I heaved a deep sigh of relief when we arrived in Dubai International airport. When alighting, I did not see the lady anymore. I followed the throng of other passengers out of the arrival hall. I checked my next flight to Delhi.
With a four-hour waiting ahead of me before my next flight, I made proper use of the time to go freshened up at the female restroom. Later, I walked around the Duty free shops. I tried on the diamond at the jewellery shop. I had a slight knock on my tummy for food but I discovered that my stomach seemed heavy. I was so tired. When it was an hour close to the flight, I went to a coffee shop near the boarding gate. I ordered a cup of cappuccino. Then I switched on my laptop and started writing. I was surprised when the waitress came back bearing a gigantic size cup filled with cappuccino. Another passenger came to join me at the opposite emptied seat. He too ordered the same.
The check-in announcement for Delhi passengers came on the speakers. I switched off my laptop. I ran to join the queue. Few minutes later, we were on board another Emirate airplane en route Delhi.
I must confess that these crew members on this plane with us to Delhi are superb. They treated every passenger with love and respect. I could not avoid comparing them with those that I flew with from Paris. Anyone on the craft with me can testify how friendly these crew members were.
We reached Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi at 14:50hours. There were long queue for security check-out. I met two Nigerian couple coming into India too, this time directly from Nigeria. My turn came to pass the custom. The custom officer collected my travelling document. He looked at it thoroughly as if he wanted to find out something else. Then he asked me; ‘Do you have the yellow card?’
‘The yellow card?’ I asked him back. I knew he was asking for the Vaccination card
‘Yes, ma’
‘No, I don’t have it. I was told I don’t need it’
He never talked anymore. He looked at my passport again. Then he stamped it. He gave it back to me without another word.
I waited for them to reach my front, and then I picked them and placed them on the roller. I began the journey of going to search for my assigned driver. There were lots of name-banners in the hands of several people, all of them were men. I started scanning them one after the other until I got to the last. I did not see my name.
I noticed from the first roll, an old man dressed like a Singh holding a name-banner but he held unto it in such a way that the name of the person is turned toward him thus baring anyone from seeing anything. Out of curiosity, I walked back to him. Once I got to him, I said politely; ‘Please sir, can I see the banner you are holding?’
He showed me gladly. I was happy to discover it was for me.
One of the men came to me and said ‘Madam, I am the owner of this roller, please give me something for it.’
‘Sorry I don’t have anything to give you’ even if I have a few coins that instant, I will never give it to him. First, he has not business been there with us. He saw us coming out from the airport and rushed to push the roller without our consent. Second, the distance from the airport to the Taxi was just about nothing.
‘Please, ma’
‘Baba will give you’ I pointed at the driver. He was an old man thus I decided to address him as Baba. I entered behind and settled on the passenger seat. Baba turned round and entered behind the wheel. The other man joined us too. I looked out and saw the man going away with the roller. He did not even bother to ask me again for tip.
We drove for more than forty-five minutes. They men conversed with excitement between them. I could not understand what they were discussing as they rambled on in their language. There were lots of pot-holes on the road. It was rough and dusty as well. Dirt from the never-tarred road rented the air. My fear for my baggage stayed on. I focused on it above the car, through looking at the shadow of the car created by the sun. At one point when he entered a big pot hole. I cried out to him to watch out or else my baggage will fall off. He laughed, and reassured me.
I brought out my camera. I started snapping pictures while he drove on. I was very fast and lucky to have gotten nice ones.
Finally we got to our destination. The sight of the main entrance and how inviting in nature is seems gave me a deep calmness in my heart. He drove toward the gate and then he parked on the side of the road about 20 feet from the entrance.
‘Look this man with me’ Baba began. He was pointing at the young man with him ‘He is the owner of this phone’ (there was a handset with the man). Baba continued ‘He has two wives and three children’ we burst into laughter. Baba repeated; ‘He has one phone, two wives and three children.’
We were still laughing when they brought down my baggage. A security man was at the door of Residence. He came forward and offered to push my baggage. I called Baba closer and secretly tucked a 2O Euros note in his palm.
He laughed with joy. ‘Thank you, thank you, he kept on saying. The second man with Baba expected I will do the same with him. I ignored him. I followed the security man inside the large compound.
I was spellbound as I saw the beautiful layout of the place; it was more of a forest-like but haven-in-nature. At that point, I knew I have come to the right place. When I turned back, Baba had gone with his Taxi. The young man followed us. We reached a building that I later discovered is the general office.
Four men came out. One of them instructed two of the men with him to take my bag to the room. I was curious to know what they were talking about. The man called me. I was torn between leaving my baggage alone with the men and going to meet the man. He noticed my worry, so the waved at me to follow the men.
‘Come’ was all the men could say. I ran after them. It was a big building comprise of rooms on first floor. We arrived at a door. One of them opened the
padlock on the door and entered.
They rolled my bags in. I entered. Inside was a mini-step. They climbed up. I did that too. It was a studio bedroom with the toilet and bathroom joint together. There was no door into the bedroom so I asked;
‘Excuse me, there is no door here’
‘Yes, you will lock it downstairs.’ The man who opened the door when we got here said in poor English.
‘…but there is a small bed down there….I…’
‘This is for you?’ he tried to explain ‘Down, up, everything is for you’
‘You mean the whole of up and downstairs room are mine?’ I put my hand on my chest as a gesture.
‘Yes, ma’
Even after they departed, I could not believe it. I was so excited. I went to have a quick look around. I came back. I dropped my haversack. It took me some minutes to use to the place.
A man came about an hour later. He is called Mullinar. He introduced himself as the programme co-ordinator. He gave me a file. I opened it. It contained the information kit and the undertaking form to sign.
He gave me brief lecture about the meal time and promised to explain other things to me the next day. I arrived there on Sunday 1st March, 2009; and there were no office activities on weekend.
One strong point about this residence is that they don’t just check you in and then leave you alone. They are always there at all time and for every artist.
