• Home

In love with Ras Al Khaimah

RAS AL KHAIMAH — He thought he was crystal clear about it. That he wanted to go back to his native country Sudan much before his five-year residence visa of the UAE expires. He had even alerted his friends and family back home about his plans.

Adam Mohammed Ali Alalfi thought five-year was a long time. He was wrong. It’s 27 years now since he first landed here. And his fascination for this country is only getting stronger.

“I arrived at the Sharjah airport on a visit visa on September 9, 1979 along with some colleagues. We headed straight to Ras Al Khaimah where some of our relatives were waiting for us. As we moved into RAK, I was taken aback. It looked so similar to the Sudanese villages where we came from. An instant bonding was struck,” recalls Adam.

“There was only one paved street at Alrams. There were no other streets inside the town. The roads were almost empty with very few cars to be seen around. Most of the residents knew each other by name,” reminiscences Adam, who works as a health worker.

According to Adam, residents of Alnakheel area used to come to the old city of Ras Al Khaimah by abras (little boats) because the bridge that connects the two parts of the town was not built yet. “We used to take abras to the fish market in Ras Al Khaimah. The price of an abra ticket was 25 fills.”

Adam is truly a chronicler of the massive development that the health sector has undergone over the years. When he came here, there was just one hospital here - the Saif Hospital. “This one hospital was able to cater to small population of the emirate,” he says.

Adam was here when His Highness Shaikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah inaugurated the new hospital called Saqr Hospital.

For more than 25 years now, Adam has been living in the same street in Aljolan area where he is now one of the most recognisable persons. Most people here know him.

“I came to live in the Aljolan area for the first time on May 2, 1982. I changed flats but not the locality.”

Adam’s seven children were all born at Saqr Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah. Three of them are now pursuing their university education in his home country Sudan. The other four live in Ras Al Khaimah. “My four sons and three daughters now consider Ras Al Khaimah as their home as they have lived almost all their lives here. They gel very well with the UAE nationals as well as other expatriates in the emirate.”

Adam adds: “After completing their graduation, the three of my children are likely to come back to Ras Al Khaimah. They have their friends here. They simply love this emirate. They do not want to live anywhere else.”

For Adam himself, Ras Al Khaimah is like home land. “When I go to the other emirates, I try to finish my job as soon as possible and to come back to my home in Ras Al Khaimah,” he reveals.

“I have received many good job offers outside of Ras Al Khaimah but I ignored all the offers. I do not want to live in any other place. I would rather live in Ras Al Khaimah or go back to Sudan. There is no third option for me.”

The Sudanese national believes that even with the marked increase in the cost of living, Ras Al Khaimah is still a suitable place to live in and work at as it is cheaper than the other emirates.

• UAE