Stop-over in Dubai

After a hasty departure from the UK, I spent a frantic 2 weeks at the corporate offices in Dubai.  There was a lot of information to absorb in a short time, but I managed to gain a decent appreciation of the company, the HR issues that would effect my job and I met a lot of new colleagues.  There were a lot of names and faces to remember.

On my first day, I was whisked away to a local medical center for my pre-deployment medical examination. I spent several hours in a jet-lagged haze, providing stool, urine and blood samples, chest x-ray and recieving all the inoculations I (didn't) need.  At least I now know that my previous 3 years in Asia didn't leave me with any nasty conditions...

One of the most interesting sights in Dubai is the new Burj Khalifa tower.  Officially the tallest building in the world, it sits on top of the world's biggest shopping mall and a massive aquarium. When I get a day off (and can be bothered to leave the hotel swimming pool), then I will do tourist thing and get some proper snaps..

The tower is visible from anywhere in Dubai and is one of the most impressive sights I have seen.  Appearing as a very harsh 'spike' jutting high above the other skyscrapers (which seem tiny clustered around its base), you would be forgiven for thinking that it was some supernatural construction from a fictional city in a fantasy or sci-fi novel.  Gandalf definitely lives there!

Dubai certainly is a luxurious place..... if anything, it could be described as the 'Vegas' of the Middle East.  Those folks certainly do love their architecture!

I did enjoy a couple of notable 'nights out on the town' during my fortnight.  I must say a big THANKS for the hospitality of the Desert Sports Diving Club (BSAC 1339) for the cold beer and enthusiastic conversations.  I promise I will get wet on the Musandam Pennisula next time I have a break in Dubai.  I was also invited to a 'corporate bash' evening of 'go-karting' at the Dubai Autodrome.  I thought I knew how to drive fast... but the presence of a former 3x Paris-Dakar Rally Champion soon dispelled any notions that I ever had about my skill behind the wheel. Truly humbled and impressed!  Following the driving, I had the chance to drown my sorrows at Mina Seyahi (Le Meridien), which is a classy place on Jumeriah Beach, near the Dubai Marina.  The free bar and delicious munchies saw me proud until the very early hours....

My only other excursion was for some evening window shopping at the Deira City Center mall. It felt quite homely, due to the large number of Filipino's there... I could almost have imagined that I was back in Makati. Sadly, I really couldn't fit anything else into my luggage...so the shopping frenzy will have to wait for my first holiday from Afghanistan, later in July.

My company accomodates its 'expats in-transit' in a decent hotel on the outskirts of Dubai, close to the new development area where our corporate offices are.  I must admit that the 'all-you-can-eat' breakfasts and generous meal allowances for lunch and dinner had a serious negative impact on my waistline!  By the end of the second week, I was shunning chips and mash...and sticking firmly to the side-salad options.  I did enjoy more than my fair share of t-bone steaks though. :)

Surprisingly, the hotel didn't offer any middle-eastern or Lebanese cuisine on its menu... which was a disappointment for me, as I am a complete Humus junkie.  I did manage to track some of the gunky beige stuff down in the staff canteen at the office though... big relief!

During my time at the corporate office, I did enjoy getting involved in some recruiting efforts.  Many of the jobs open at the company are simular to mine and involve lengthy deployments into countries such as Afghanistan.  Naturally, they are tailor-made for ex-military people with experience working in those environments, so it was a pleasure to spend time contacting the various military resettlement advisors and agencies to promote vacancies we have.

I am a firm supporter of the 'Hire a Hero' campaign being run in the UK.  I dread to think of fellow service veterans facing unemployment in the UK and other western countries, so if I can contribute to their career prospects then I am a happy HR person. The campaign seems to be going really well.

I am now looking forward to my first real work in Afghanistan...as I will soon be flying over to Kabul to conduct a recruiting 'drive' for Afghan citizens into our team.  My company has a commitment to the employment of local workers, as this provides a very tangible benefit to the local community and the overall strategic efforts of ISAF in Afghanistan.  Having identified numerous roles that would be suitable for local employees, I drafted a recruiting process that has had to include serious security concerns, the requirement for English comprehension assessments, along with all the 'usual' hurdles of running recruiting operations in a foreign and relatively unfamiliar country.  I really don't know what to expect in terms of candidate quality, but I am positive that it will be an interesting and educational experience for me.

Getting a business visa for Afghanistan required several (lengthy) visits to their embassy in Dubai.  Embassy visits can sometimes be interesting.  These ones weren't. The reception/waiting/service area of the Afghan embassy seemed very much like a road-side kebab (shwarma) house.  Spending several hours on a tacky plastic garden seat, under a corrogated roof with bare concrete walls,  I wasn't expecting to be offered any 'Ferrero Rocher' - and  I wasn't disappointed in that respect!  The man at the 'hatch' had an amazing ability to say "No" in a thousand ways, whilst still keeping a broad smile on his face.  Anyway... our legal/liaison team in Kabul eventually managed to get the right authorization letters sent from the correct Afghan Ministry beaurocrat to the right (anonomous) paper-pusher in the Embassy...so I now have a rather splendid (and relatively rare) Afghanistan entry visa in my passport.  It's only a 'single-entry, 30 day' affair, but I won't need a visa for later trips to Southern Afghanistan, as I will be stuck within the military bases (and definately not taking any touring holidays around Helmand Province).

For my time in the southern provinces, I will be 'disappeared'.... stamped out of the United Arab Emirates.. but not stamped into anywhere else.  I can predict raised eyebrows from a multitude of customs officials at airports in the future!

So, now I am waiting for a luxury 2.5 hour flight courtesy of 'SAFI Airlines' from Dubai to Kabul.  I am predicting a major cultural shift at either end of that short flight!