First day of the week, and I bet some of you has lazily spent this day, still having that weekend vibe in your system, not for me though, its midweek here in this part of the globe.
A lazy Monday I had, and because I am not fatigued enough to just slump on bed, I pound this post before hitting the sheets. I had a full-packed weekend by the way, my cousins from Abu Dhabi and Ajman came home. United Arab Emirates is composed of seven Emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, and Fujairah.
Abu Dhabi is the capital and has the largest land area, but Dubai has the largest population. Only these two emirates has the veto power for the country’s legislature. Oftentimes, UAE is described as “Dubai,” figures that most fun is from this part of the country. That is why my cousins from Abu Dhabi and Ajman spent the weekend with us here, and we painted the town red.
Thursday night was spent in food and booze, we had so much fun reminiscing escapades we had in the Philippines. Its refreshing but nostalgic at the same time. In Friday morning, despite the hangover and groggy selves, we all got up to go to the beach and embrace the summer sun.
This time, its a different destination we headed to, Al Mamzar Beach Park. A 15-minute ride from our place which was very convenient, however, this place ain’t free. An entrance fee of 5 AED per person, and the place will offer you more than the fee’s worth. It has a park, an ampi-theater, bbq areas, and most of all the beach. This 106 hectare land area has just too much to offer but the beach is good enough.
It was undeniably hot because summer here has finally set in, it could reach a scorching 45-50 degree celsius in this time. Then again, it doesn’t matter because the waves are just too tempting.
When it got exhausting, we went back to our picnic area and laid down under the trees. What’s more relaxing than that? Really, this concept of park by the beach is genius. Two of the most relaxing activities I could think of, in adjacent locations.
In the evening, we went to a cousin-in-law’s party, the food was superb graced by a very fun karaoke afterwards. A party isn’t complete without an after-party, so to end our day, we went to Boracay Bar, Asiana Hotel, which was conveniently within walking distance. We totally enjoyed the purely Pinoy entertainment, and the ambience.
It isn’t very often that I get to spend my weekend like this in the company of my kin. Life here is fast paced and it is important that you go back to your roots once in a while, savor the value of family.
I have been working as a Nurse in Dubai for 6 months now, and after more than a year of hiatus from this profession, I am fairly doing well based on the fact that, well, I still have my job. Anyhow, this post I make for those asking how I went through the whole application process; it wasn’t an easy feat especially to an impatient person like me. I believe that you can take this exam anywhere as long as a prometric testing center is available.
First things first, you need to know what you need. Unlike few years back, the application now is a breeze with it being online, queues won’t be an issue. You can find the requirements here. Below are the documents that should be CLEARLY scanned.
Copy of school certificate. (Certificate of Graduation)
Evidence of successful completion of an approved nursing and/or midwifery educational program. (Diploma)
Nursing transcript – a full transcript clearly stating the breakdown of theoretical and clinical hours per subject of the nursing program. Note: Mark sheets are not acceptable (Transcript of Records)
Official certificate of experience signed by an authorized person from Human Resources, Nursing or from a Medical Director. (Summary of RLE Certification)
No experience required for new graduates. Employment is permitted only in hospitals, day surgical centre and polyclinics under the direct supervision of a licensed Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife. (This is only applicable for UAE graduates)
Valid practice license in country of graduation and/or country of last employment (License and Board Certificate)
Valid Good Standing certificate from previous licensing authorities testifying to good conduct and not charged with a criminal act (if the licensing authority does not issue good standing certificates then a letter of good standing from previous employer.) (Certificate of Employment and No Objection Letters)
Passport copy.
One (1) colour passport size photo.
Scan all these procured documents and place it in folders, my suggestion, compile it accordingly: School Records, Nursing Records, Employment Records, Passport Copy and Passport Size Photo. Name the files according to what they are so as not to get confused when uploading.
Select the Health Regulation Service menu where you will find the the option “New Professional License.” This will pop up a separate window which will walk you through your application, each step requires documents to be uploaded and clearly instructed.
Once you finish, it will prompt you to a menu where you need to provide details of payment. Only Visa and MasterCard are accepted as online transactions are done. The Credentialing Process costs 210 AED.
Then you will receive an email regarding your application process, which you can also access on your Sheryan (DHA Account) from the inbox menu.
This will be the status of your application
The credentialing process will take up to six weeks, as for me, I got a response in less than 5 days, I think. An email will then be received telling you to undergo a payment process in which a third party will be verifying your documents, called PSV. It costs 700 AED, the link in your email will walk you through the payment process. This PSV (Primary Source Verification) will verify the credentials submitted by an applicant from its origin . The results will take 30 to 60 days and is received via email. You can also follow up on your status through their website. Just follow the instructions clearly given. Make sure to update your email from time to time.
While waiting for the results you can proceed on scheduling your exam. Go to http://www.prometric.com/default.htm to set your schedule, an Eligibility ID is needed for scheduling, itis sent to your email after the initial application process. The payment for this exam is 170 USD and is done online as well.
In the website you will find locations and time slots which you can select according to your convenience. Once you have an appointment, study and review. FAQ’s about the exam are found here.
I went to the testing center in Knowledge Village, my exam time was around 11 am and I went there 1 hour before, which was a good thing. I read they needed proof of identification, I had with me then my Emirates ID. It wasn’t enough though because they needed valid identification issued from your home country (passport). So yes, I had to go back and take mine, lucky for me the proctor gave me time to retrieve it.
The exam was computer based, a 70-item multiple choice assessment that should be finished in 2 hours. I finished mine in 20 minutes, trusting [leaving it with] my first instincts. The questions were situational, as far as I remember, there were drug computations, pharma, med-surg, and maternal and child. It had a broad scope of topics.
In more or less than a week, I received the result. I passed the exam. An eligibility letter is sent which is attached to CVs and application letters for job hunting. This eligibility letter is only given if you pass the PSV and the exam, and it is issued by the DHA. The letter is only valid for 1 year, should you not find a sponsor after that, you’ll have to take the exam again.
The license itself is acquired when you have a sponsor/employer (i.e. hospital, clinic). Those institutions are responsible for processing your nursing license. Your Sheyran (DHA Account) is still active, you will always find updates and check your status there as a healthcare professional.
I am really not good in giving instructions, so here is a video of the whole process. Good Luck!
This post is a little bit behind, because the hype of Dubai Miracle Garden started when it was opened to the public on Valentines day of this year, then on, my facebook feed was filled with photos of friends in one of the world’s most beautiful garden.
Photo credits from the website gallery
Of course, we have to visit it ourselves and experience the grandeur that Dubai has to offer. This place is a great destination to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life, and ward off the stress brought about your job. Unfortunately though, we went there on a weekend, thus, it was packed of goers like us who wants to see for themselves the different patterns and shapes made from flowers with a variety of colors.
What irony it is that in the middle of the desert, lies this 72,000 square meter of land that features 45 million flowers made into hearts, pyramids, arcs and a lot more, fully-blossomed and splashing with colors. Vying for a Guiness World Record of Longest Flower Wall, stretching 1 kilometer, it isn’t far-fetched. Dubai and its grandiosity at its finest indeed.
Of course I have to make my signature travel shot in this colorful venue
With so much to see and admire, there is no room for exhaustion, your eyes will surely be satiated, unless you have a 1 year old and a 7-month old you need to carry. However, the trip was also helpful to these youngsters to let them see nature’s beauty and let them appreciate it.
The garden has very strict policies, their maintenance are commendable. While I was taking a picture of my niece, she plucked a stem out of the wall, and immediately, a tender approached us saying, “baby dangerous, don’t let her near the flowers.”
Colorful baby in a colorful place
There are just too much prettiness and flower photos that I had to share, but this website will offer more. Quality time with family and friends are just too precious in a life of an expat; we’ll have to make it even more memorable by spending it in a place like this one. One important thing not to forget is to document, forgetting is quite impossible now that almost everybody has handy dandy mobile phones taking high-quality photos.
Walking around the garden, I can’t help but smile. Spending the whole day with all the beauty around surely washed out all negative vibes from a week’s work. It was indeed calming seeing all the splash of hues in the perimeter. The ingenuity of those who made the garden are all but mediocre, words aren’t enough to depict the aesthetics of the place.
I’ve always liked a movie that, when credits roll up, it leaves my mind full of questions, not those hanging, “WTH was that?” questions, but queries that makes me analyze meanings and realize things or ponder on scenes and portrayals. Life of Pi is one of those movies. For me, it has given worth to its admission price, although I never watched it on big screen or 3D, I bet it would have been amazing.
The visuals left me at awe, the whole stretch of the movie never failed to fascinate viewers with its effects, especially the whale emerging from glowing water; it made me wish that, I too will be a living witness, less the being a castaway part. The scenic depictions of day and night in the movie were jaw-dropping.
Actually, a number of scenes made me wonder if it exist in real life. Say, the carnivorous island, as I was watching, I planned to google its existence afterwards, but my curiosity was answered by Pi Patel himself. I wasn’t convinced so I still fact checked everything. Ang Lee was commendable with his direction. I haven’t read the book yet, so my judgment is purely based on the movie.
The cast were convincing, it won’t bag an Oscar if Suraj Sharma and the other casts didn’t give justice to their roles. Then there’s the Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker, it was convincing enough to make me ignore the fact that its coordination and body control whilst the storm proved that its computer generated, still, I felt the protagonist’s fear with its co-existence in the story.
I watched this movie without any idea what this is about, even the plot. My best friend who recommended me the movie just said, “its a story of survival.” It is, I don’t argue with that, although I am more to see it as a story of God’s existence. It was in fact what Pi was trying to prove to the writer who wanted a story to cure his writer’s block.
Its open-ended ending – the choices given to the viewers on which story to believe is the thing that made me like the movie most. It has given control to its viewers, it is not a movie that imposes something – the existence of God, yes, but it is up to the viewers which story to prefer. The movie itself is not putting it forward. It gave room for introspection of oneself. These type of stories are the ones that lingers, so worth the pay, right?
Unlike the Philippines, Thursday is the start of the weekend in the Gulf; so we often say here, T.G.I.T. Being an expat where working takes most of your time, weekends are to savor, weekends are too important and should not be wasted.
Lucky enough if the job you landed on gives you that liberty to have two days off, unfortunately for me though, I only have a day and a half, but I have no room to complain, my 8-5 job is too convenient compared to others in my field.
The week passed in a blur I did not even notice, and before I know it, again my weekend is done. This time I spent it quite refreshingly, and I don’t know how I managed, but I never set foot to anywhere outside the confines of our lovely flat. Straight from work yesterday, I went home then, for dinner, we devoured on Filipino cuisine served in a buffet at Lamesa Restaurant in Asiana Hotel, went back home and stayed there for the rest of the Friday.
Had to put on a buffet friendly outfit for that matter. 🙂
Expat life isn’t always glamour and glory, it has its drawbacks, at the end of the day, we are here to earn for a living; recreation and relaxation are added bonuses. Like any other adult who lives independently and has an 8-5, sometimes 12-hour job in a day, the time at home is mostly spent for rest or chores. I’d give a month’s wage for a night out with my friends back in GenSan at this very moment. Nostalgia is a bummer.
So, how did I spend my 2nd weekend of May? The first Friday was the beach, which can be read here, this time, I spent it at home. I was whole day and a half on my bed beside my laptop – talk about laziness. Then again, I had to give my body some slack, this week has been tough with all the new classes I attended at the gym.
A marathon of Game of Thrones and some magazine skimming took my entire day. We had visitors in the evening, and good food from my sister’s cooking were served – perfect day-ender indeed.
No matter how mundane the weekend, it is still important to anyone who’s life revolves mostly around work. On a day off, I see to it that the hours spent were worthy, besides, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.
Living with a growing child comes with the desire to show her the world, to have every means possible in feeding her fast absorbing mind and make her aware of her surroundings. Thus, our too often weekend trips – to the park, the zoo, the beach. Just last weekend, we made the most of Dubai’s fair weather, and embraced the blazing sun along the white sand of Jumeira Open Beach, a free destination to all those seeking for some R and R.
This time of the year is the perfect moment for beach trips, the temperature didn’t reach the top of the meter yet, and the water welcomes you with just the right amount of chill. So, yes, we are more than ready to be kissed by the sun. I was expecting tan lines after, but to no avail, unlike the tourists though, I don’t wish to get toasted and deliberately sun bathe, and yes, I still applied some SPF 80 sunscreen – a must-have in every beach trip.
This beach happens to be the location of the world-renowned 7-star hotel – Burj Al Arab. This magnificent architecture continues to awe the tourists with its luxurious facade, standing on an artificial island, it is built resembling a sail of a dhow (an arab vessel).
I’m not sure though if our baby enjoyed the beach as much as we did… :p Nah, she did, she even loved the water and was not scared at all. I’ve always loved the water since I was a little girl, I learned how to swim at a very young age, and now, I find solace whenever I go swimming.
My sister and I are doing all our best to raise our baby with good values to appreciate what the world has to offer for her. Exposing her to all kinds of places will open her mind to what is in store for her when she grows up. It is always a feeling of accomplishment and joy seeing her smile and react to the things that we were introducing her. When she was in the water, she splashed and laughed, it was a picture-perfect moment. Everything in the beach gives us a photo frame worth of moments. 🙂
Cyndale Glaze 