Or police force. Most of our friends here in Dubai refer to police as baladiya but i searched and police in arabic is translated as shorta. I like the baladiya word better so i will forever refer to them as baladiya teehee.
Yup, we had a close encounter with baladiya early Friday morning. For Pinoys reading this, it may seem an ordinary encounter and it's really no big deal but here, the sight of baladiya or the man in green uniform send shivers down your spine. Police visibility here makes people B-E-H-A-V-E. People drive carefully, slowly. People mentally check if they are carrying their labor cards, copy of their marriage certificate, or copy of their passport. People cover their bare shoulders with pashmina shawls. In other words, people here respect the police force. And police here don't even carry guns. They are only seen with pen and paper and it makes you sit up straight and take notice of your actions. YES, you can't even bribe them. They will drag you faster to Al Awir Prison before you can even blink.
Anyway, it was past 1 am Friday morning. we dropped J to their place in Deira (like we have done a lot of times). Their appartment is at the back of Al Kabayl Discount Store. I am not sure what you call the area but there are only few residents. Most of the buildings look like warehouses and parked outside are big trucks with containers. At night, the place is horribly dark.
As soon as J got out of the car, we drove immediately towards home. After 300 meters, we took a right turn and noticed a Nissan Pathfinder Police Mobile following. They honked and I asked hubby if that is a signal for us. Hubby confirmed, we slowed down and stopped. Hubby rolled down his window. The police mobile caught on us.
I was soo nervous but kept a polite smile.
"Good evening. What are you doing here at this time?"
"We came from a party."
"Party. Where party? What are you doing here?"
"We dropped a friend and now we are going home."
"Going home where?"
"Karama."
"Aaah Karama. Where are you from?.... Philippines?"
"Yes, we're from the Philippines."
"Okay, go home. Go"
And i breath a sigh of relief. Thank goodness hubby had only one shot of whatever was offered from the Layad party. If he had consumed more than that and caught drunk driving, i have no idea what will happen to us.
Of course nobody finds that a pleasant experience but the encounter made me feel very secured. Spot checks like that are a must. It will serve as warning to every defiant drunk driver.
Yup, we had a close encounter with baladiya early Friday morning. For Pinoys reading this, it may seem an ordinary encounter and it's really no big deal but here, the sight of baladiya or the man in green uniform send shivers down your spine. Police visibility here makes people B-E-H-A-V-E. People drive carefully, slowly. People mentally check if they are carrying their labor cards, copy of their marriage certificate, or copy of their passport. People cover their bare shoulders with pashmina shawls. In other words, people here respect the police force. And police here don't even carry guns. They are only seen with pen and paper and it makes you sit up straight and take notice of your actions. YES, you can't even bribe them. They will drag you faster to Al Awir Prison before you can even blink.
Anyway, it was past 1 am Friday morning. we dropped J to their place in Deira (like we have done a lot of times). Their appartment is at the back of Al Kabayl Discount Store. I am not sure what you call the area but there are only few residents. Most of the buildings look like warehouses and parked outside are big trucks with containers. At night, the place is horribly dark.
As soon as J got out of the car, we drove immediately towards home. After 300 meters, we took a right turn and noticed a Nissan Pathfinder Police Mobile following. They honked and I asked hubby if that is a signal for us. Hubby confirmed, we slowed down and stopped. Hubby rolled down his window. The police mobile caught on us.
I was soo nervous but kept a polite smile.
"Good evening. What are you doing here at this time?"
"We came from a party."
"Party. Where party? What are you doing here?"
"We dropped a friend and now we are going home."
"Going home where?"
"Karama."
"Aaah Karama. Where are you from?.... Philippines?"
"Yes, we're from the Philippines."
"Okay, go home. Go"
And i breath a sigh of relief. Thank goodness hubby had only one shot of whatever was offered from the Layad party. If he had consumed more than that and caught drunk driving, i have no idea what will happen to us.
Of course nobody finds that a pleasant experience but the encounter made me feel very secured. Spot checks like that are a must. It will serve as warning to every defiant drunk driver.
1 sweets for Kero:
i guess if you are in a foreign country, you would really feel jerky at the sight of a police. especially if he's after you. thank goodness your experience was just a spot check. whew! anyway, you may re-post ninoy's last letter to cory. just link back, yoki?
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