Who do you find on a flight to Dubai?

There are certain kinds of people you come across to on a gate before you board on a plane to Dubai.

You see the suited-up business men, in their blue jackets and white button-down shirts.

Their wives; 40-something women, sporting their Hermes bracelets, while chit-chatting with their teenage daughters.

The youngsters are one of those who are going to International Schools; ripped-out skinny jeans and a pair of vans constitute their daily uniform. They seem to be less engaged in the conversation and caring more about how to instagram a “from-where-I-stand” picture of themselves, with the hashtag #mydubai, showing them holding their boarding passes on one hand and their iced-caramel latté on the other-with soya milk, of course.

You see a few retired couples, all happy to be flying economy to warm UAE, still completely unaware about the heat they are about to suffer. “I can’t wait to arrive at the beach and put on my flip flops”, says the gray-haired woman while passing a printed boarding pass to her partner.

You see at least one group of lads, taking the first selfies of their “boys’ trip”, shouting all hyper trying to negotiate this sky-dive idea one of them had.

And then you have the Filipina nannies, running errands for their employees in Dubai, even when they’re abroad. one of them is carrying a blonde baby, it drops his dummy and stares at her in a cheeky way. The nanny looks at him right in the eyes, trying to confront him, but gives him a kiss on the forehead instead.

Finally, you have the expats. The 20-somethings who went to Dubai for work two years ago; the ones who are now tired of the party-life and get every little chance to go back home to their loved ones. They miss the excitement they used to have on their first trip to the Arabian Gulf.

This article was first published here.