Back in the real world
Yesterday I arrived back to Estonia. Dubai is history now. Many people asked whether I felt sad to leave - the truth is no. I was eager to leave. It was a very good experience, but I was happy to go. I made some good friends there, but I don't need Dubai to have those friends. I'm sure none of them will stay in Dubai for too long anyway.
When I was trying to think what will I miss about Dubai, I could only come up with 1 thing - Al Reef Lebanese Bakery where you get the best manakish in the world (a food item with lots of meat and cheese). The rest - maybe I will miss something else too, but I don't know what yet. I am probably gonna feel nostalgic about Arabic music, yelling old man and shisha places (shisha outside of the Middle East is not the same, I'm sure).
Before my last day 24h in Dubai I spent 10 days in Serbia. From the moment I stepped off the plane I felt good and happy. It was just so good to be back in Europe, to see people walking on the streets, life on the streets, real world. I realized how much I have missed the unexplainable life that is missing in Dubai. I felt like I left the artificial world and entered the real one.
Serbia had nice people, nice food (meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and nice landscapes (gorgeous mountains!). What I was surprised about was that Serbia was much poorer than I had expected. Yugoslavia was the pearl of the former soviet block. I guess the war has had its effect, combined with authoritarian regimes and policies. It was like going back in time 10 years or more (when compared to Estonia). All the city, even the center, was full of ugly, not renovated communist style buildings. I also figured out where all the old crappy cars (Fiat 127s, Datsun Cherrys, Ladas and Moskvich's etc), had disappeared from Estonia (and probably other better-off Eastern European countries). Serbia's streets were full of junk on wheels. But thats okay - most certainly all of this will change as the country develops.
When I arrived to Estonia and got to my home, no one was there as it was 3pm and people were at work. So I just stayed outside and waited. Observed. I was most definitely back in the real world. It's spring time. You can see the grass getting greener, listen to the birds singing, bugs buzzing, feel the light breeze and breathe the fresh air. None of this is and ever will be available in the make-believe Dubai world.
Before going off to sleep I had a nice long and free chat on Skype with my love. Thats right - on Skype. Damn it feels good to be back in the free world.
2 comments:
Hey Peep,
I agree with you on a few things:
1. Shisha from Middle East. I brought 1 shisha home. I tried with Aron a few times. But I never had the same ambiance. Sigh... Also coal is never as good.
2. Western Europe is indeed a free world. We have had that conversation over google chat already.
I am a bit sad of how some Gulf countries want to develop themselves. I am really wondering if globalization is just another form of colonization. Or it is an evolved form of colonization.
What do you say?
I think globalization as an idea didn't start off like this, but true, its has evolved to be kind of a new form of colonization where western world (and Japan and now more and more China) dominate 3rd world by controlling their economy. WTO, IMF and World Bank have done a lot to aid this new form of colonization. All these trade talks are full of hypocrisy.
What are we discussing again?:)
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