I tend to think about the similarities and differences in cultures quite a bit, as my dear readers should know by now. It was always of interest to me even before I entered academia and I guess it is not a mere coincidence that that is a very integral part of or maybe the thread that runs across all my research now. Recently someone asked me if I have noticed any specific features of cultures on my visit to Dubai but I never really felt like I experienced a Dubai ‘culture’ so to speak. As in I don’t think I had an opportunity to insert myself into a way of life there, for one, and for two, because of the large migrant population, I mostly felt like I was interacting with other Indians, say when I was out shopping or something. But one of these interactions sort of surfaced to my mind when I was thinking about this. This happened in the local church where too I mostly saw Indians or South East Asians. There was something like a fair put up for Mother Mary’s feast. You had to first buy coupons to get whatever you want at the fair. While the rest of my family decided to go for some errand, I felt like having tea. The lady at the coupons told me the tea was one dirham so I got coupons worth two dirhams, for me and my mom. When I went to the actual stall, it turned out that the tea was two dirhams. I told him I had only coupons worth two dirhams but wanted two teas. Maybe I could pay cash for one tea? The chap said there was no need for the additional coupons or for cash and he would give me two teas regardless. This warmed my heart so much! I mean, two dirhams is not much in the scheme of things but it wasn’t about the money for me but this human gesture, that this person went beyond the material exchange to do something purely out of goodness made me feel good. Maybe it reminds me that there are people in the world who are not all about the transactional stuff or about following rules religiously, that human connection means something, that it’s power is still alive… and I like to be reminded of that.