Fujairah Collage

Fujairah Collage
Some distinctive landmarks in Fujairah

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Day in the Life of a Fujairah Shop Assistant

Some shops and businesses may open as early as 7.00am or 8.00am but the lifestyle of Mohammed Akhlak (pictured) is typical of many shop assistants working in Fujairah.

Mohammed is an electrician from New Delhi and he has been living in Fujairah for several months. He works selling mobile phones in a shop on Gurfa Road (one road up and parallel to the Fujairah corniche).

Typical Day
10.00am Mohammed starts work.
1.30pm Shop closes and Mohammed has lunch and sleeps until 4.30pm.
5.00pm Shop reopens and Mohammed is back to work.
11.30pm Shop closes and Mohammed has dinner, relaxes and watches TV.
1.00am Time for sleep.

Afternoon Siesta
The ancient practice of shops shutting for several hours in the heat of the afternoon is typical in country towns and cities like Fujairah. The custom is a thing of the past in many businesses in large cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai where workers often live a long way from their homes and commuting can take forever.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Mohammed Akhlak getting ready to take lunch and a siesta.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this a five or six day week?

Geoff Pound said...

Six days a week.