'We are a traditional nation and that makes me proud'

Arif Al Mesaabi is a 30-year-old Emirati from Abu DhabI. His passion: the desert

Arif Al Mesaabi is a 30-year-old Emirati who loves cars, particularly the black ones, Starbucks cappuccino and helping people. His ultimate passion, though, is the desert. He longs for the old Bedouin way of life, for life in the sand, but also for a car that would allow him to cross the highest dunes.
"I am from Abu Dhabi. I was born and grew up here, but also spent some years in Baniyas.
Life was lovely back then. So much more peaceful and sociable. People were closer to each other and doors were always opened.
Like most boys, I loved playing football. Every day we played for a few hours after school.
Of course, we didn't have big flashy stadiums or children's playgrounds back then; we just played on some open fields, in the dirt, sometimes bare feet. Every neighbourhood had a team and we used to challenge each other, have like neighbourhoods championship.
The only entertainment technology at that time was the television, but I didn't care much for it. The only thing I used to watch on TV was the cartoon, which came on around 3pm, right after school. Then I was outdoors playing until sunset.
During weekends or national holidays the entire family would get together and go out for the day, having a picnic in the desert. We would take a goat with us and prepare it out there, and we would make tea and coffee.
We had an area for the ladies to sit, and a separate one for men and we would just chat, cook and eat, enjoying each other's company.
For the long holidays we would also gather the families and travel together abroad, by car. We were always three or four cars, all family, going to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar to visit relatives. I loved those trips, they felt like such an adventure, and to this day I love long distance driving.
When I was 12 years old I made my first trip outside the Gulf that I remember - my family also took me abroad when I was two months old. It was to the US, in Baltimore. I could see people didn't look the same, didn't dress, eat or behave like us, but I was too young to give it much though. To be honest, I was very bored, as I had no friends my age to spend time with.
Later on, I returned to the US for my university studies and made some great friends with whom I still keep in touch.
I have held several jobs so far, but I think my greatest achievement was the time I spent in the army. I served my country in 2002 as a soldier and it was very challenging; a lot of hard work, training, always on the move. It really pushed me and that's what I loved about it.
Regardless of where life takes me, my greatest passion will always remain the desert, the old way of life. There is hardly a week that I don't go out into the desert, offroading.
I remember once, about three years ago, I found a guy with three children stuck in the desert with no water, no food and no phone. I went for a drive in the desert around Al Wathba and I saw these fresh car tracks, and, for some reason, I decided to follow them and see where they lead. It was around 6pm when I saw this car in a "bowl", hidden between dunes.
At first I thought it was abandoned and I was about to move on, but then the guy came out and asked for helped. He really looked desperate. He was stuck there, with his three small children, since 12pm. The battery of his phone died, he had no water and no food. It was around April or May, really hot outside and they were all extremely thirsty and hungry.
I had water and biscuits with me, so I gave it to him and his children, then I drove him and his kids in my car to his relatives' house in Al Wathba, and then returned with him to the desert to recover his car.
Driving in the desert requires skill and experience. If you don't know what you are doing don't venture out there, especially alone. The desert is as harsh as it is beautiful. That's why we love it so much.
In general, I feel the heritage and the culture are what make UAE special. The generosity of the local people and their traditions, even though they can be misunderstood sometimes, they will make you feel safe and welcomed here.
We are a modern, civilised country, but at the same time we are a humble, traditional nation, and that makes me proud to be Emirati!
silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE