Education is a Luxury

It occurred to me only recently how it’s been more than a month since I last sent my story to the Opus. With the numerous events that took place over this course of one month, it’s a challenge putting down everything in writing without even compromising a tiny bit of my so-far enriching experience on Emirati soil—and a challenge I must take.

First experiences can be trying

As I refer to my notes on my earlier trips to Dubai, I just can’t help being reminded of the insane fare we had to pay for the taxi ride from Sharjah to Dubai City Center, amounting to over AED40—“and all that just for getting passport photos and money exchange?” the sneering question haunts my mind still, just like the offensive tune coming from an electronic toy walking mechanically round and round on the mall floor. Aiman and I have made it a habit to hum the melody whenever we feel like driving each other nuts, until now. The infamous first trip to Dubai City Center however, helped us identify the potential shops and stores for the essentials—with the Carrefour supermarket named as our top choice for everything from groceries to electronics, and at good value if I do say so myself. It was later learnt that the university provides buses semi-weekly for trips to Dubai City Center and Sharjah City Center—which we never knew existed prior to that—thus preventing us from further burning a hole in our pockets on future trips.

Life returns and papers fly

The campus filled up rather slowly after the weekend, despite the fact that the first week of the Spring Semester has already begun. Nonetheless, the flurry of activities and rushing footsteps at the Registration building were definitely signs of returning life. The contrast between our situation and that of the rest of the students was slightly unnerving—they knew exactly where to go and who to meet for business while we needed serious aid. Thankfully we had help along the way to the different levels, offices and personnel, personified by a charming fellow student by the name Yaroob, who in fact, had been in IIUM just last year as an exchange student. For a guy entrusted with assisting four foreign students in securing class schedules and sections, he amazingly never seemed to run out of energy. It was practically smooth sailing from then on, with courses approved, registered and scheduled to start soon for all of us—well nearly all of us.

The forbidden zone

As efficient as Yaroob was in mediating the necessary arrangements—everyone else in the team was already a UOS student in every sense of the word by then—the effortless cruise was prematurely cut short at the College of Health Sciences, and I was effectively stranded since then. The situation I was in wasn’t one which could easily be solved with a brief exchange of words in eloquent local tongue or friendly open-palmed nuances. It was one that called for sheets upon sheets of signed papers. The issue was that unbeknownst to me, every single one of the courses I proposed to take was to be conducted on the female campus, for female students. I wasn’t sure how to react to this revelation—there was no way I could have foreseen such a twist! This, I was told, happened due to the extremely low number of males in the College, specifically in my current department, Environmental Health. From the amused look on the face of Dr. Mariam, the resident microbiologist and coordinator, I instantly realized that I had essentially walked right into the allegorical “female bathroom”—not that I intended to associate education with lavatories, of course. Nevertheless, she assured me that she would assist me as best as she could in getting the official permission for me to cross the boundary between the male and the female sides. After leaving my mobile number, which my good friend Ayesha has kindly lent me before my departure from Malaysia, I left the office while Dr. Mariam started making phone calls to the pertinent departments. It was only after a week of interdepartmental phone calls and faxing for Dr. Mariam, and persistent visits to her office for me, that we finally received the much awaited clearance. It was happy day for us—I was finally able to be a fully-functional undergrad in Sharjah, while Dr. Mariam was glad to end this headache. Having waited that long, I guess you can say that I was more than ready for Toxicology, Management of Domestic & Hazardous Wastes, Environmental Health Education & Promotion, Occupational Health & Safety, and Environmental Microbiology, which is handled by Dr. Mariam herself.

I recall thanking her earnestly and leaving her office—this time a happy man and with a bagful of useful ‘welcome gifts’ from the College. It was going to be a much more meaningful stay from then on.