular about having a spacious bathroom. I'd like those vanity items well-organized. Perhaps, it would be good to find one that has pedestal sinks as these types allow for bigger floor space.
We're given a month to find a house. Big challenge, I know. But I hope we'll be able to find the ideal one on time, as I wouldn't want to settle for something that wouldn't be comfortable. We're talking long term stay, afterall.
I had a chat with a friend and former colleague the other week. She phoned in as soon as she learned that we're moving back to Dubai in June. After venting out some of her frustrations over work, our conversation made her consider the possibility of working abroad. To help her start the job hunting process, I gave her a list of job sites in Dubai which I found helpful when I was still looking for work. And for the benefit of those who'd like to consider working in Dubai, here's the list:
www.jobtrackme.com, www.kershawleonard.net, www.clarendonparker.com, www.bacme.com, www.talentdubai.com, www.jobs-me.com, www.indigo.ae, www.dbbcg.com, www.mosaicsearch.com, www.charterhouseme.ae, www.mriww-uae.com, www.grafton-group.com, www.jobs_ube@eim.ae, www.aamaluae.com, www.interfaceuae.com, www.synergy.ae, www.jobscan.ae, www.soundlinesgroup.com, www.hisys.ae, www.prosearch-me.com, www.mindfieldresources.com, www.peoplesource-me.com, www.sosrecruitment.net
Most of these sites will require you to sign up for an account so you can deposit your resume in their job bank and apply online. While some can be used as a reference to give you an idea of the types of jobs that are in demand as well as the salary range.
It also wouldn't hurt to sign up even if you're not considering Dubai since some of these sites have international affiliations and they post jobs in Singapore, UK, NZ and Australia.
Another strategy that I learned when job hunting in Dubai is to prepare several resumes. This works for those people who are multi-skilled or have experience in several fields. The purpose is for you to highlight the most relevant experience in your resume that match the requirements of a particular job that you're applying for. And when you apply online, you would normally be required to "name" your resume (eg. Marketing Assistant, Analyst, etc.) so the employers would have an immediate idea of what your experience is all about.
But of course, you have to keep the accuracy of information in all your resumes, making sure not to give false information about yourself and your experience.
The reality has just set in. We're relocating in a month's time! Do I sound surprised? Oh well, I am a bit. But it's not that we haven't really prepared for it. In fact, we've been praying for this for months now and we've discussed and thought about it a hundred times. Perhaps the realization of the many things we need to accomplish before we leave is what I am fussing about.
Project Relocation has started. Job offer has been accepted. Contract has been signed. Now we need to submit the required documents in order to secure a visa. We're targetting the first week of June to be in Dubai, but that's all dependent on how soon we can get a visa.
While Nico's handling the documentation part, I need to focus on the smaller yet equally important part of this move. That is, sorting and categorizing our stuff--those that will be shipped, sold, and disposed of.
And I need to talk to Miguel's pedia as well for some advice; ensure all his medical records are with me. And Nico and I will have to go for a medical and dental check up...and we need to do some shopping...need to do some research...and we need to say goodbye.
We never had second thoughts when we decided I would give birth and raise the baby in the Philippines. There were quite a number of considerations before coming to this decision, though, and we felt it was best for all of us if I come home and for Nico to eventually follow. After spending a good amount of time here, we felt like this isn’t the place to start a family—at least not for us. As I ponder further how our time, our days are spent, I realized this is really just a place for work. I couldn’t seem to make a ‘life’ out of the daily routine we follow—wake up, go to work, come home and sleep, same thing the next day…and on weekends—do the housework, probably pass the time in the mall, and before you know it, time to go to work again. We tend to miss the happenings where families and relatives are concerned. With this environment, I couldn’t imagine how we will be able to raise our baby if we choose to stay. Or is it just me?
The other side of the story is that I happen to know some people who seem to have made Dubai their home-those who opted to bring their families here. And when I realize there are these people who are happy they settled here, I wonder if I am making the right choice–especially recently when new work opportunities are presenting themselves again. Just a few weeks ago I received interview invitation from two headhunters which I both turned down since I am already working for IBM. I just promised to send an updated resume which I failed to do.
Yesterday, one of them phoned in again asking whether I am still working and if I want to consider another company. I thought to myself, this must be a better offer as I have already previously indicated my current and expected salary. This made me think once again whether there is any possibility that the right choice is to extend our stay here. But this single question leads to thousand others. Who will take care of Miguel when we’re both working? How will we manage working and spending quality time with him? Should we get a better place? A car? If we are to live here with Miguel we need to have a comfortable place.
Should I even be rethinking our decision or am I just enticed by the single factor which seems at times to have more weight than all others—job opportunity?
Unlike in the Philippines where there is always a reason to declare one day per month as a holiday, here in Dubai everyone is looking forward to the Eid celebration (end of Ramadan) which happens around the 3rd week of October as it is the only time people could enjoy a 4-day weekend break. We eagerly waited for this weekend with the initial plan of visiting another country. Yep, we were almost set to visit Amsterdam after considering other places like Athens. However, upon further consideration, we realized the cons further outweigh the pros of long-haul travel at this time. One is that 4days certainly isn’t sulit enough to spend a holiday in a far away country as the Netherlands, and Nico couldn’t afford using his vacation leave which he is reserving for next year’s vacation back home while I don’t even have leave allowance at all. Another thing is that at 26weeks, it wouldn’t be easy for me to move around and I doubt if I would enjoy travelling when my tummy starts to pull down all my weight and my legs start to cramp. For weeks we battled over practicality versus guts–at one time we felt we’re already halfway to europe and it would be a spoiler not to take advantage of the fact. But the most important factor of course was realizing there are far more important things we could should spend our money on especially now that the latest addition to the family is due very soon. Sensibility won. We opted to get a car in the Philippines instead in preparation for my coming home.
But we never let the holidays pass without an event. And eventhough hotel prices here are a bit exaggerated, a 3-day weekend break at the Le Meridien Hotel was justified as an advanced wedding anniversary celeb! So off we went on Oct 20 on board the intercity bus for a 2-hour trip to the next emirate. On day 1 we checked out the hotel facilities, the beach and pool area was cramped with people…good thing though that most of the hotel’s guests and members are europeans who are on the beach to get a tan–they are gone by the time the sun starts to set and we had the pool and beach area all to ourselves!
During our 3-day stay we just basically lived the life of the lazy, waking up late in the morning, enjoying a dip in the pool, pigging out on a wide selection of food for breakfast and lunch and dining out in the evening. And who am I to resist the summons of the nearby mall which is just a 3-minute walk from the hotel? Lucky me, I found this casual jacket at Mango which goes nice with most types of clothes while hubby bought what he calls a ‘cool dude’ shirt.
It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, and for the most part it was, except that any activity I engaged myself in served as constant reminder that I am carrying a heavy load in my tummy as I could easily get exhausted. On sunday, we went home tired yet renewed as we were able to somehow lived ‘the life’ even for 3days. Now back to reality, happy days are over, back to work!
**
The following day after we got back home, dear hubby got me a real nice white gold heart bracelet as an anniversary gift (naks!), now I wonder what to get him..He’s been bugging me to buy him a copy of Rorkes (an engineering book) but I wanted to give him something more personal, hmm, hmm…i still have 5 more days…
It finally dawned on me as I passed by the mall one afternoon on my way home from the office. In less than 3 month’s time, I’ll be leaving this place and if things go as planned, I will never again set foot in Dubai. Perhaps to say that time flies too fast is an understatement in my case. I fairly remember only a few months ago how I struggled to adjust to a totally new life—without a job, with a husband, in an utterly strange place. The excitement that filled me as I looked forward to coming here was eventually traded with boredom and anxiety brought about by a mix of things such as difficulty of finding a new job (in the beginning, at least), the presence of irritating, stinky beings (pardon me but when you really can’t flee from their stinky smell everywhere you go, you will be pissed and count it as one of the top things you hate about the place), not to mention homesickness. This place probably boasts of luxurious hotels and restaurants, state of the art buildings, roads and facilities, but truly nothing compares with the warmth and comfort of my precious home. Oh how easy it was to find good food even in the cheapest restos in the malls of Manila! If you only knew of all my complaining about the not-so-good stuff here in Dubai, you would probably think I would be jumping with joy by now as my time to come home draws near.
And yes I almost jumped for joy until I realized that in the 9months that I have stayed here, somehow, Nico & I have made a routine of our own and when I do come home not long from now, it’s routine no more. You see, only now do I realize that we have survived the first year of our marriage living away from families—they who offer all the support when you seem not to know how to do things. In a way it’s good that we started our marriage with only the two of us helping each other. We share housework—cooking, laundry & press, cleaning and grocery shopping—we take turns at doing tasks. We may not know the best way to do certain things but we get by somehow. Weekends are spent attending fellowship, wandering about, lunch and dinner out, malling or simply staying home to sleep especially during summer months. But now that we have finally agreed it would be impossible for us to manage living alone when the baby comes, the decision for me to go back home immediately follows. It saddens me to think that Nico will again be left by himself here in Dubai, struggling to pass each day without my company. And it surely pains me to think how he will miss the joys of being a soon-to-be-dad. And I will surely miss coming home from work with a simple dinner prepared by him and spending the rest of the night everyday snuggled up on our red sofa just talking about the highlights of our day. We intend to continue our routine when we are both in Manila, that’s why we are earnestly praying for God’s provision.
We pray for an opportunity to settle back home.
we have always known we wanted a functional home setting, and that is just fitting for city living. but even when we move somewhere else someday, i think, we will prefer a low-maintenance yet well-designed and cozy home set-up. nico and i agreed on one basic criterion for choosing the stuff to buy--they have to be collapsible, something we can easily pack and ship back home anytime we decide to leave, hahaha! :D and ikea is just the right place to find them. with this condition in mind, we set to choose our stuff. 
first up, a red sofa! nico's a blue-type of guy (i think he's been raised to believe that if you're a guy, you should own blue stuff and nothing else, hehe) but this time, it was his idea to get a red sofa since our flat is really 'flat', color-wise, we chose a 2-seat sofa with removable cotton cover (leather sofa just doesn't appeal to him and i couldn't imagine burning my butt on a leather sofa once the middle east heat sets in!). the cool thing about this sofa is that we can instantly change its color when the mood strikes...and then we chose a coffee table to match the sofa and picked up a lamp, lamps actually--a floor lamp and a bedside lamp. 
and then it came. and two months after, i was bored to death. i busied myself with household stuff--cooking, laundry, housecleaning and indulged in my regular pastime--books, mags, tv, mall, internet (i actually found a site called bored.com hehe) and quite recently found new interest on reading the daily paper, a habit which i got from nico. on weekends, we would normally go out to explore this new place, always on our own pace. despite all that, my days are normally blank, i always seem to have too much time with not much to do. i still wake up early, around 530am to prepare nico's breakfast and see him off to work, but i'm back to bed even before he's able to get into the building elevator. i make sure not to get out of bed before 10am as much as i can so that almost half of the day's already spent and i only have the rest of the afternoon to laze. 
this weekend we went to the nearest beach park, about 15-min bus ride from our place. here's a photo of a kid which i captured after experimenting on the different scene modes-- nice sepia effect minus the editing... :)
two weeks ago nico & i went to creek park and immediately set to test our newly-bought toy-- an Olympus camera SP500UZ. good thing there were only a few people when we arrived so we had all the time to take photos of the place, syempre agawan pa kami kung sino unang gagamit ng camera hehe, but when we finally rode the cable car, he had the camera all to himself, takot kaya akong tumingin sa baba hehe :)
