The hotel is located in the heart of Dubai. Jirisan farmers almost rented a hotel.
I was able to find a good hotel with Mohammad’s consideration.
Lee Jang-woo said before getting off the bus.
“For reference, our representative took the suite room.”
“I don’t even need a suite.”
“You don’t need it? There should be at least a conference room in the representative’s room!”
Lee Jang-woo said with a pleasant smile.
Everyone is tired of traveling long distances. After having dinner at the hotel, I told them to rest well, and then to gather in the seminar room tomorrow morning.
“Have a good rest tonight, and let’s meet in the seminar room tomorrow at 10 am.”
When the announcement was over, Lee Jang-woo asked.
“The youth corps is supposed to take a break this evening, but the CEO doesn’t intend to work as soon as he arrives, right?”
“Of course. I won’t overdo it. We plan to get together tomorrow morning to deliver the schedule and share the local situation. You have to say something.”
“I? What do you mean?”
“About life in Dubai.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m the expert.”
The next morning, all the young farmers gathered in the hotel seminar room.
I informed them of my schedule in Dubai.
Jong-moon Cha, CEO of Jungwon Construction, also visited the seminar room and shared the situation of the site.
“The total duration of my work in Dubai is two months. I will directly manage and supervise the cultivation team and the nutrient solution team. The engineer team just needs to move with Team Leader Jang-Woo Lee.”
When I beckoned, Lee Jang-woo came forward.
“This is Jangwoo Lee, who will be in charge of the engineering team. After all, it’s a first meeting with all of you.”
Then one of the young farmers raised his hand and said,
“The manager’s face is not unfamiliar!”
Kang Su-yeol, from the candle school, said.
“You look a lot like Technician Lee Dong-chun~”
The others nodded and smiled as if in agreement.
It was my turn to go.
“Engineer Lee Dong-chun is Lee Jang-woo’s father.”
Everyone burst out laughing at that.
Jangwoo Lee also laughed.
The orientation started in a friendly atmosphere.
I told them about the local schedules and cautions when working on large-scale planting facilities.
The end of the orientation was held by Lee Jang-woo.
“I’ll give you some important tips for living in Dubai. This is high-level information that is not even on the Internet.”
Lee Jang-woo came out with a map of Dubai restaurants.
He introduced food from around the world, from Korean food to Chinese food.
The eyes of the young farmers were unusual.
There were others who took out their notebooks and wrote them down diligently.
* * *
After a pleasant orientation, we headed to the Royal Palace of Dubai.
Hazard, as always, was in charge of the road to the palace.
We arrived at the Royal Palace in a Rolls Royce.
to let u know that i been through a lot then i been going non stop with this practice for nothing
Mohammad greeted me with open arms.
He was dressed in white Arabic traditional clothes.
A well-groomed mustache looked good.
he said looking at me
“Nice to meet you again. My father is also waiting for Mr. Deokmyeong.”
The king of Dubai, Ismail, was also waiting for me.
I entered the palace with Mohammad.
Like Mohammad, King Ismail Salah of Dubai was dressed in traditional white Arab garb.
Seeing the two rich men wearing the same clothes reminded me of Lee Dong-chun and Lee Jang-woo.
Rich Mohammad also had many similarities.
Ismail approached me with a waving beard.
“It’s been a long time.”
I greeted the king of Dubai with courtesy.
“This is a gift I brought from Korea.”
The king of Dubai was interested in the word gift.
Dried persimmons and honey were contained in luxurious packaging.
“Dried persimmons made this year.”
“I have already tasted dried persimmons. It tastes better than the date palms grown in Dubai.”
Ismail took a bite of a ripe dried persimmon.
It seems that he is satisfied with the way he shakes his face with his forehead together. Then he asked with a bright face.
“When will the construction be finished?”
“After two months, we can start growing salads in earnest.”
“When the facility is complete, we will call all reporters from all over the world.”
The king of Dubai, Ismail, was eager to make the plantation a symbol of Dubai.
The more he boasts of his cultivation facilities to people around the world, the higher the status of Jirisan farmers will be.
“We will create a hydroponic cultivation facility that will surprise foreign media.”
“The expectations are very high.”
Dubai King Ismail said, stroking his beard.
* * *
The next day, I visited the construction site of a growing plant with young farmers.
All the young farmers looked surprised. They were overwhelmed by a large-scale cultivation facility the size of three soccer fields combined.
Although it is a two-story building, it reached a height of 60 meters.
For an apartment, it is 20 stories high.
Before putting the young farmers into the field, we met again with CEO Cha Jong-moon of Jungwon Construction.
This is because the manpower of Jungwon Construction had to work together.
He said taking off his hat.
Sweat splattered on his forehead.
“Seeing CEO Kim in the field gives me strength.”
“You have worked hard so far. Now all we have left to do is work together to finish it.”
I said while looking at the huge sculpture on the outer wall of the building.
It is a sculpture that shows the symbolism of hydroponics. The size of the sculpture was the same as the height of the cultivation facility. It is a huge sculpture, reaching a height of 60 meters.
It was also a wonderful piece to create a scene where it rains all year round in Dubai, where it never rains.
“Can we see the rain?”
“It takes about a fortnight or so to get it to work.”
“Won’t it be spectacular when the sculpture works?”
“It’s going to be something that will surprise people all over the world.”
CEO Cha Jong-moon said with his eyes twinkling.
I coordinated the work with him.
He also had to know exactly where and how our workers were deployed.
After talking with CEO Cha Jong-moon, young farmers were put into the field.
In the cultivation facility, there was a space for growing salads and a space for seedlings.
While Jangwoo Lee finished the hydroponics facility with the engineering team, I started working on the seedlings with the cultivation team and the nutrient solution team.
The work went smoothly from the first day.
* * *
That evening, Jang-Woo Lee visited my dorm.
Both hands were full of things.
“What did you buy like that?”
“It should be a celebration party.”
“You were supposed to do that in a week.”
“This is a private party for friends.”
Lee Jang-woo took out a beer can and said.
The beer can he brought was as cold as ice.
“Where did you buy your beer, so it’s cold?”
“I kept it at home. If you put wet tissue on a beer can and keep it in the refrigerator, it will be this cool.”
“I know everything.”
I drank a cold beer.
I felt like my chest was being ripped open.
Lee Jang-woo took a sip of the beer and said.
“I was a little impressed today.”
“Are you impressed? What does that mean?”
“Because the engineering team did a great job. I didn’t need to teach. What the hell happened?”
“Anyway, thanks to the great engineer Lee Dong-chun.”
“Did my father do any magic?”
Lee Jang-woo asked with a smile.
“right. I did magic. All of them have been made by the best technicians.”
We leaned over a glass of beer and talked about what had happened in between.
Lee Jang-woo, who heard the results in Amsterdam, was happy and did not know what to do.
When I heard that Plant Factory only flew flies at the fair, I laughed again.
Jang-woo Lee laughed and talked for a while, then stretched out on the bed and fell asleep.
It was time to make his bed and go to the living room.
The phone rang.
It was Jeon-ri who left Plant Factory.
she asked in a cheerful voice.
“Are you in Dubai now?”
“How did you know that?”
“I read the article and a picture of Kim Deok-myeong appeared.”
I remembered an interview with foreign correspondents at the Dubai airport.
“I contacted you after reading the article.”
“I was just about to get in touch with Harry.”
I was planning to contact her once the Dubai planting facility is complete.
I’m glad she contacted me first.
“How can you believe that?”
Hae-ri asked in a playful tone.
“I was planning to go to the US to see Harry when the Dubai planting facility is complete.”
“You thought you were going to come to America to see me?”
she asked in a surprised tone.
After Europe is the US market.
Jeon Lee has various experiences accumulated in plant factories.
I wanted to discuss with her about entering the US market.
Then she said something she hadn’t thought of.
“May I go to Dubai?”
“Mr. Harry is coming to Dubai?”
Boy selling ice mint tea
“There is something I want to see firsthand in Dubai.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the world’s largest growing facility. I’ve always wanted to see you. Plant Factory is also an unsuccessful vertical cultivation facility.”
Hae-ri said in a cheerful voice.
“If that’s the case, there would be no reason to stop. I will pay for the plane ticket and accommodation.”
“No, I can’t afford it.”
Before we even talk about work. I didn’t want to cause any misunderstanding.
“Then do what you feel comfortable with.”
“We will inform you of our expected arrival date soon.”
Hae-ri said as she hung up the phone. I was looking forward to meeting her.
* * *
It has been a week since I came to Dubai.
I was leading the cultivation team and the nutrient solution team to spur the seedling work.
Jang-Woo Lee and his team of engineers were raising the cultivation facility layer by layer.
There was still no air conditioning inside the cultivation facility. We had to fight the heat and work.
The heat in Dubai is beyond imagination. A break was given between work to prevent burnout.
It was time to rest under the shade of a tree with Lee Jang-woo.
A big-eyed Arab boy came up to me.
“Can I have a glass of ice mint tea?”
The boy blinked his big eyes and asked. Unlike his shabby clothes, his English pronunciation was clear.
“Iced mint tea, how much for a glass?”
“Five dirhams.”
Five dirhams is about 1,500 Korean won.
“Then, would you like two iced mint teas?”
“yes.”
The boy smiled and ran to somewhere. There seemed to be a separate place to make mint tea.
Lee Jang-woo said looking at the running boy.
“I thought he was a begging boy at first. But they were selling real mint tea.”
Begging was illegal in Dubai. Anyone who begs, regardless of gender or age, was punished.
“Have you ever tried mint tea?”
“I tried it, because mint tea is standard in Dubai. It tasted pretty good.”
As soon as Lee Jang-woo finished speaking, a boy appeared.
The boy handed a mint tea in a transparent cup.
“Here are two iced mint teas.”
An ice mint tea that is cold enough to make your hands shiver. The refreshing scent of mint brushed the tip of his nose.
As soon as Lee Jang-woo received the mint tea, he gulped it down.
I asked the boy the money.
“Where does the mint in mint tea come from?”
“Mint was raised by my mother. There are a lot of them at home.”
to let u know that i been through a lot then i been going non stop with this practice for nothing
Mints are as strong as weeds in terms of fertility and viability.
It was not difficult to cultivate compared to other plants.
“The honey in the mint tea was also picked by my mother herself.”
The boy said proudly.
I took a sip of mint tea. I could accurately tell the difference between honey and sugar.
“Did you add real honey?”
He opened his wallet and gave the boy more money.
The boy bowed his head and said hello one after another.
Lee Jang-woo asked me.
“Did you give me more money for honey?”
It wasn’t just honey. Because the boy’s pitiful situation was drawn in his eyes.
The boy seemed to be doing business with his mother. My mother was growing mint and even collecting honey.
A mother would not want her son to do this. But in Arab women’s activities were limited. It is difficult not only to cover the face with a chador, but also to engage in social activities.
A young son had to deal with the guests.
* * *
It is about the time when the sculpture of the cultivation facility is completed.