I landed in DXB on February 1st. My aim was to have fun, relax, and disconnect from the worries and problems I had in Amman.
Week 1:
It started a few hours after I landed. Apparently, I took a bag that wasn’t mine. I discovered the mistake around 10 pm and immediately reported the incident to Emirates over the phone, drove back to the airport, returned the bag, and waited for them to locate mine. After an hour-long wait, which felt like an eternity, my bag was finally found—it contained all my official documents, clothes, suits, laptop, and hard drives. I was particularly concerned about potentially losing my hard drives forever, though the rest could be replaced.
An employee driving a cart parked in front of the lost and found department. He had a large amount of luggage in the cart. I jumped from my seat and started checking the bags. Mine was there! All hope was restored. I picked it up and drove back home.
The first week was kind of boring. I was waiting for my rental car, discovering the area, and figuring out the routes. But overall, it went smoothly and uneventfully.
Week 2:
I spent it going out and catching up with friends. I visited major malls, the beach, the marina, and all the tourist spots.
Mid-week, my friend told me she would take a two-week vacation. Her new maid was coming, and she wanted to show her the ropes and set her up. She asked if I could cover her work at the newspaper as a freelancer.
I agreed, and she contacted her boss, and he approved! The two-week assignment was handed over to me.
She accompanied me to the Dubai courts and taught me the necessary work, what was politically correct and what was not. I worked with her for two days, learning everything I could, hoping I wouldn’t screw up.
Week 3:
Sunday morning: 6:30 am. I woke up, showered, grabbed a large cup of coffee, and hit the road!
I set up my GPS to avoid getting lost… which I did anyway! I took one wrong exit and ended up in unfamiliar territory.
It took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the court, navigating through an endless stream of cars on the 611 highway bound for DXB and past two accidents that day. The traffic was a nightmare.
In court, I opened my notebook, pen in hand, and started scribbling.
I got mixed up, was slow, and received incorrect information… I was a major failure.
I drove back, got on the phone to get the correct information and details, wrote them down, emailed them to the newspaper, and discussed them with the news desk.
It seemed easy when I was observing!
The news desk sent me edits for each story, typically for three reasons:
1. To fix grammar errors and ensure the text was politically correct.
2. To shorten or expand the story, depending on the size and layout of the printed paper.
I published 2-4 stories in the print edition every day and up to 5 stories on the web.
I had one story on the front cover of the newspaper! I was lucky; I managed to get a scoop without even realizing it.
When the weekend arrived, I was exhausted and longed for more than 6 hours of sleep.
During this week, I managed to locate a copy of “Azazeel” by Yousef Zeidan in English. When I received the call that they had secured a copy for me, I couldn’t wait. I was already on my way home, so I took the first exit and headed back to Dubai to pick it up.
After a well-deserved long sleep on the weekend, I took the book to the beach. Nothing was more precious than this moment with coffee and the sunset before me.
Week 4:
I’m getting faster at writing. I’m firing off stories as soon as I get the details, understanding what the newspaper wants and how they need the stories formatted.
The working hours are longer, and the sleeping hours are shorter.
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This version corrects grammar and spelling, enhances clarity, and improves the flow of your experiences.
What’s next?
I do not know.
Doomish:
Brave, Courageous and bold.
Long live his fame,
and long live his glory.
Long may his worthless posts be told.
