The following is meant to be both humorous and thought provoking in that it is essentially true.
Fatima is a clerk in Gulf Air HQ.
Here is a typical day in her life.
6:30 Wake up, housemaid has got the kids their breakfast and ready for school.
7:00 Put kids in car and head for work. I start at 7:00 am but we are allowed 14 minutes grace so I never have to be there until 7:14.
7:13 Arrive at work, drive in the main entrance and stop the car outside training school, keep engine running. Go into training school and swipe in. Back into car and leave by south gate. Take kids to school.
7:30 Meet a friend at school gates and go for a coffee with her so that I can get the latest gossip.
8:30 Arrive back at work. Check my desk and e-mail to make sure no one has put anything nasty on it, like work. Phone my friends to tell them the gossip I just heard.
10:00 Who does that bitch think she is! That British cow from the training school who shouted at me. She seems to think it’s my job to organize the settling in payments for a new batch of girls, OK it is my job, but I will get it done eventually. She just does not understand how busy I am. I will have to ask for an assistant.
10:15 I am so upset that I have to go for a coffee with my friend, we pop into Manama.
11:00 Very nice new clothes in the Seef Mall, I must come down tomorrow and try some on.
12:30 Back to work so that I can catch my boss and complain about the English girl. He agrees with me that I am overworked and has put in a request for an assistant for me.
1:00 All my friends are very happy that I am going to get an assistant, apparently I will have to have a promotion as well.
1:30 Pick up kids from school and take them home.
2:00 Back to work.
2:45 Time to go, off down to the swipe out and line up waiting for 3:00. Honestly I do not know why they have these swipe machines. They should just have them for the Expats as they are all lazy, but they do not need them for us Bahraini’s as we can be trusted to be at our work on time.
3:00 Home for afternoon nap. I work so hard!!!
Fatima is the rule rather than the exception. 
[ 19 November 2001: Message edited by: sirwa69 ]