The final straight

Here I am, 19 days until Farah arrives here in Dubai. I can hardly believe it! I often wonder the world she has painted in her head for Dubai.... I remember the pictures I had in my head before I arrived, shaped mainly by the movie Syriana and various other Gulf State stereotypes... Add to these things the hype about Dubai as this mecca of shopping and all things that are excessive about the consumer culture, then add some Islam and Indians into the mix.... Wow the pictures she must have painted indeed.

So on Monday, 13th August, 8:30pm she will land in this strange land and I will have about 60 hours to show her about. What will I show? To be true to my life here I will have to take her for a run in the afternoon to the beach in the 40C heat, then to my lovely little Gym and to my Shwarma man, and to my little Indian food place... And the walk home from work... I can wait for her to taste the life I have been leading here. I know that it has been a frustrating year for us. For her with not knowing what's happening over here and me trying to make up for it but failing.... It will be nice for things to be on an even setting. For us to be together, for experiences to be shared rather than explained over the phone or the internet.

Reality has not been here for the past year. Life has flown by and I have seen things and done things, but much of it was all leading to this point, 19 days into the future from this moment. If I had my time again I would have dragged Farah here... She would not have been able to argue. But a year ago I was a very different man and Farah a very different woman. I was even discouraging Farah from coming!!?!.... This year has made us who we are now, so I guess it was worth it, in a strange, such is life kinda way....

Well I am off to walk home, through the back streets of Satwa, past all the Indian workers waiting for their bus to the labour camps, the locals chatting in the street, traffic almost killing me, dust almost chocking me... And the promise of a run and some shwarma only a few thousand paces away....

I will miss this place in a way. But am ecstatic about leaving and marrying my love... The adventure I have always dreamed about it starting very soon!