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Spending more time at Berts Cafe because of my work, made me an attentive connoisseur of people. From the people going in and out of the cafe after their meals and drinks, to the servers taking endless orders. I don't know if you have been to Berts at the Marina in Dubai, it's a small coffee shop full of arty types that breeze in an out, working execs and of course the odd Lime team members. However, what grabbed my attention was the servers who always respond to the needs of others no matter how busy they are. Not to mention of course that they have to smile, listen and be polite to the patrons no matter how good or bad their day is turning out to be.
Perhaps no one bothers to ask them how they are doing since the servers are always running up and down with the food and drinks and sometimes we think of them as just part of the package. Also, the fact that we see them everyday in restaurants, bars, coffee shops etc., some of us I know can take the people serving us our tea and coffee, food, burgers and petrol forgranted.
With these reasons, I took few minutes of my time to talk to four hardworking crews at Berts Cafe, and listen to their stories for a change. Not them listening to mine and taking orders.
Renson Nganga, Mohamed Imthiyas, Anthony Francisco and Margaret Mwihia spare few minutes of their busy schedule to chat with me about their dreams and their lives in Dubai.
 Renson Nganga
Renson has been living in Dubai for one year and seven months. He decided that it was time for him to go outside of his home country, Kenya when he thought that he needed more income to support a newborn daughter and his wife. Dubai was a good prospect at that time he heard from his friends that Dubai was a good place to secure employment, so he packed his bags and landed in Dubai safely.
Renson was a Barista in a hotel at his home country before coming to Dubai, fortunately he got the same job as a Barista/Server at Berts Cafe. His friendly and easy-to-smile attitude makes Renson a perfect bidder for his job. Renson's passion in his job is mixing juices and fruits. " That's what I'm good at. I can make perfect smoothies, blends, mixes - you name it. The good thing is, no one ever complains about my finished products and creations", he said proudly.
Being a sociable person, Renson loves the diversity in Dubai where he learns a lot from different nationalities of people that he had the chance to work with. Aside from being a Barista, he is an adventurer and a cyclist who almost made it to serious pro status in his home country.
When asked about his tips on how to make good shakes - uncertain to give out his secret. "You have to study the quantity of the ingredients that you put into the mixer, you don't wan't your banana milkshake to taste just the milk, you know what I mean", he said with a polite laugh.
 Mohamed Imthiyas
Who would think that the guy sitting in front of me with a hair net and an unassertive disposition is a fanatic follower of Sachin Tendulkar, a tough guy with his bat but a wholesome cricketer of his time."I want to be Sachin if I did not like baking so much", he said with a sheepish smile.
Mohamed has been living in Dubai for just six months. His first impression of Dubai, is as expected, a place of opportunities for someone like him. He just finished his Hotel Management course in India when he decided to come to Dubai and settled a job that he loves - a Pastry Chef at Berts Cafe.
Mohamed made all the pastries, cakes, pudding, cookies, chocolates and other various desserts in Berts counter. Although he graduated in Hotel Management, he has no plan on managing a hotel since he knows that he just wanted to bake and make desserts all the time.
With his six months on the job as a Pastry Chef, Mohamed finds it fun and a great opportunity for him towards his career in culinary. As he said previously, he would be Sachin if he did not like baking and making desserts.
Mohamed left a very wise tip on how to make great cookies. "Do not miss any ingredients in your recipe, otherwise your cookies will not taste good", he said with a serious look. Well, that's particularly true. Imagine not putting any chips in your chockie chip cookies.
 Anthony Francisco
Anthony has an outspoken nature and entrepreneurial spirit. He dreams of owning a business someday. Its the reason why he took up commercial management in college in his home country, Philippines. However with his work as a server in a hotel back home, Anthony landed a job as a server at Berts Cafe.
Anthony has a good impression of Dubai. The first thing he noticed was the clean sorroundings but he found some trouble with the transporation after being in Dubai for just two months."I'm lost most of the time and can't find the correct bus going to my place. I don't want to get on a cab, because its expensive", he said.
With most of his family members in Dubai, Anthony is completely settled in. He has also many friends from different nationalities at his workplace, where he is thankful to experience the joy of serving other people and making friends.
"Being a server, you always pay attention to the guest, repeat their orders when taking it, get every detail and most of all smile! It is hectic most of the time but if you like what you are doing that would not be a problem".
Anthony's tips may serve him well when he has his own supermarket or grocery store which is his dream business when he is done in the Dubai service industry.
 Margaret Mwihia
Margaret was fascinated with Dubai's tall buildings, good roads and the diversity of people when he first arrived in the city six months ago from Kenya to visit a friend.
While in Dubai, Margaret saw the opportunity to get a job and earn more than she can get back at her home country. Eventually she took a job as a server at Berts Cafe. Her energetic nature, friendly and sociable attitude make Margaret a good server.
However, she dreams of a career in Public Relations. Although she did some training before she came to Dubai, Margaret thinks she need to study and train more to enter and get a job in PR.
She also thinks that being in Dubai provides her with more exposure and more opportunity of learning from other peoples experience.
When ask about what she thinks she contribute to Dubai as a server she specifically said,"My contribution is the fact that I serve people well, it may sound small but the other thing is my culture. I share my culture with my friends and my colleagues who are also from different nationalities".
What could be more interesting than the lives of real people, so next time you sit in a coffee shop, get your fill up with Gas or wait for you burger you may want to consider a quick chat with the person serving you - its likely that you will learn something and of course have the blessing of getting to know another person and adding to thier day!.
(By Rosario Rafal-Olaes)
Berts coffee shop is located inDubai Marina near the Nuran / Al Majara Building and is a hot spot for Dubai's arty crowd and in the Greens where Open Mics are also held after the summer (When its not so hot).
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