David Wagih Salem Gobraeil
Name: David Wagih Salem Gobraeil
Program: Civil Engineering
Job title: Junior Site Engineer
Host city: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
When did you participate in CO-OP positions overseas?
I participated in CO-OP positions overseas in spring 2008, winter 2010 and summer 2011.
What was the name of the company you worked for?
I worked for two companies with the same owner (like Rogers and Fido). They were called New Concept Decoration and Select Decoration.
What was your position title in this corporation?
I was always Junior Site Engineer. I preferred working on site to being in the office 
Why did you decide to do a placement overseas?
For my first CO-OP placement, I was interested in a project in Dubai that involved building the largest FORMULA 1 stadium. That was my first experience, and the owner of Select Decoration needed an engineer who could speak Arabic, English and French. I applied and was selected thanks to the University’s help.
In a few words, how would you describe your experience?
AN EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE! Dubai is a country that doesn’t charge any taxes (TAXFREE!). This means that you can make an incredible amount of money while there. On top of that, projects in Dubai are done amazingly fast!
My first placement was for three months─and there were 60,000 other people working on the same project. That’s like a small Ontario city! And I think that what I learned and saw in three months was equivalent to what another engineer would have acquired in one year. Finally, what surprised me the most was that the 60,000 workers were managed collectively and intelligently (GOOD MANAGEMENT!).
What are the most important things that you learned personally and professionally?
How to live on my own and with people I don’t know.
How to depend on myself.
How to see things from another point of view.
How to contribute to achieving a goal as a team member.
How to be mindful of my behaviour and dress (we were in a Muslim country).
How to take risks that can be costly but that can sometimes solve a problem more quickly.
But the most important thing of all is how to finish a five-year project in six months!
Did any particular experience stand out in terms of “culture shock?”
ABSOLUTELY! In my last project with New Concept Construction and Decoration, I was working in the middle of the dessert building a palace. I was always wondering why the owner wanted to live in the dessert. And when I arrived, what surprised me the most was the difference between two worlds─the worlds of today and yesterday. The palace was located on an island where cell phones were prohibited. So no television, no telephones, no Internet, no Facebook 
. For the first few days I was dying of boredom, but by the end, I realized that the world there was more beautiful than what I had originally thought. I liked how the dessert dwellers, the Bedouins, lived. I liked the fact that, to eat, they needed to hunt. I used to think that I couldn’t live without Facebook and CNN. That’s false! I can’t really explain how you become more relaxed and closer to yourself when you’re away from all the problems happening in the world.
Would you recommend this experience to other students? Why?
Yes I would. Today’s world depends on technology and globalization, so to move forward, you have to see what’s happening around you, and this forms part of the international placement experience.
Interested in CO-OP and possibly doing an international work term? Click here!
