Lunch with a South African

Lunch with a South African

We have a shoot in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Its a big client and should be loads of fun. But getting the crew over there turned out to be quite a headache. The Sales manager, whose name is Ahmad is a great guy. He's Jordanian, young, and very very bright. I enjoy working with him a lot. His wife recently got homesick and returned to Jordan. He had only been married for two months, but his wife left her family and couldn't find work readily available in the banking industry so she sat home and got lonely. She's scheduled to come back at the end of the month enshala (God Willing) That is the a little window into some of the Arab culture. The children are somewhat sheltered, yet when they get married they are thrust into a new lifestyle. Dating in the Middle East is a lot different than dating in U.S. In fact, one of my Saudi friends, when he got married had never seen (via in person, photo or video) nor spoken to his bride. Can you imagine the wedding night? Hello my name is ..... and now we're going to.... OK i know it happens in Bars all the time but still with marriage it seems a little bit strange.

So Ahmad's wife went home for a bit and he is struggling to put on a good face. He's a quality guy and I like him a lot. I offered to create a position within the company for his wife so she won't feel so isolated...Im still waiting on the word if he wants to take me up on the offer. OK...back to the shoot (if you know me, you'll know I go off on tangents, so you should be able to keep up with me.) Trying to arrange a Jordanian, Sri Lankan, and Indian to fly into Dubai, just 45 min. flight away, was a bit of hassle. It's sounds like the opening to a joke...but its my reality. They all needed special visas from the Government. Since Khalifa is so well known in the Country he was able to expedite the process with "Wasta" (Good Favor)...still for a foreign worker it was difficult. My American Passport gets me in most countries no questions asked with little red tape. That's another thing as Americans that we should be grateful for. Then again only 10% of Americans hold passports so we really have no idea how the rest of the world actually lives. So I have no problem getting in and out of places. Which segues nicely into my lunch with Armand, the South African. This is weird coming from a guy...but the dude is uncommonly handsome. Then again, im a director, im supposed to notice these things. He could be a model in the U.S. if he chose to do so. Armand is young, ambitious and bright. Im going to enjoy working with him. Being from South Africa, he also has his problems with Visa issues. A few years back, there was a problem with his visa. It wasn't renewed in time or something and he got stuck in the Bahrain Airport...for Four Days!!!! His company sent him money so he could buy clothes and food, but still he was stranded and couldn't fly back to South Africa, or the U.A.E. It was a real-life "Terminal" Armand's big concern was concerning his Visa. As a GM Im trying to gauge what the employees value, and then give that to them. Some value money, respect, growth, vacation, acclaim, everyone is a little different. So you find out what they value and pay them if you can. Armand valued security that his Visa was taken care of. Most foreign workers are here illegally as the process to file the paperwork can get quite cumbersome. Fortunately, Armand's situation was resolved quickly. He got his CPR (which is a type of ID/DL #) and now he takes his Medical Exam on Sunday and he is officially legally here in the country. It was a great relief to him, and I didn't have to change the company's bottom line. It was a great lunch meeting and he is properly motivated now. It wasn't hard to light a fire under him, as he shares my same ideals and goals. We're going to change the world together. His dream is to be a photographer for National Geographic and I think the way our company will grow...he'll have those same dreams fulfilled through us.

I should apologize to all of you faithful readers. Sometimes, I let my past make me a little bitter and I complain just a bit. I don't want to be like that. Bitterness/Anger is like poison you take hoping the other person will die. It just tends to eat you away inside. So I let a little slip out yesterday and it hurt my son, Max's, feelings yesterday. I didn't realize he was reading this blog. There are always two sides to the story, and I'll refrain from telling my side from here on out...if i can for the most part. With the distance and lack of communication, so many things can get mis-interpreted and proper communication can usually resolve these things. Its just another hurdle that divorced couples must overcome for the sake of their children. When they can't the children suffer. I'll say it again, like I've said a thousand times. Divorce Sucks. i know why God hates it so much now. It destroys you and your family. So I make it a point to advice any married couple going through a rough patch (every couple goes through this) that no matter how bad it is...its probably not worth divorce. God is finally allowing the healing to be complete in my life, but still there will always be a part of me out there...that's lost.

Thanks for all your encouraging emails guys. It really adds fuel to my journey. I added some pictures at the bottom of the blog if you want to check them out.

Salaam Out, (Peace Out)
Rick