Impossible is nothing

TRAVEL

By GLEN BURUA
The amazement of my trip to the United Arab Emirates, Dubai would be summarised in a conversation I had with a taxi driver, on the final night before flying back to Papua New Guinea.
So, mate, how long have you been here in Dubai? I asked in anticipation to hear the answer.
My brother, I have been here for 14 years. Right before my eyes, I saw camels walking here in a desert. Now we are driving on the very same place with sky scrapers all around and this 16 lane road accommodating the most expensive top speeding cars in the world.
All in a span of 10 years.
For a while, I couldn’t talk.
I mean, 10 years? That’s impossible. Seeing the city itself, I couldn’t even accept the fact that it was built in that short span of time.
Well, here am I in a country that was barely known before and now, it is the most luxurious and fastest growing city in the world.
Dubai city is known for the tallest building in the world, the deepest swimming pool in the world, the biggest photo frame in the world, the tallest hotel in the world, the biggest shopping mall in the world, the biggest fountain in the world and the list goes on.
I came to Dubai as representative of the country. Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority staged a contemporary dance competition and selected the performers to represent the country in Dubai 2020 World Expo.
I am part of the Papua New Guinea Preforming troupe as both a performer and helping out as a stage manager.
The first time I got off the Singapore Airlines in Dubai Airport, I was so amazed that to get to the luggage area, I have to catch a train. Well, that was just the beginning.
That same night, upon arrival, all the Performers settled into their hotel rooms near the airport. For me and our Reggae Musician Anslom Nakikus, we had to travel to the expo site and drop the traditional musical instruments.
Upon arrival at the expo site after more than an hour drive, I just stood in amazed of the expo site. It is just so huge. I mean, they actually staged the biggest world expo in history.
My amazement didn’t stop there. Dubai metro station (train station) made my jaw drop. The reason being it is automatic. There is no pilot. But what really surprised me was, the auto trains travel the longest distance in the world without a pilot. Can you imagine? I mean, that seemed impossible to me.

Walking around in Dubai is like being alive in your dreams. It’s like you are dreaming but actually being present in your dreams.
That’s the least I can say to describe the amazing developments in Dubai.
After the first week of performance, we had a chance to visit Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world.
What was most amazing is the location of the tallest building in the world. Actually, it is located close to the biggest shopping mall in the world, the Dubai mall. Well, you might be wondering what makes the Dubai mall that big. I was just as critical till I walked into the Dubai mall myself.
Guess what, you can actually ice skate with snow falling inside the Dubai mall. Not only that, you can see a huge man made waterfall inside the mall, and on-top of that, there is an aquarium inside the mall with sharks, stingrays and some kind of big fish I have never seen in my life.
And believe me, you cannot even walk the whole mall. I tried just to cause my legs to ache. It was no use trying to tour the whole shopping mall.
Coming out of the mall, I had a glimpse of the Burj Khalifa. For a while, I stood speechless. I mean, I was actually staring at the tallest building on planet earth.
Not long, music starts from my back. I turned around and was stunned. Just on the side is the biggest water fountain on planet earth dancing to the music with light effects. I was emotional as I stood taking a video with my phone camera.

A day later, I had the chance to visit Palm Island. A famous man-made island. What really amazed me on that trip was the part where we have to drive on a tunnel under the sea. Believe me, I had goose bumps.
It was unbelievable.
To top it off, after our major performances at the expo site, I had the chance to visit Burj Al Arab. The biggest hotel in the world and the only seven start hotel in Dubai. That experience alone was second to none. I mean, I could see tourists from all over the world fighting to get pictures. I mean, this is so amazing.
All in all, what really amazed me more than anything else is the human mind. All these developments I was amazed by started in the mind of Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, the founder of Dubai in a vision.
Truly, we are created in the image and likeness of God, the Creator. That means we are co-creators. With that perspective, we can do anything we set our minds to do.
The trip to Dubai thought me a lot of lessons. All in all, what I learnt and would like to share with all of us is “Impossible is Nothing.”
And that is a lesson I will take with me wherever I go. Whatever you set your mind to do, it can come to pass. Whatever you focus on, becomes a reality.
On top of all, I would love to share the importance of Vision. Vision is the function of the heart. Sight is the function of the eyes. Sight has limitations. Vision has no limitations.
When the founder of Dubai had a tour and was inspired by the city of London, he envisioned building Dubai city.
Well, as expected, they laughed at him. Because all they could see around them was desert. Well that’s what the eyes see. However, the vision of the founder went beyond the desert. He didn’t see camels walking in the desert as everyone else. He saw expensive cars, high rise buildings, he saw Dubai hosting world events.
Well, his visions are becoming a reality.

Dubai which started as an impossible vision in the mind of one man has now became a reality amazing the whole world.
As I packed my bags for the final night, I had time to reflect on the whole trip. And yes, I came to realise that Dubai don’t have politicians, they have leaders. And yes, leaders have visions beyond the reality. Leaders don’t see what is but what can be. Leaders don’t dwell on the problems of today but find solutions for tomorrow.
Politicians comes and goes, but true leaders impact generations.
As I finished packing, I zipped my bag with satisfaction. It was more than just a trip to the Dubai 2020 world expo. It was a life changing moment for me.
Yes, impossible is nothing.
With the right leadership, it is possible to make our country great. With the right leadership, Papua New Guinea can make great contributions to the world economy. With great leadership, I believe we have the potential as a country to host more world events. With great leadership I believe we can change from being a country that borrows to a country that gives.
With great leadership, we can manage our rich resources wisely and make the most out of it.
I believe in the future. I believe in the future generation. I believe in you. And yes, deep within you is a leader. No matter what challenges we face today in our country, change for tomorrow is not impossible.
With the right leadership, truly, impossible is nothing.