Part of a family
I want to shed some light on a subject that is not really talked about. The caretakers [nannies] leave their homeland and their own children to make a living. They spend their life bringing up other children as their own. It is really touching to see some of my patients bring in their caretakers for treatment. After say 30 years, some of them are so attached to their caretakers that they tell us to do whatever it takes to make them comfortable. It is really heart-wrenching and in a lot of ways restores [my] trust in humanity. I really hope and pray for more of this gratitude. In a place like the UAE where work is priority, it is often difficult to bring up your children on your own without help. Such dedication really helps.
From Ms Shameem Yousuf
UAE

Community service
It is extremely encouraging to see women walking away with most of the prizes in the community report competition ("Making a difference in people's lives", Gulf News, December 15). I am sure the interest generated by this special page in Gulf News will make sure that this trend continues with more efficiency. It should be part of our daily commitment to support the administrative system by effectively notifying them about the discrepancies and shortfalls and providing solutions, without unwarranted criticism. Women and children have a bigger role to play in the improvement of things happening around and let this be inspiration for many more to step in without inhibition. All the four reporters and their reports were excellent and aptly intended to benefit the community they live in. I have to specially congratulate Ms Vamika Bajaj on her activities, promoting education amongst ordinary workers and highlighting it for the knowledge and participation of many like-minded individuals. I hope she did get the necessary support she was looking for by way of this report.
From Mr Ramesh Menon
 Abu Dhabi

 Alerting the authorities
I believe all the community reporters have done an excellent job! I live in Sharjah and have seen the leaking manhole that Ms Chanel Mirah [wrote about]. I recall the leakage of human waste onto the road, while children were playing and vehicles were cruising by. It was a terrible sight. Her report alerted the municipality to clean the area and fix the manhole. We are thankful.
From Ms Lucia C.
Sharjah 
Website comment

Justified increase
I am a regular traveller between Sharjah and Dubai and the increase in the [bus] fare is justified ("Sharjah-Dubai bus fares rise by Dh2", Gulf News, December 16). But, there should be sufficient change available so that commuters don't face any problems. I suggest that there should be a Nol card system implemented by the RTA [Roads and Transport Authority] so that the commuter does not face a problem of not having enough change while travelling to Sharjah or Dubai.
From Mr Mayank
Sharjah
Website comment

Card system
I request the RTA to please introduce a Nol card system for the Dubai to Sharjah route. It would save us a lot of time and make things more convenient for the commuters.
From Mr Kevin
Sharjah
 Website comment

Paid parking
My life is miserable ever since Mawaqif implemented the paid parking system in my area ("More paid parking in Abu Dhabi to encourage car pooling", Gulf News, December 16). It feels like I am paying to waste my time looking for a parking spot and it drives me to the edge. The Mawaqif inspectors are at the receiving end for doing their job. Since they are the first contact for the public, they are questioned for our misery.
From Ms Naureen Kamal
Abu Dhabi
Website comment 

Forced to pay
I don't mind paying to park. However, the problem is not being solved. Instead of building additional parking areas, Mawaqif is simply forcing us to pay for parking that was already [available]. People were illegally parking for the simple reason that they couldn't find any legal parking.
From Mr Mohammad Abdeen
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

Not enough
I live on Corniche Street [in Abu Dhabi] and in the past 13 years I have lived there I never faced any parking issues. But this changed when paid parking was introduced two months ago! Now it takes me 45 minutes to find a parking spot and sometimes I am forced to park illegally, risking a huge fine. For example, our building has 70 apartments. But, there are only 70 parking spots in the entire block to accommodate four buildings similar to mine!
From Mr Sam
Abu Dhabi
Website comment

Joyful gift
I have always felt proud of our little balcony garden in our apartment in Sharjah. It has a collection of plants that were given away by friends and some were planted [by us]. The garden also has a sizable curry leaf plant that can be useful to prepare Indian dishes. A small tomato plant and a spinach creeper are some of the other plants that I can boast about. This little garden has always been a place of solace to me, especially after a tough day at work. Standing alongside the plants, I have often felt they were my silent companions trying to soothe me. I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the balcony one cool morning. A field mynah had decided to nest in the garden. She was comfortably sitting in the spinach pot, nestling and warming her single egg. My children were excited to see a bird at such close proximity — it is now a part of our family. They named her Molly and are sure that the chick will be a male. They have already named the yet to be hatched chick as Lewis. With the incubation period of the mynah being approximately 12 days, Lewis is expected to arrive on Christmas Day!
From Mr Naveen Frank
Sharjah

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