#16 ~ A Day of Friendship, Freedom & Futuristic Wonders

Top left: Jamie, Carla, Sheila and part of Billy

Here in the UAE, the employment rules are that everyone is supposed to have one month off every year. There are also holidays throughout the year when workers sometimes get a day off, but many times, they don't. So when that precious month of leave comes around, it can be a pretty big deal!

Middle pic: Sheila, Carla, Jamie

This was the month that Carla was going home, and she had a very important goal in mind. Ever since she began working here in the UAE, she has been dreaming of bringing her two boys, Ram, 15, and Rob, 12, over to live with her. For now, the boys are living with Carla's parents in the Philippines, while Carla has been saving up her money, little by little, so she can make it possible for her boys to come over and begin a new chapter of their lives with her here in Al Ain. There is so much love and sacrifice wrapped up in that dream.

I can't remember if I've mentioned Sheila before, but she is another special person in this story. Sheila works for a Madam, where she is expected to cook, clean, and watch the children; which is way above what she originally signed up for! It is extremely strenuous and, unfortunately, she doesn't get any time off.

Fortunately, Carla is one of Sheila's very best buddies here, and Carla is an amazing woman; kind, wise, and not afraid to speak her mind when she sees someone she cares about being treated unfairly.

Carla gets especially upset that Sheila won't stand up for herself. She is always encouraging her to work less, set some boundaries and insist on having at least one day off a week. Carla is constantly giving Sheila suggestions about how she might approach her Madam and explain that she needs some time to herself.

Every now and then, Sheila gathers up her courage and gives her Madam a week's notice, telling her that she'd like such-and-such day off. It's a small victory, but an important one. Sometimes having a good friend who believes in you can help you find the courage to believe in yourself.

So when Sheila found out that Carla was heading home for her month of leave, the two of them decided they were going to make a day of it.

Sheila got 'permission' from her Madam and on the morning of Carla's departure, we picked them both up bright and early.

And off we went!

We went to Dubai and our first stop was the Museum of the Future. Now, I had seen pictures of this place before, but pictures really don't do it justice. The building itself is absolutely amazing! It looks like this huge silver ring sitting on top of a green hill and the whole thing is covered with these enormous Arabic letters. It is one of those buildings that makes you stop and stare at it for a while.

There is actually a lot of meaning behind the design, which I thought was pretty cool. The big round ring represents humanity, the green hill represents Earth and the empty space in the middle represents the unknown future. I loved that idea because, really, who knows what is going to be in that empty space someday?

And once we went inside, it wasn't at all what I expected a museum to be. There weren't rows and rows of things sitting behind glass with little signs telling you what they were. Instead, it was more like we had stepped into a movie about the future and somehow we were part of it!

The whole place takes you on a journey into what life might be like in the year 2071. There were all kinds of interactive things, technology, videos, and theatrical experiences. You weren't just standing there looking at something, you were actually experiencing it.

One of the areas was called OSS Hope and we got to imagine what life might be like living on a space station about 600 kilometers above Earth. 

Carla, Sheila, Jamie, Billy

Then we went through the HEAL Institute, which was all about healing and restoring the Earth. There was a digital version of the Amazon and something called the Library of Life, showing all kinds of living things on our planet. It really made you think about how incredible our Earth is and how much there is to take care of.

Another area, Al Waha, was actually a nice change of pace. It was about wellness and getting back in touch with your senses and taking a break from all the digital technology. I found that kind of funny; here we were in this incredibly futuristic museum surrounded by technology and then they were basically telling us to put it all down and reconnect with ourselves!

Then there was Tomorrow Today, which showed all kinds of new technologies that could become part of our everyday lives in the future. Some of the things made me think, “Wow, that's amazing!” while others made me wonder, “Yeah, the 2nd coming will be here before that happens!”

There are five main exhibition floors and apparently the museum changes things around from time to time rather than keeping everything exactly the same. !

It was a pretty amazing place to take Carla and Sheila for their little adventure. And somehow, as we wandered around looking at what the world might be like years from now, I thought about the two of them and the very real futures they were each trying to build for themselves. 

Carla was working and saving so she could bring her two boys, Ram and Rob, to Al Ain. Sheila was trying to find a little more freedom and balance in her own life. And here we were wandering around a building all about possibilities, dreams, and the future.

Top Left: Sheila, Carla, Jamie, Billy

After all that walking around, we stopped for a little snack before taking Carla to the airport. And then, just like that, it was time for the next part of her adventure.

We dropped Carla off at the airport, knowing she was about to head home and spend some much needed quality time with her children and family. I know she was excited to see them and we were all so very happy for her. After everything she has been working and saving for, she was finally going to get that precious time with the people she loves most. 

The ride home was a somber one for us, though. We were happy for Carla, but it was hard saying goodbye after such a fun day together.

And then came the part that was even harder—dropping Sheila off.

As we said goodbye to her, we couldn't help thinking about what she was going back to. We had just spent the day laughing, exploring, dreaming about the future, and enjoying a little freedom together. And now Sheila had to return to the long hours, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children and not knowing when she would get another real break 😢.

It was a bittersweet ending to what had been such a special day.

I really hope Sheila realizes how she deserves a better lifestyle.

Here are two pictures of “Future Dubai” and the one below is the skyline of the city as it looks now. Quite a difference 😂! Looking at the futuristic pictures, I have to say I’m not entirely convinced that Dubai is going to look quite like that by 2071.

Carla's Family in the Philippines

The next picture is Carla with her family in the Philippines. She had such a wonderful time with them. They had lots of family dinners, which I’m sure were filled with plenty of catching up, laughter, and good food. They even took a seven-hour bus ride to the temple! Now that's dedication. But from everything Carla told us, they truly enjoyed their time together, and I know those memories were incredibly special to her.

While Carla was gone, Bill and I had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament Meeting. Since our wonderful trip to Ghana and especially the two wonderful days we spent in the temple, those experiences had been on both of our minds, so they naturally became the themes of our talks.

I spoke about covenants, beginning with the covenant I made when I was baptized and then moving into the covenants we make in the temple. This time I decided to use a few pictures in my talk and it was actually so much fun! I think having to do our meetings on Zoom has uncovered a few unexpected advantages 😉! Who knew that having pictures right there to share would make giving a talk more fun?

Bottom Right Pic: Ram, Jamie, Carla, Carol, Rob

I figured you probably didn't want me to leave you in suspense wondering whether Carla was actually able to bring her boys home, soooooo,

YES!!! She did 💖🤗💖!

Carla, Ram and Rob finally arrived and we had them  take a taxi from Dubai. Their arrival was super early in the morning and in all honesty, we thought we'd sleep in 😂!  While they were making their way to Al Ain, we were enjoying a few extra hours of sleep.

It was such a happy moment knowing that Carla's dream was finally happening. After all the saving, planning, and waiting, her two boys were finally here with her. What a wonderful new chapter for all three of them!

The following week, we traveled into Abu Dhabi with Carla and the boys. We dropped Carla and the boys off at the Philippine Embassy while Bill and I ran over to the car dealership. We needed to exchange cars so they could fix our air-conditioning, again 🥵.

And if you look at the picture of all the white cars, you'll understand another little adventure we have here in the UAE. How in the world do you find your car when EVERYONE has a white one 😂 !?! Seriously, you can walk into a parking lot, look around at what seems like hundreds of identical white cars and suddenly realize you have absolutely no idea which one is yours. Finding your car in the UAE is its own little futuristic challenge 😜! 

Oh, and in one of the restaurants I found that squatty potties still exist here in the UAE, I thought that was only in Asia (upper right corner)!

“Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves.”

— 2 Nephi 10:23