Chinechetam James Anoti, who is from Nigeria, arrived in Dubai on Jan. 15, 2014.
Currently working as barista in Dubai’s Marina area, James, a high school graduate, left his country to seek greener pastures in this expat city.
He eventually got more than what he had prayed for.
“Life has been ups and downs, I can’t complain,” he says, adding: “God has been merciful and loving. I left my personal business in Nigeria on Jan. 15, 2014 and went to Dubai.
“I must say God has blessed me in this city. I met my love interest here in 2017 and we got married on Sept. 21, 2019,” referring to Diane, also from Nigeria and who was working in sales at the time.
James’ first job was something he did not like, he said. “I worked 13 hours round-the-clock.”
That all changed when he managed to move to a new employment. Now, he is looking forward to a better life than home, thanks to the city.
Dante Alvizo Gordonas, who hails from Surigao del Sur province in the Philippines, came to Dubai in 2003, leaving behind plans to be a forestry officer and moving on to grab a job as a gym personal trainer instead.
“There were no more trees in the forests back home. It wouldn’t have been a promising job,” Dante said. He was pursuing a degree in forestry but decided to drop it, pack up and fly to Dubai.
And he is very much happy with his job. “Body building is my passion, which I get to do while making a living as a personal trainer,” he said.
He gets a rush dealing with hotel guests – the gym is in a five-star hotel. “Engaging with people of different nationalities is fun,” Dante said.
He said Dubai has never ceased to amaze him. “From a vast desert to an international, state-of-the-art cosmopolitan city with skyscrapers and all, it’s a wonderful place to be,” Dante said.
“Also,” he said, “food is not that expensive compared to how it is back home where you use up a big part of your salary on meals alone and end up with no savings – a hand-to-mouth existence,” said Dante, father and breadwinner, married to a lovely wife and father of two kids.
His eldest was just a little girl when Dante left for Dubai; she is now working as a marketing staff at a multinational automotive company in Davao, Philippines. His youngest is still in college.
Working abroad for the past 18 years, Dante said he is giving it at least three or four more years before going home for good.
“I will settle down in Philippines and open my own gym. I also plan to go farming,” he said.
Blessing Chikwe, 37, from Nigeria has been in Dubai for some 10 years of which eight were mostly spent in the hospitality sector where he took on security jobs.
A burly guy, who loves his wife more than anybody or anything else (he’d give the word to her except that it’s not his to take) and will move mountains for her, Blessing likes it when people get fond of his name.
“Yes, that’s my real name, Blessing,” says the guy who could easily pass for a football or rugby player. “I love to be a blessing to everyone,” he added.
Blessing said working in an environment of people belonging to different nationalities, as in the case in Dubai, gives him a sense of unique joy. Every day is a learning experience, always a surprise would pop up.
Blessing was among those hit hard during last year’s quarantine measures put in effect to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
He got things turning around thought and is now a freelancer engaged in organizing events.
Awungjia Ngosong left his home in Cameroon some 10 years ago to try it out in Dubai.
“It’s not always easy to leave a developing country in search of greener pastures keeping in mind all the challenges along, being your first adventure and not knowing what’s out there for you,” says Awungjia.
“I thank God for his grace upon me because my journey to Dubai in search of more opportunities wasn’t that tough. Coming here with a two-month visa, I was able to secure a job in a week’s time. Can’t thank God enough,” he added.
Awungjia works at Dubai Duty Free as a dedicated merchandiser.
“I do love a lot of things about my work and it’s a privilege by the grace of God to be part of Dubai Duty Free team,” he said.
“The most important thing I love about my job is the fact that being in sales and working in the airport, I do have the opportunity to meet people from different countries with different cultures, and that makes me feel privileged because I do learn a lot of things from them,” Awungjia added.
He said Dubai’s being one of the safest cities in the world is among main reasons behind it rapid growth and the increasing number of people visiting the city every day.
“It is an expensive city, which I think is very normal because the more a city develops, the higher the standard of living becomes,” he says.
Anees Farhat, who’s from the historic, beautiful city of Tunis in Tunisia, arrived in Dubai on Oct. 11 last year just as the city was beginning to spring back to life following months of quarantine measures implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Three months later, Anees got himself a job as a merchandiser at a supermarket.
“There were no jobs back home and so I decided to try Dubai,” Anees said. He said he actually got several employment proposals in the city but thought he’d take the merchandiser slot offer for a range of reasons.
Be that as it may, Anees says he has yet to fully enjoy Dubai and discover the city.
“I plan to do so, maybe on a road trip. Right now, I am just too busy at work,” he said, in between sips of Turkish coffee.
First to market with vegan ice cream cakes, The Brooklyn Creamery continues its ice cream innovation
Dubai, UAE: Everyone loves an ice cream cake to celebrate a special occasion, but until now, ice cream fans haven’t been able to enjoy a dairy-free version.
The Brooklyn Creamery, renowned for its exciting flavours, low-cal and low-fat offerings, takes a bold, innovative approach to healthy desserts, and is set to reveal its stunning new dairy-free ice cream cakes in just in time for the Eid holidays.
Bolstering its highly successful dairy-free ice cream range, the brand’s new ice cream cakes – weighing in at 650 grams and large enough to serve six people – come in two exciting flavours.
Fancy dessert lovers can choose ‘Lotta Chocolate’ a vegan chocolate cake base, with a luxurious layer of extra-rich chocolate ice cream, finished with chocolate sprinkles; or the ‘Salted Peanut Butter’ cake, which offers a vegan chocolate cake base, enrobed with a decadent layer of rich salted peanut butter ice cream, and topped with peanut pralines.
The dairy-free ice cream – made using almond and coconut milk instead of cow’s milk – is suitable for people with intolerances, health concerns and those following a vegan diet.
The Brooklyn Creamery is excited to be entering yet another market sector with its innovative approach to decadent desserts.
Vasco Valenca de Sousa, Food engineer, ice cream expert and Chief Innovation officer, says: “Our vegan ice creams are more popular than we could ever have imagined, so we feel we ought to support this ever-growing market with a delicious ice cream cake. We’ve taken a product traditionally associated with dairy, and re-engineered it for modern tastes. We are proud to say we are first to the local market with our very special vegan chocolate and salted peanut butter cakes.”
The Brooklyn Creamery’s new vegan ice cream cake range is available via Deliveroo home delivery in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. [https://deliveroo.ae/menu/dubai/jlt/brooklyn-creamery-editions-jlt?] and The Brooklyn Creamery online store, serving Dubai and Sharjah. The six-serving cakes are priced at just AED109.
Why not go all out and serve the ice cream cake with a side serving of The Brooklyn Creamery’s vegan ice cream? The range includes classic chocolate and vanilla with a funky Brooklyn Creamery twist, berry and fruit flavours, nuts and fudge and all the ingredients you’d expect in the most indulgent of desserts. The lactose-free, dairy-free and free from artificial ingredients range comes in seven decadent flavors – one for every day of the week!
“I aspired to be a priest. But, I had to give up in the end as I happened to fall in love with a beautiful girl and wanted to live a life with her,” says Jerome.
Jerome D’Sa, who hails from Mangalore, a sea port in the Indian state of Karnataka, had wanted priesthood.
But something happened and all that changed.
“I aspired to be a priest. But, I had to give up in the end as I happened to fall in love with a beautiful girl and wanted to live a life with her,” says Jerome.
Jerome holds multiple degrees – A Master’s in Commerce from Loyola College, a private Catholic higher education institution in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; a Bachelor’s Degree in Education; and a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and Theology from a famous college in Pune, Maharashtra.
“I tried a teaching career for a few years and later came to Dubai where I initially worked as accountant before later on venturing into printing sales,” says Jerome.
For the past two years, James has been living alone, calling office his second home because “it’s a place full of laughter and fun and I always want spend much time there.”
This is so because his wife had to accompany his son, who wants to persevere in his studies in the medical field, back in Mangalore.
“Now, I live alone, cook my own food and living a simple life,” said Jerome.
Times have changed a lot, said Jerome: “Twenty-two years ago, my salary was AED1500. Of this amount, AED500 used to go for food and living whereas the rest went to savings.
“As of now, pre-Covid I used to earn about AED27,000 in good months but saving is same as I used to do when I was making AED1500 as my salary. Commitments grew, like education. There are also the parking fees, fines and petrol.
“Food has also become very expensive, though I am spared since I make my own food, grocery bills gone much higher.”
Jerome says he loves the new Dubai “though sweet memories still lie within the peaceful old Dubai.”
Amir Rafiq, epitomizes the strong family ties that Asians are known for. He obtained his Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the US and has established a business there but decided he’s move back to Dubai.
He explains: ‘I went back to Dubai because my parents’ applications for visas for in the USA were rejected. Everyone in my family is here in UAE, so I had to wrap up my business in the USA and return to UAE.”
The Rafiqs were from Pakistan.
Amir is now engaged in his passion for emerging technologies in the IT field.
In all, he says, he has been in Dubai for some 30 years all together, including time spent during his school days.
“Dubai is my first city away from home. But I have worked in Dallas, Texas. Yes, Dubai is expensive, but I get by fine. It’s not that expensive as New York or California or Vegas,” says Amir.
Amir runs two businesses in Dubai. “I have a staff to handle most of my daily operations. I basically just oversee the money flow,” he says.
Amir says he is always mesmerized by the New Dubai. “The structures are intriguing,” he says, referring to the architecture of the skyscrapers in that part of the city, aptly called the “Manhattan of Dubai.”
Located on the 19th floor of Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City, the neighborhood barbecue spot offers spectacular views of the Dubai skyline and Burj Khalifa.
Dubai, UAE – Residents are in for a long Eid Al Adha holiday this year. To mark the occasion, Joe’s Backyard, the neighborhood barbecue spot, is serving up plenty of flavorful flame-grilled dishes and refreshing beverages.
From July 22 to 24 , the laidback dining place offers a Buy One Get One on its meal packages starting at AED275 per person. Guests can choose one dish from the starter, main, and dessert.
The impressive menu for the three-day feast includes Mac & Cheese Quesadilla, Chips and Dips, Joe’s Chicken Wings, Joe’s Jerk Chicken Quesadilla and Peri-Peri Prawns for Starters while Joe’s Cuts, Catch of the Day, Joe’s Half Jerk Chicken, Escovitch Fish, Beef Kebabs, Joe’s Backyard Chicken, Grilled Atlantic Salmon and USDA Select Beef Striploin are the selection for the main course. In addition, choose from Joe’s Fries, Coleslaw, Grilled Vegetables, Rice and Beans, Grilled Corn, Fried Plantain, and Tomato Salad as side dish, and make sure to leave room for Something Sweet.
Located on the 19th floor of the hotel, the spectacular views of the Dubai skyline and the Burj Khalifa add to the dining experience. Joe’s Backyard will be open from 1:00 pm until late during the Eid holiday from Thursday to Saturday, 22 to 24 July.
Ornella Audrey Ngoh Ekongolo explains why she took a menial job in Dubai despite her academic background.
She holds a Master’s Degree in banking and finance but couldn’t end up with a suitable employment in her country because she “did not have anybody inside.” Instead, she took on a job as a call center agent for a Paris-based company.
Finally, she decided to try her luck in Dubai, where she has been working for a year now as a waitress and a go-getter: Ornella Audrey Ngoh Ekongolo.
“I like it at the end of the month when I receive notification that am not more broke,” Ornella said, referring to her paycheck.
She had to start somewhere and so didn’t wince a bit at the thought of doing menial work despite her diploma.
“In my country,” Ornella explained, “I wouldn’t have had the chance to even be a cashier.”
She said she tried internship at a commercial bank, but in vain. “I have never been able to put my toes in because I didn’t have anybody inside,” Ornella, a single mom, lamented.
“So, you can just imagine, if it’s so hard to have an internship. What more a good job? Everything is locked,” Ornella said.
Dubai, on the other hand, offers a promise, she said.
“This city has it very clear: Come, work, help us to develop our world, and go back home when you think you’ve finally made it good. Once you’ve got this, once your brain has digested this information properly, you’ll know how to get by…or at least you should try,” Ornella said.
“And that’s why I am here. At least here, you can find a job with your own potential and it’s encouraging,” she said.
Ornella said Dubai, aside from being a safe place to live in, is very cosmopolitan, “which makes it more interesting.”
“It’s like being in many countries in one place and discover other cultures – all that without traveling…it’s a ‘world map,’” she says.
