[ your voice ] Experiencing Water for Workers

Water and a Thank You

I loved this first effort for Water for Workers, especially that it came with no expectations other than the will and intention to say Thank you to anybody we encounter working outdoors. The scorching heat made it all the more significant for me, as I experienced, first hand, and of course , only a fraction of it, what these amazing people have to tolerate in terms of high temperatures during their day-long working hours. It didn’t take very long (in fact, it started with just the first bottle hand-out and thank you) for my heart to feel touched by the experience. Facial expressions ranged to include some or all of:  initial suspicion of approaching them with a bottle of water, deep focus to understand what we are doing, a hint of relief at discovering this is a personal message and not a brand promotion, the big huge smile at recognizing their language being on the list (which comes after a simple conversation), and the final wave of goodbye with unwavering eye contact…. Some called more of their colleagues to get water, as they explained to them where the Thank you sticker was, proudly pointing at their language for reference…a couple of others wanted more stickers and made sure their colleagues didn’t throw the bottle, to keep it as a souvenir…One insisted that the big bottle is for sharing with a colleague, so we can have enough to go around… and some just wanted to linger on, to prolong our conversations (on proper Bengali grammar or the most difficult thing about their work in Dubai, or simply to just ask us more questions). Needless to say, by the time we handed out all the bottles, across various areas in Satwa and Bur Dubai, my friend and I were filled with gratitude for the opportunity these amazing workers gave us to feel what we felt, just by receiving us …. a feeling of deep connection to them and to our hearts. It injected us with life,  like a much needed cool breeze on a hot day.

- Lina N.