Lucilio Roberto Moreira travelled to sunny Dubai in 2006 during the height of the UAE summer from the lush Recarei, a tiny Portuguese village. The financial-driven assignment was only supposed to last three months. Lucilio, however, has remained in Dubai for 17 years and continues to work at TK Elevators (TKE).
The interesting story of Lucillo’s path from a ninth-grade school dropout to a technically competent professional in Dubai is one of tenacity and struggle.
Arriving in Dubai
Lucilio had no idea that his life would change course when he arrived in Dubai that day. Lucilio, who was raised in a middle-class family and has always been attracted by electronics and mechanics, spent most of his free time playing with toys and other devices. Lucilio remarked, “Whenever I acquired a toy or a gadget, I opened them to see how they worked.
Although we never skipped a meal, having a second source of income helped with our increasing family’s demands, according to Lucilio, whose father was not there to mentor him. Lucilio was able to deal with life’s uncertainties thanks to the single mom’s advice.
Working for the TKE back then in Portugal helped Lucilio hone his skills, which came in very handy for him later on.
Lucilio jumped again and enlisted in the military at the youthful age of 20. The young man was motivated to enlist by the fact that his cousin was a Sergeant in the army’s parachute division. The four-year temporary position paid nicely, according to Lucilio.
As time went on, Lucilio experimented in various roles, from an employee to a subcontractor of the former TKE in Portugal, all in an effort to make a better livelihood.
Marriage and divorce
At the age of 27, he fell in love and wed. The couple was split up along the route once the children arrived and somewhere along the queue, disillusionment crept in.
Lucilio was one of the talented professionals chosen to work on the project by the TKE group in Dubai when work on the Dubai Airport Concourse 2 began.
Lucilio had no knowledge of Dubai other than the fact that it had once hosted the renowned Portuguese footballer Luis Figo.
Despite the difficult work, the revenue was good. He remarked, “The pay was much better than in Portugal.” As time went on, Lucilio’s abilities and understanding enabled him to transition from one difficult assignment to another. He is currently in charge of the Opera House’s service in Dubai.
Upcoming plans
Without travelling to those nations, Lucilio picked up a number of things along the way, including new languages and an awareness of varied cultures and social mores. He also met his Argentinian second wife there.
The 49-year-old Lucilio wants to retire and explore the world, but it may not be possible anytime soon since “I have a family to take care of.”
The mellowed-out Lucilio has adopted Dubai as his second home after spending so much time in the UAE: “a place of peace and tranquilly far away from the maddening conflicts.”
He chose electronics in school at a very young age. Although he loved football, like the majority of Portuguese people, he was unable to adopt the wealthy children’s behaviours that were evident in the football coaching clubs.
Ceased attending school
Lucilio was ejected from the centre courts of the football-obsessed nation, but was it the rich kids’ attitude or the inferiority complex? Only he and the custodian used public transport to go to the football courts; the other kids arrived in posh vehicles, he claimed.
When times were tight, the ‘angry-young man’ also left public school to help his single mother, who worked long hours in a factory making wood furniture, get by. Lucilio’s mother, aunts, and grandmother’s extended family were able to make a reasonable living thanks to the second income he got from his employment.
