Garfield buddy boy

Hola everyone!

So you thought I've forgotten about Garfield? NO! Till today, I am very pleased with myself for saving him from being a wandering stray in Saudi Arabia. He's now a well loved, albeit spoilt cat in Singapore. To see how he's doing, check out Celine's post about him in her blog! Garfield's Bath



Isn't he just the cutest?

Adios Amigos!

Hello everyone!

Today's post is dedicated to the guys whom I worked with in Jeddah. I've worked with many people in my life, but none are quite like this bunch. They came from all walks of life, all sorts of backgrounds. Whether they were victims of circumstance, or just plain adventurous, they all came to make a living.

No where else have I seen a collection of Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Yemeni etc etc working together harmoniously towards a common goal. Ok, harmonious would be really stretching it. More often then not, it was like a cacophonous riot than a melodious harmony. However, we were still a team.

Yes it was a tough and challenging experience for me in Jeddah, and sometimes these guys contributed to the hardships I faced. However, its also these same guys that helped me get through it. I sincerely believe that they were genuinely trying their best despite having daunting limitations due to the infrastructure, the imbecilic authorities or even their personal problems. The fact that they were also in a foreign land, trying to make sense of the madness is not lost on me.

At the end of the day, they came through. Every now and then, they would infuriate me. But they also made me laugh, helped me when I was in need of it and respected me as the manager of the team. I won't forget that. Thanks for the rock and roll amigos!

The "Eh!?!?" Team

The JEDSQ airport team and my successor

The last time I go through this boarding gate

Uno Big Mac Menu por favor

Hola!

Not bad eh? I can ask for a big mac meal in Spanish! I will not go hungry in Spain!! Or will I?

It all began one sunny afternoon on my second last day in Jeddah. After two years in Saudi Arabia, I managed to accumulate about eight thousand Saudi riyals in cash. With the money tucked neatly into an inconspicuous unlabeled envelope, I asked one of my colleagues to bring me to a money changer in town.

So after bargaining for a good rate and handing over the Riyals in exchange for Euros, I received three crisp 500€ notes, one pristine 100€ note and three 20€ notes. Brilliant!

Fast forward to a week ago. After being in Barcelona for about 2 weeks, my 100€ note and 20€ notes have been used. I was left with the three 500€ notes that I kept in the special compartment in my wallet, always kept safely and close to me as pick pocketing is rampant in Spain. I was hungry. It was lunch time. So what did I do? I popped over to the MacDonalds near my house and keen to order a big mac meal like a local, I said chirpily, " Uno big mac menu por favor? ". That just means one big mac meal please. The girl behind the counter replied with a barrage of Spanish that made no sense to me at all! I was dumbfounded. "UH...."

She then proceeded to point at the options for the meal. Did I want special waffle fries? Or just the normal french fries? Did I want a softdrink, wine or beer? ( Yes you can choose wine or beer for the drink in your meal for the same price!!! Is that fantastic or what?? ) So I nodded like a retard and my patata fritas (french fries) and coca cola ( coca cola ) were keyed in to go along with my big mac. And the damage? 6.15€. Sure thing! So I whipped out my wallet from my super secure storage compartment of my bag and handed over the first of my 500€ notes.

The girl behind the counter froze. She looked like I was trying to rob her. Funny thing was, I wasn't. I was trying to give her money. Not ask for money. Maybe they pay in a different way here in Spain. "No no no no (enter rapid spanish gibberish mambo jambo here)" I didn't have a clue what she was saying. But I had an inkling that it had something to do with my 500€ note. Maybe she didn't have change? At that moment, the manager came out and spoke to me in broken English. She informed me that they were not allowed to take such big notes as 1. they did not have change and 2. they had no way to verify if it was a genuine note.

I was hungry. I had 1500€ in my wallet. But no one would sell me something to eat. Bemused, I left MacDonalds and went home to eat a muesli bar and some fruit.

Going to work the next day, I recounted my experience to my colleagues and they laughed. Apparently, the 500€ is so rare that people rarely see it in day to day transactions. Furthermore, no places would accept this note unless they were selling big ticket items. Such places would usually have some kind of device to check the authenticity of the note. On hind sight, if it were in Singapore, what I did would be like going to MacDonalds for a big mac meal and handing the cashier a 1000 dollar note. Probably wouldn't work back home too huh? Eventually, I went to a bank in the airport and broke the 500€ note into 100s and 50s. I had my big mac meal after that.

Hola! Como ¿Estas?

Hello everyone!

Yes! I have landed in Barcelona! Ok, I actually landed three weeks ago but its been a crazy three weeks for me. I would've preferred to give you all an update sooner but I've been so busy with work and settling in that I could only really sit down and bang out a blog entry now.

So! Is Barcelona an improvement over Jeddah? CLARO. ( "Claro" means "of course" in Spanish ) Life here is good. The city is beautiful. The people are nice. The scenery is good. The air is fresh. The colors are vibrant. The weather is fantastic. There is a whole section in the supermarket devoted to hams/sausages/bacon. There are women walking around instead of ninjas. I can have a beer with my iberian ham during dinner. Driving is no longer a gamble with the grim reaper. You catch my drift? Life here, is life.

However, not everything is smooth sailing and cheery though. As with life, there will always be issues. I MUST learn how to speak Spanish! Everyone here speaks Spanish ( ahem, you are in Spain Einsten...). I'm facing difficulties with even the most mundane tasks! For example, ordering a big mac meal at MacDonalds or shopping at the supermarket! I'll have to get this sorted soon though coz I cannot imagine trying to explore the place without a basic command of the language.

Also, my apartment isn't really what I expected. Let's just say that this isn't a place I'd willingly rent for myself. I would give you a tour of the place as I did when I first got to Jeddah but then there are 2 rooms that are filled with boxes right now so I will wait for that to be cleared before I take some photos and introduce the apartment to you. However, I am looking to move so maybe you won't get to see this place after all. It all depends on how long it'll take for my resident's permit to be approved. Can't rent a new place without one. Shit. Hmmm, I have to go find out how to say shit in Spanish. My iPhone's Spanish dictionary doesn't list it. Hmph.

Other than that, work has been driving me bonkers. Within a week of my arrival, I had to deal with French air traffic controller strikes and even a Spanish General Strike! Hours and hours of stress and planning. But, by the grace of God, I managed to get through it all. There's still a heap of challenges in store for me but I know that I'll get through it. I always do.

Right, I'll wrap up for now but I will update soon on my adventures in Barcelona! Enjoy your weekend everyone!