I never expected to receive a small rosary from a waiter in Abu Dhabi, but I did. It was his way of wishing us a safe trip to Bangkok the following day. His name was Elmer and he worked at the Mexican restaurant in the Khalidiya Mall’s second level in Abu Dhabi. Let me tell you a little bit about how we met Elmer.
Amy and I found our way to Elmer’s restaurant because we wanted to dine somewhere outside the mall food courts. We had eaten at quite a few food courts while in the UAE, as they were the most convenient way to eat on a budget. Most of the nicer restaurants are in the hotels and even the modestly priced ones were out of our budget range for most meals. So we ended up at the restaurant billing itself as “Gourmet Mexican.”
When Elmer arrived at the table to take our drink order his English fluency amazed me. While in the UAE, I was impressed by how well all of the ex-patriots from all over the world converse in English as a common language. As 75-80% of the residents of the UAE are ex-patriots, all speaking many different languages, English is the common denominator – lucky for us! When Elmer returned shortly after taking our order he began to prepare the guacamole tableside. I took the opportunity to ask where he was from. He is from the Philippines and has been in the UAE for 13 months. I asked if he had any family in the southern area of the Philippines, as I saw on CNN that morning a southern province had been placed under martial law. He said that he did have family in the south but they were a safe distance away from the trouble areas. I then asked how many languages he spoke, as I was so impressed with his English. He mentioned that he speaks 4 dialects of Tagalog as well as English and often acts as an interpreter for some of the other staff at the restaurant.
After a pleasant meal when we were getting the check, Elmer asked us where we from and where we were going next. We told him we were Americans and that we were traveling for a year to document sustainability around the globe. We mentioned that we were flying out to Bangkok the next evening. When Elmer returned with the signed credit card slip he brought a huge bag of tortilla chips and a take-out container of the delicious salsa I had asked for two refills of during the meal. He also handed me a small rosary and told me that it was for safe travels and that God would bless our trip. It was a very kind gesture that took Amy and me totally by surprise.
The interaction with Elmer was one of the highlights for Amy and me in Abu Dhabi. We resolved on the walk back to the hotel that night to re-double our efforts to reach out and connect with more residents of the countries we are visiting. As motivation Amy thought we should add a “People We Meet” page on the site to share the stories of the people we meet along the way. What do you think? Would you as a reader find this kind of thing interesting? Let us know in the comments below.
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