A tale of three cities
There really isn’t a reason to write about yourself if you haven’t climbed Mt Everest, fought a Dragon or run a country, but I’ll take my chances.
I’m an online advertising and e-commerce specialist who lives in Dubai, and this is my story. If you’d like to know about my career, you’ll find it on LinkedIn.
Kuwait 1981-1990
It all began in Kuwait in 1981 in the little town of Abbassiya. As with most of the middle east in those days, beige buildings and gas guzzlers were about all there was to see amidst the arid desert landscape. The only sights that did stand out were the white brick school I used to go to, the iconic Kuwait Towers and Sharq’s fish market – the last, for its smell more than anything else.
Of course, no story of Kuwait is ever complete without a mention of the Gulf War and neither is mine. However, unlike most people, who woke up to the sound of gun battles along the beach and the churn of armored tanks down the city’s highways, we were fortunate enough to have heard about the invasion while on holiday in India.
Bangalore, 1990-1992
I don’t remember hearing much about what happened in Kuwait after the initial news frenzy. There were a few stories of people who had managed to escape making the rounds, but just as with every other ten year old at Clarence High back then, most of my time was spent figuring ways to escape Kannada. Yes, change didn’t come easy, but my years in Bangalore were by far the best of my childhood. In fact, it’s the Diwali celebrations that I miss the most.
Although the city is known more for its technology industry these days, Bangalore in the early nineties was easy going, famous for its lush green gardens and had a colonial charm that had somehow survived four decades of independence.
Kuwait, 1992-1997
We returned to Kuwait just a little over a year after the war had ended. Not much seemed to have changed in the country, despite the grim reminders of burning oil wells and destroyed buildings that flashed across news networks. On most days, we were only ever made aware that there had been a war by deafening siren drills or warnings of what not to do with unexploded ordnance.
Back in high school, it turned out that I disliked Hindi and Arabic, far more than I ever did Kannada. Sure, I picked up Hindi at the end of the day, but if given a chance to go back in time, I’d love to learn Arabic all over again.
Dubai, 1997 onwards
Dubai always had an air of excitement when compared to the rest of the Middle East and the festivals of the late nineties made our move practically irresistible. I spent two senior years at Our Own English High School before graduating with an honors degree in Computer Engineering from the American University of Sharjah. My father came to terms with the high school’s rather peculiar name after a while, but I don’t think I’ll ever forgive them for the jellybean colored sports uniforms we were forced to wear.
I landed my first job as a Technical Strategist at Wunderman in September 2003 before switching to Proximity the following spring, where I served as a Digital Technology Lead and later, Executive Producer. Over the span of four years, I delivered exceptional online user experiences for brands such as Adidas, Emirates, Hilton, Mercedes-Benz and Showtime.
While the world of advertising was exciting, seventy-two hour deadlines tend to take their toll on you after a while, which is when I decided to co-found the region’s first premium-experience travel website – Musafir.com – with two good friends. What started as an idea on a paper napkin at Starbucks has grown into a company with staff in two countries – a third on its way – and one of history’s finest sportsmen to tell its story; but you’ll hear more about him next year.
If you’d like to know more about me, follow my feed, follow @albertdias or drop me a note below.