What's your nationality?

When I got into the cab, the driver gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen on anyone. He was almost beaming.

"You look very happy," I said.

"Of course, I am. I love Dubai and I love this job," he said in a tone that was so joyful you couldn't help smiling with him.

"What's the thing about Dubai that you like best?" I asked, relived to be with a person in high spirits.

"The different kinds of people that I meet everyday," he said. "Dubai's full of people from different parts of the globe." He paused for a moment to concentrate on the road and then continued, "And everyone has something to teach, if you are ready to listen."

That's interesting I thought. Everyone does have something to teach, but nobody wants to listen and here is a cabby who's been listening.

"Do you know what's the most important lesson you can learn from an Emarati?" he asked suddenly, seeing me lost in my thoughts.

I had no idea, so I had to nod my head.

"Hospitality. An Emarati can teach you how to treat guests in the best possible manner. If you have ever visited them in their homes, you'll see what I mean," the cabby explained.

That's true, I thought. I had visited a couple of local friends at their villas and experienced their hospitality first hand. They made you feel so special.

Laughing

The cab had stopped at a signal by now and a couple of Filipinos crossed the street. They all were carrying heavy shopping bags and were laughing amongst themselves.

"I love Filipinos," the cabby said. "They're the most joyful people in the entire city. So full of life and laughter. Have you ever seen a sad Filipino?" he enquired.

I had worked with a Filipino graphic designer once. He was always joking in the office and never got into an argument with any of us, in spite of the fact that we were working under tremendous pressure at all times.

"Did I say something wrong?" There was concern on the cabby's face.

"No, no, you're absolutely right. I was wondering if you meet a lot of Indians everyday?"

"What are saying?" he roared with laughter. The frown on his face had instantly turned into a joyful look that seemed more suited to his face. "You can't drive around Dubai without meeting lots and lots of Indians."

"And what have you been able to learn from them?" I asked.

"Oh! lots of things," the cabbie said. "I love the way they care about their young ones and elderly. They teach you all about having a loving and caring family life."

"What do you think about the Lebanese?" I asked.

"They're entrepreneurial and hardworking people. A few years ago I took a Lebanese guy to Al Quoz. He was going there for a job interview or something and he couldn't pay the full fare when I dropped him there.

"The next time I met him, he was driving around in a brand new Hummer," the cabby recounted.

"And you know what, he came to me with the balance money and apologised he couldn't pay me that day in Al Quoz, because he simply didn't have the money."

"Do you meet a lot of Brits?" I asked.

"Yes. Lots of them. Especially in Mirdiff and Jumeirah areas. They are very courteous, and always 'Thank you' and 'Goodbye'. Whenever I get a British passenger, I know it's going to be a very pleasant ride because they will go out of their way to make you feel good."

His cab wisdom seemed to be inexhaustible and so was his positive attitude. In the entire conversation that we had, he hadn't mentioned a single negative comment about any of these nationalities.

Did that mean he was ignorant of other realities, or was he trying to look at only the sunny side of life? I had no clue.

The cab came to a halt. I looked out and found to my surprise that we had already reached my destination. Time really flies when you are in the midst of an interesting conversation, I thought.

As I paid him and opened the door to get out, the smiling cabby threw one last question at me: "By the way, what's your nationality?"

I just smiled and hoped my smile was bigger than his.

Kishore Dharmarajan is a media consultant based in the UAE.