Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Buildings in Dubai
The funny and odd thing about Dubai is that majority of the buildings here don’t have names. Really. Or the buildings here would have such incredibly long names such as Jamal Mohammed Matar Al Hai Building, which no one really tries to memorize. For example, the building where I live is either called building no. 42 or 44 depending on which street you are located. Most of the time, I tell my friends or taxi drivers that it is the blue and white building behind Jesco Supermarket.
Yesterday, I needed to locate a “silver building” where I had an interview for an in-house graphic artist position in a consultancy and training management company called Glomacs. When the Filipina secretary called me up the other day, she instructed me how to go to their office. She said they are in the Hor Al Anz area and their building is a few buildings away from the Ramada Deira Hotel and Shoemart and that it is a “silver building.” My interview was scheduled at 9:30 a.m., but I went there quite early since I still had to find out where their office was. Besides, it has always been my usual habit to be early in my interview appointments just in case I get lost and can’t find the company’s office or location.
So, when I arrived in that area, keeping the secretary’s instructions in mind, I tried looking for a “silver building” in all directions… but to no avail. All I saw were beige, blue, white, and grey-colored buildings. I went up and down the streets on my left, my right, and in front of me searching for any building that might be hidden from my view and which actually was “silver.” Perhaps fifteen minutes had passed when I decided to call their office, being frustrated and all in finding no building with even a hint of silver on it. A guy answered my call and told me their building is near the For You Café and steadfastly remarked that “it truly is a silver building,” when I told him I couldn’t find any “silver building” in the area. Already sweating from the intense Middle East heat, I walked and walked again until I saw the café the guy was talking about. Then lo and behold, right there beside it was the building, a stark white building with the words “Silver Building” on its glass entrance door!
Silver was the name of the building and not its color. Oddly enough the only silver the building had were the glass handles and metal frames on the door. I chuckled and just shook my head in amazement at the unusual intelligence of people here in naming buildings and in giving directions.
Well, that’s Dubai for you.
Next time, when someone tells me it is a red building; I think I’d rather look for a blue or grey-colored building in the hopes that “red” could be its name than assume it to be the building’s color.
Yesterday, I needed to locate a “silver building” where I had an interview for an in-house graphic artist position in a consultancy and training management company called Glomacs. When the Filipina secretary called me up the other day, she instructed me how to go to their office. She said they are in the Hor Al Anz area and their building is a few buildings away from the Ramada Deira Hotel and Shoemart and that it is a “silver building.” My interview was scheduled at 9:30 a.m., but I went there quite early since I still had to find out where their office was. Besides, it has always been my usual habit to be early in my interview appointments just in case I get lost and can’t find the company’s office or location.
So, when I arrived in that area, keeping the secretary’s instructions in mind, I tried looking for a “silver building” in all directions… but to no avail. All I saw were beige, blue, white, and grey-colored buildings. I went up and down the streets on my left, my right, and in front of me searching for any building that might be hidden from my view and which actually was “silver.” Perhaps fifteen minutes had passed when I decided to call their office, being frustrated and all in finding no building with even a hint of silver on it. A guy answered my call and told me their building is near the For You Café and steadfastly remarked that “it truly is a silver building,” when I told him I couldn’t find any “silver building” in the area. Already sweating from the intense Middle East heat, I walked and walked again until I saw the café the guy was talking about. Then lo and behold, right there beside it was the building, a stark white building with the words “Silver Building” on its glass entrance door!
Silver was the name of the building and not its color. Oddly enough the only silver the building had were the glass handles and metal frames on the door. I chuckled and just shook my head in amazement at the unusual intelligence of people here in naming buildings and in giving directions.
Well, that’s Dubai for you.
Next time, when someone tells me it is a red building; I think I’d rather look for a blue or grey-colored building in the hopes that “red” could be its name than assume it to be the building’s color.
