We are six siblings and all of us are expats.
I kept on checking the flight status of Cathay Pacific on my phone. Dawn is yet to come and his scheduled arrival was 6am yet here I am, tossing and turning in bed. I’ve set the alarm clock to sound at 5:30am. I am nervous because…I never really use an alarm clock to wake me up. Not in years.
One of my brothers, a marine engineer by profession is set to report to work for a ship that’s docked, where else but in Jebel Ali port! Right here in Dubai!! Of the hundreds of ports possible for him to go to, he was destined to come to Dubai.
To Dubai – where I live along with one other brother and our youngest sister!
The youngest of my four brothers, Michael and us at the airport
We were not sure how long he can stay around before being whisked away to the ship so I asked my other two siblings to sleep in our house so we can see Michael at the airport.
It was early in the morning – we look like we’ve just been dragged out of bed!
The last time I’ve seen my brother Michael was almost 5 years ago. FIVE. If the next time I’ll see him is in another five years, my God, so many things would have changed that time, like I would be over 40 years old already!
He is 10 years younger than I am so I used to babysit him when he was a baby. Now, he is taller than me but still gives me those tightest bear hugs. BTW, my sister and I are about 5’4″ but we are dwarfed by our brothers!
I wanted my brother to meet my kids so much that I called off from work, hurried home to feed and dress the kids. Michael was being taken to a hotel by a driver from his work and my other two siblings tagged along.
Of course Benjamin has to cry – he has not seen this man before! But thankfully, only after a few minutes, he settled.
Meeting Uncle Michael
BIG SURPRISE of the day: Michael thinks Pristine is pretty. Ok, not just thinks but declares it with conviction, “PRISTINE IS SO PRETTY!”, in all capital letters.
“How did Pristine became so pretty!?”, he asked as if he doesn’t know the obvious answer: because the mother is pretty too!
COUGH. COUGH.
Seriously, If I had to move mountains for my kids to meet my brother, I would because God knows WHEN is the next time.
When you are an expat (and the rest of your other siblings are), there is really no guarantee when you can see each other again. It’s sad how it gets complicated when you all grow up because there are work schedules, commitments, family and financial matters, etc, etc. We had a serendipitous meet up with my other brother 2 years ago. I have not seen him after that.
We are all expats – three of us are here in the UAE, one is in Japan, two are working in a ship traveling around the world. (One is currently in Norway and Michael is about to travel to several ports in Europe and the North sea)
Nothing was planned and nothing was in our control yet four of us are together even for a few hours in Dubai. It’s unbelievable. We are thankful for little divine interventions like this.