The Sheik of Sharjah coming to Town (Part III)

Saturday Sep 17th

Today's schedule was supposed to be succinct. First, around 12:30pm at the hotel there is a farewell luncheon which will be followed by the sheik's visitation to Nam June Paik Art Center.

In the morning, I donned a suit and headed to the gym for a quick workout. Fortunately, in spite of the crazy schedule and working outside, I have managed to work out everyday mainly due to the fact that the gym is literally right next to the gym just like my home. I don't like skipping the gym. Yes, I am a gym rat.

The luncheon was very poorly organized. In the first place, the venue was the outside terrace where the sun was beating down upon everyone. And they all were perspiring like a pig. The place was well decorated with a small fountain and spacious. But you just don't put a gala or any kind of food-related event outside unless it is seamlessly prepared. But this one wasn't. The servers kept running inside and outside grabbing fans to stifle the heat, parasols to cover the sun beating down on the sheik and other vips. Even the UAE guys were complaining. I felt embarrassed a bit. That was probably the longest 2 hours past couple days.

After the luncheon, everyone was ready to go to the art center. In the same van, with the media crew, I headed out. Again, the motorcade ushered the sheik and his subordinates to the art center. And this is how it went. How awesome-

Then, the media crew wanted to go to the same traditional market that the Dutch consultant visited. The reporter bought a whole lot of some anime character toys for his three boys. Also, he and the cameraman purchased a couple of pieces of ceramics. They liked to haggle, but the owner was persistent. After an hour, we all came back to the hotel. It was around 7pm and I was exhausted. I called it a day, came home, jumped in a shower, had some food and watch my favorite tv show. That's more I like it. But, I was told that I needed to send to the sheik tomorrow morning at Incheon Airport. Sigh.. gotta get up 7 on a Sunday morning. Grrr

Sunday Sep 18th

Getting up 6:40 am on a Sunday morning is no fun. But I had to. So, I got up, jumped in my suit and headed to the hotel. The sheik and some of his minions were ready to leave for China. So, after a little bit of hustle and bustle we all headed to the Incheon Airport.

However, this time it was different. I was in the motorcade. And this was very surreal and awesome. Grant it, it was early Sunday morning, ergo no traffic to beat. Still wherever we go the police would give us the green lights so that we can just pass through. And the cars on the highway all steered clear of the motorcade. VERY VERY AWESOME.

But, it was very stupid of me not to bring my camera with me when I left home. SIGH...so no footage or pics...

Anyhow, the motorcade parked at the vip lot. And the sheik passed through directly to the gate. The airport took care of it. No security or whatsoever. And this was where I said goodbyes to the media crew. Afterwards, I came back to the hotel, hopped on my bicycle and came home. For the remaining of Sunday, I was off. One more day tomorrow. But it is supposed to be casual; sightseeing in Seoul then again to the airport to see off the performance team.

Monday Sep 19th
It has been almost 10 days since my last appearance at the office, so it was a bit awkward to see my colleagues and say hello. But I had no time to feel it any long because I needed to go to the hotel and get ready to head up to Seoul. The guys showed up and everyone was ready to leave. But this time, I drove a company SUV whilst the rest was in a bus..

Well, the plan was, there was a well-known calligrapher tagging alone the whole time. He went wherever the sheik did and did some calligraphy for the local. At the museum, at the university, locals would hand out their names in English, then the calligrapher would write them in Arabic in a nice piece of paper. It was nice.

Oh yes, the plan was, the calligrapher had an interview with this producer at KBS in the afternoon. So whilst the performance team and the calligrapher were touring in Seoul, I would be standing by near them. When it is around 1pm, I pick him up and take him to KBS, then bring him back to Seoul so that we can join the gang and continue the sightseeing


So I managed to drive up to Seoul, but there was no where to park the car. Well, there were many places, but they were all expensive. And this company would not reimburse the parking fare. This is why I miss my old job to which I am going back at the end of this year. So, I literally was hovering around Seoul. Then, it was around lunch time so I parked near a Lotteria, rushed to the place, placed a to-go food, grabbed it, went to pee (which I have been holding a while) and jumped back in the car. phew.. While driving in Seoul, I was eating. It was precarious.

Finally, I picked up the guy and drove to KBS. After jumping through some hoops, I met with the producer and her colleagues. I thought the offices at KBS would be all neat and nice. But they weren't. No cubicles.. no fancy computers and what not. I felt bad for them to some degree. Anyhow, I accompanied them and went into a radio booth for the recording. It was a very interesting experience.

Afterwards, the calligrapher was hungry and so we went to this sandwich place near KBS. He was kind enough to buy me some sandwiches. And we stared to have a very interesting conversation over many issues e.g. parenting, the us and Koreans.. It was possible because a) he is a very smart person and b) he was trained in Harvard before and thus speaks excellent English. I would never forget the conversation he and I had that day.

Finally, I took him back to Seoul for sightseeing. There again, he and I walked around different places and engaged in a conversation. In spite of the cultural difference, the age different (he was almost 50 with 2 kids), we became friends.

And it was time to go to Incheon Airport. It took a while for the gang to process their luggage. I don't know exactly what occurred. It was already past 8pm and I was so ready to go back to Suwon and get some rest. I have been driving all day.

Then, there was a window of 10 mins before they passed the security point. So, I asked the calligrapher to write my name in calligraphy. He was kind enough to do it and this is how my name is written and the footage where he was doing it:)




Now, it was time to say good bye. While they were queuing up, I shook everyone's hands and said good bye. It was a heck of a ride the past 5 days. I met great people and learned a lot. This is probably the best memory I will have during my time this year. Inshallah!!!

The Sheik of Sharjah coming to Town (Part I)

This is a summary of the visitation of the shiek of Sharjah, UAE from Sep 14th to Sep 19th. During this time, I had an opportunity to meet with interesting people, exchange ideas with them and open myself to another culture. It was truly an amazing experience. So, here it goes.

Wednesday, Sep 14th
After the 4 day Chuseok weekend, my body was not ready to go back to work. But what can you do? Nevertheless, I was a bit excited to go back to work because I wasn't going back to the office, but to the field. They put me in charge of taking care of some of the group from U.A.E visiting Suwon and other places in the region. And I am supposed to be charge until 19th. So yay.

I got up and went to the best hotel in the region, which is only 5 mins away from my place. Then, I met with other coworkers of mine from other departments. They told me that I am going to usher the art consultant to the shiek. It was actually the consultant and his wife. They were from Holland and very nice to talk with.

In the morning, in a van reserved for them, we went to the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art so that the consultants would inspect the exhibition that display about 100 artworks recently delivered from UAE. The consultant was in charge of how the pieces were displayed in the best way in which people can appreciate them most. The inspection per se was quite all right. The consultant wasn't really giving the curator in charge a hard time.

After that, we came back to the hotel. Then, they asked me to take them to a traditional market. So I did. There, I showed them around and explained things. The wife bought an ajumma visor She loved it. Then, she bought a Hanbok shirt for herself. I took them to the Hanbok place whose owner I know very well. Of course, we haggled a bit and the wife was quite content with the price and the product.

By the time I came back to the hotel, it was around 6pm to punch out. Then, I went to the gym to get my muscles pumped up. It was a long day, but quite eventful and fun.




Thursday, Sep 15th

Knowing what is going to happen or who I am going to accompany with, I again went straight to the hotel. And last night, the sheik Sultan bin Mohamed Al=Qasimi and his subordinates arrived and so did the press group. Originally, I was supposed to have a lot of face time with the press, but since they were still jet-legged from the trip, they were taking a whole day off at the hotel. Instead, some of the coworkers asked me to accompany the UAE traditional performance group (16 guys).

First, we gathered in the lobby and headed to KBS to throw a performance. There was a wide open area next to the entrance to the building and that's where they were going to perform. It was about lunch time so everyone was excited to see a great turn-out. But there wasn't, unluckily.
Many people passed out on their way out to lunch, but not many actually bothered to stop and appreciate the gig. Nevertheless, the guys did their best and put on a very good show. It was my first time to see them do their thing. It was very impressive. In particular, I admired the fact that even without a lot of audience, they enjoyed themselves to a great extent.

Next, it was after lunch and thus they, well, everyone was hungry. And I suggested we go to "Dubai" restaurant in Itaewon to treat Hala food for the gang. We were welcomed by some Arabic speaking owners and clerks. The gang seemed to enjoy both their company and the food. The Koreans also tried their delicacy. I had curried two pieces of chicken breast coupled with onions and cabbage and it was delicious. After eating, everyone was tired and decided to go back to the hotel.

Finally, as the last schedule, the team was ready to put on another show downtown in Suwon. We picked this alley where there are many bars and restaurants. At some point, we were a bit concerned because the gang might not like the setting due to alcohol consumption and all that. So, I asked the head of the team and he said, "No problem. We did this in Europe and they loved it. They(Europeans) were drinking and dancing with us. No problem!" When the show kicked off, people stared at us like they have never seen anything like this before, which is probably true. Then, they did not really mind us and kept on drinking and eating while enjoying the show. Thankfully, some of the bystanders were brave enough to join the crew and relished the performance.

Utterly worn out, both the gang and the Korean were dying to go home and rest and we did around 10pm. It was such a long day-

The Sheik of Sharjah coming to Town (Part II)

Friday, Sep 15th

Today is a big day for everyone. It can be divided into main events; the sheik being bestowed upon Honorary Doctorate of Politics in Hanyang University and the grand open of Sharjah Art Exhibition at Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art. Especially the former will be joined by Governor of Gyeonggi, Mr. Kim Moon Soo and thus every was paying extra effort to the protocol.

First, I finally got to meet with the press. There was a reporter, a photographer, a cameraman and a government official to the sheik. First, we went to the Hanyang University to inspect the venue and figure out where and how to film the event before the sheik arrives. 2 out of 4 guys did not speak much of English, but again, we could explain things with some gesticulation and basic words. Those guys were pretty easy-going and fun to be around.

After waiting about 30 mins for the sheik, he finally arrived in a motorcade. And that was very much impressive. Since he is a ruler, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched a motorcade and 8 secret servicemen to him the whole time. And this is what it was like when he was nearing Hanyang University.




Then, he was greeted by the president of Hanyang University and later sat down with him and talked to him over many issues. After exchanging gifts and doing photo ops, we swiftly moved to the venue for the bestowing ceremony.

Although it was a late Friday afternoon, there were a great turnout. Then, we were ready to move to the museum for the big night.. the highlight of the sheik's visit to Korea; a meeting with the governor. In lieu of depicting what happened word by word. I give you the pictures and the video segment of the meeting. My fingers are quite tired at this point.

There was a gala ready for all the participants. I was ready to have some food, finally. But the crew said they needed to go back to the hotel to edit the footage they filmed.. so.. we just headed back to the hotel first. Well, at least, I got off work earlier than the others and so that I could go to the gym at the end of the day!