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| <warning notice, ouch!> |
Upon arriving home last Wednesday, there was an arabic note posted on our door. It is a warning to the tenants to vacant the flat immediately. So I have to leave my room and search for another accommodation asap. Oh life.
Most of us struggle to find a decent place to stay in the city because of the high rental cost. I searched and checked more than 10 buildings hoping to find a good but economical place to stay but all are not satisfactory.
Some Filipinos do business by renting a flat then subletting the rooms to other Filipinos, making it very expensive. For example now I pay to my Egyptian landlord Dh2000 ($550) per month for my 9m2 room, but for the same room size, my fellow Filipinos will sublet it for Dhs3000 ($825) to gain additional 50% profit. If you want a cheaper option, there are bed spaces or partitioned spaces, these are double deck beds, very small area just enough for sleeping, it costs Dhs500-2000. They hang curtains to divide the room into small portions, but anyone can move the curtain to see the other side hehe, so there is no absolute privacy. Also the toilets will be shared by 10 or more boarders so it is very busy and crowded. You can see the photo below to have an idea.
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| photo credit: blogs.thenational.ae |
Tired from room hunting, I decided to go home and rest around 11PM. I passed by a Filipino restaurant to buy a packed meal (it has meat, veg, noodles and of course rice, all in one package) actually the food is too much although the name is 'budget meal' (costs Dhs18 or $5). I ate all of it so my stomach ballooned. If you are in tension enjoy eating. It is like a medicine you know. Food and sleep.
Now I'm making a new list of potential buildings to check again tonight. Suddenly my phone rang, its my boss, he is calling at 7pm for work...hellow? This is rest time! I have a policy: home is for rest, office is for work and shopping mall is for relaxation! Anyway he is Korean and koreans are obsessed with work, so we can forgive him, hehe. His call reminded me that I am still blessed to have work, to lose my room is better than to lose my job.
In the midst of all life's difficulties, we can still make a gratitude list:
1. I still got a healthy mind and healthy body, blessed to have a fulfilling job and be able to take part in the best project ever.
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| <happy at work> |
2. Because we are able to have bible study twice during weekdays, we keep growing and learning.
3. Was able to apply for passport renewal, will wait for 4-6 weeks for processing then I can finally go for vacation!
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| <In our unique embassy, we can watch Filipino drama while waiting in line hehe> |
4. I got another choco gift...
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| <sign of appreciation> |
5. Mama and Alit (my cousin) cooked my favorite 'pakbet', finally after a long long time will taste it again.
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| <local filipino dish- pakbet > |
6. Shorter work timing during Ramadan, we got extra 2 hours to rest and read...
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| <2013 collections_ilovethese> |
7. The owner extended our stay in the flat until end of August.
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| <going to miss this magnificent view - from room> |
8. Another gift -(jacket) from my favorite doctor, Doc. Jaafar (my mother's boss).
9. Got very thoughtful and caring friends who are very helpful in times of need.
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| <wala lang, just feel happy when I saw this outside the laundry hehe> |
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