Reality check...

It was after a grueling 4 years past my graduation that i finally saw a clear picture of where my life was headed. I realized that this was the time to take control and move out of 'auto pilot' mode. To my good fortune, my parents were based in the UAE and so that was like a gate pass. It didn't take too much of pursuing before my dad got me a visa to the gulf.

I landed at Sharjah international airport all excited about the fact that i had finally touched ground on foreign soil. The sight of a Porsche and Lamborghini on the road so close to the car i was in made me wanna jump with joy. But again, i had to focus. The purpose of my visit was not to see luxurious cars zoom past me but i was here to find myself a future.

Recession to me was just a word in the dictionary before i got to the gulf. It was here that i realized what it really meant. People with 10 and 15 years of experience were dying to get a job and here i was, a fresher from college with nothing more that some lousy customer service experience, looking to get a job that my degree promised.

I also realized that it was during times like these that word of mouth was a more powerful tool than applying for a job on some godforsaken middle-east job portal that claimed to have millions of jobs for freshers like me.

While on the hunt, i got a taste of what life really is like in the gulf. Housing rates were sky high, those people who came home in shinny dresses and wore dangling necklaces were actually living out of something called a 'bed-space' (a concept wherein all you have in a room of 10 is a bed!) and the Mercedes that they claimed to own was some beaten up old car that obviously was a merc alright but just for namesakes.

The reality show here was not pretty. I almost made up my mind not to ever set foot in a country where expats like me lived like beggars and saved every last penny they earned to send home. It was more than hard to adjust to such a lifestyle keeping in mind the lavish and extravagant life that i lived while in India.

But like they say, you got to forget certain luxuries in life if you want to achieve something. That something here was a life and a bright future that did not look bright given the circumstances.

I cleared my head and thought again. I was not going to be here my entire life. It was just a matter of a few years after which i could probably move out to a different country or maybe come back to india itself.

And so i started looking for a job that would pay me enough to lead a comfortable life and also began the hunt for a good college to do my masters as i believed that it would help me down the line.