Abu Dhabi: Hassan Ekredi, a Syrian pastry salesman working through the Eid holidays, says he feels happy when he sees the joyful faces of his customers.
"Of course I would love to spend the Eid holidays back home with my family, but I can't. Sometimes I feel tired from my straight 12-hour shift, but I feel happy when my customers are happy," he said.
Gulf News went round the capital and spoke to people working during the holidays.
At a tyre repair shop, Iranian owner Falamarz Abdollahi said so far he had worked on 30 cars. "And it's only 1am. Eid holidays are good for business," he said. "I don't mind working when everyone else has taken days off."
Abdul Maged, a grocery shop owner from Bangladesh, said he gets stressed out during festive periods such as Eid, because demand is high for many items and home deliveries have to be made.
"If I had the chance to take time off I would definitely unwind by travelling to Sharjah or Al Ain and do some window shopping. This is quite exhausting for me and my staff."
Petrol station attendant Ahmad Saker says he awished he could spend Eid back home in Egypt with his wife and children.
Making a livelihood
"When I see people with their families all happy and smiling I can't help but miss my own family. I work nine hours a day," he said.
Ali Mohammad, a fast food delivery man, said he misses his family, but has to make a livelihood.
At one hospital, medical staff said it was a busy time for them. The emergency room was packed with patients and receptionists were fielding phone calls and dealing with walk-ins.
"Everyone is on the roads and accidents happen," said one doctor. "We know a lot of patients will need our assistance. We miss our families of course, but when the patients walk in you forget everything," said one medical worker.
