Heather in Neverland Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 An interesting job opening in Dubai that I would qualify for. It is tempting. But I don't know much about the country. Anybody have experience with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Wow! I'm living vicariously through you. ;) I've only heard about it through a friend of ours. He is a bishop in the Episcopal church and spent time there and Abu Dabi. He loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 No experience with Dubai. But they do have the tallest building in the world there: . (The link is a video from the top. If you are afraid of heights, I do not recommend watching this!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 No experience with Dubai. But they do have the tallest building in the world there: . (The link is a video from the top. If you are afraid of heights, I do not recommend watching this!) THAT is insane!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I haven't had the chance to go there myself, but we have several friends who've lived in Dubai and other cities in the UAE. They all liked it very much, although they're mostly the type of people who would like it. The UAE is an interesting place to live; I'd go happily, although I think Malaysia would be more interesting. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 No experience with Dubai. But they do have the tallest building in the world there: . (The link is a video from the top. If you are afraid of heights, I do not recommend watching this!) That is so awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 My friend lived there as an international student for a year and loved it. She was a 20yr old American girl and had few issues. I'm not sure how it would be for families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well, it's really hot........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I was in Dubai this spring- I have about four blog posts dedicated to it starting with this one http://www.domesticlifestyle.com/?p=6436 I would move there in a heartbeat. It is safe, modest, polite, upbeat, cosmopolitan and it makes America look stupid with education and technology. Love, love, love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maplinmum Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I would look very carefully at the experiences of people of the same nationality as your children, in comparison to expat americans. I think the local attitudes to white americans compared to people of other races could be very different. Also talk to women who worked in positions of authority over there, not just the women who lived there as spouses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Wow! I'm living vicariously through you. ;) I'm glad I'm not the only one! I cannot tell you anything about living there, but I can tell you that all of the men we know from the UAE tell us how they are "the most liberal country" and the Saudis that we know tell us that we must one day meet them in Dubai. Just thought that was interesting... Excellent point about the race thing. As far as I can remember (and I'm too lazy to google), they have a decent trade relationship with India, and even an Indian school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I was in Dubai this spring- I have about four blog posts dedicated to it starting with this one http://www.domesticlifestyle.com/?p=6436 I would move there in a heartbeat. It is safe, modest, polite, upbeat, cosmopolitan and it makes America look stupid with education and technology. Love, love, love it! You are an incredible photographer. I dabble, but you are seriously talented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 An interesting job opening in Dubai that I would qualify for. It is tempting. But I don't know much about the country. Anybody have experience with it? My son spent some time there and loved it. I would say the biggest change would be the cost of living. It is quite high. The other change is the call to prayers. Cabs and cars on the street, all activity just stops. I think it would be an amazing adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 This article describes not a very pretty side of Dubai. Worth reading to get "the otherside." http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 An interesting job opening in Dubai that I would qualify for. It is tempting. But I don't know much about the country. Anybody have experience with it? An American friend of mine has lived there for 5 years teaching English. She likes it; says it's quite metropolitan and has tons of people from all over the world living there. I'd love to visit, but it seems a little urban for me to live in long-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have a friend that has visited there and thought it was great but then she came home and started researching a bit about it. There's a very dark and unhappy underside to the city. I wouldn't even vacation there let alone live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I wouldn't live in Dubai for all the tea in China. I think it is a bad, bad place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I wouldn't live in Dubai for all the tea in China. I think it is a bad, bad place. :iagree: Scary, scary, scary. ~shudder~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Don't kiss in public, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8602449.stm [The Foreign Office advises Britons going to Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates, to be wary of breaching local customs. A statement on its travel advice website reads: "Britons can find themselves facing charges relating to cultural differences, such as using bad language, rude gestures or public displays of affection." ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I wouldn't live in Dubai for all the tea in China. I think it is a bad, bad place. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 This article describes not a very pretty side of Dubai. Worth reading to get "the otherside." http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html OOoohh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Yikes. That's very creepy. I always thought it did seem like Las Vegas gone on steroids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I wouldn't live in Dubai for all the tea in China. I think it is a bad, bad place. Why is it a bad, bad place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 OOoohh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Yikes. That's very creepy. I always thought it did seem like Las Vegas gone on steroids. eta: I found the section on "Dubai Pride" quite interesting. Most of my students are Saudi, and I've learned quite a bit about homosexuality in K.S.A. and this piece echoed it pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 This article describes not a very pretty side of Dubai. Worth reading to get "the otherside." http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html Boy, that was eye-opening!! :eek: A strapping 35yo male friend of ours just returned from a short vacation there. He said he felt unsafe and happy to leave. He is a very laid back person and can take care of himself physically so it was quite a big deal for him to say that. You could not get me to take a single one of my children there for five minutes, let alone dream of working there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I don't think I would want to raise my teens there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) This article describes not a very pretty side of Dubai. Worth reading to get "the otherside." http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html I googled Johann Hari, who is the author of this article, and he recently has been in trouble for plagiarism and fabricating some of his stories, and for maligning other journalists on Wikipedia. I would take this article with a grain of salt. It is very interesting, if it's true, but I would like to see verification of his claims. ETA: a little more googling shows problems with this particular article on Dubai: "In its way, Hari's journalism is as bad as that practised during the dark days of the News of the World," says Guy Walters, a British author and columnist with the New Statesman magazine in the UK who has been harrying Hari on his blog. Hari, he told The National, has "committed three journalistic crimes. First, he has pretended that words spoken to other journalists were in fact said to him. That is plagiarism, pure and simple. Secondly, he makes things up. There is no doubt in my mind that many of the people he supposedly encounters - such as the girl in hot pants in Dubai - are figments of his imagination. Thirdly, he distorts the words of the real people he does manage to interview." One such real person is Ahmed Al-Attar, a UAE blogger whom Hari interviewed while in Dubai. Al-Attar's blog, An Emirati's Thoughts, shows him to be a progressive, liberal thinker, keenly aware of the region's pressing social and political issues. But in Hari's article he emerges as a cartoonish, spoilt Emirati, with a "Panglossian" outlook, who is smugly content with the status quo in his "Santa Claus state". On July 12, Walters reported that he had spoken to Al-Attar, who claimed Hari's account of their meeting was "a gross distortion, and consists of statements that Ahmed says he never made". Neither does Ahmed speak, as Hari wrote, "American English", and nor had they met, as Hari had claimed, in "an identikit Starbucks", but in a hotel beach cafe. And then there are the seven named and quoted characters in Hari's article who cannot be traced, including "Sahinal Monir, a slim 24-year-old from the deltas of Bangladesh", to whom Hari somehow managed to gain access for an interview in a labour camp. Saul says he was prompted to respond at the time because he found Hari's article "disappointing because, maybe out of a false sense of patriotism, I expect publications like The Independent to be honest. I was also disappointed in another way, that any valid points he made - such as maybe there is an element of money-chasing here, maybe some expats aren't the nicest people, maybe some labourers should be treated better - are rendered worthless by the fact they are nestled amongst a pile of ..." After some stronger words, he settles for "exaggerations". "I dislike Johann Hari," he freely concedes. "It's not because he's left wing and I'm right wing or anything like that - my views vary on a number of topics. But he's just so sanctimonious." When the revelations began to surface, he says, "I have to admit that a wry smile did cross my lips ... there is definitely an element ofschadenfreude." " Expat takes UK journalist Johann Hari to task over portrayal of Dubai Edited October 30, 2011 by Sparkle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I googled Johann Hari, who is the author of this article, and he recently has been in trouble for plagiarism and fabricating some of his stories, and for maligning other journalists on Wikipedia. I would take this article with a grain of salt. It is very interesting, if it's true, but I would like to see verification of his claims. no idea about that particular author, but i have a friend who worked in kuwait and Dubai as a texrep(? word). He has told me many storied about how Bangladeshi people are treated in these countries that would back up that article. They are basically treated as slaves, kept in locked compound until they are trucked to the work site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) We have a friend who is native to Dubai and his children are all stricken with the same rare liver disease ds and I both have. Interesting thing, the country of Dubai pays for all of his children's medicine (very expensive $7500 per month -- per child here in the US) and health visits to the local docs. Bad thing is the nearest rare disease specialist is in Switzerland. So they have to deal with the local Dubai medical folks and had one scary crisis with one child almost losing their life -- we helped coordinate a phone conference between our specialist here in Houston and the docs in Dubai. Crisis averted. According to our national foundation leader for our rare disease, the medical care in Dubai is top notch. ETA: It is very metropolitan and the cost of living is expensive. But it is very westernized. They have a gigantic ski mountain in their luxury mall with artificial "snow" for folks to ski down. And yes, some British tourists were arrested for having s@x on the beach one night... it is a Muslim country, after all. Edited October 30, 2011 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I live about an hour's drive from Dubai; I've lived in the UAE for almost eight years. Just like anywhere else, it has its good and bad points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 And yes, some British tourists were arrested for having s@x on the beach one night... it is a Muslim country, after all. I don't imagine a couple having sex on a public beach in America would be left to it if a patrolman passed by, would they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks for all the replies so far. I am aware of the laws regarding public displays of affection and as far as their treatment of immigrant workers... That seems to be the standard on this side of the world unfortunately. Malaysia is full of Bangladeshi people working in slave type conditions and maids are often locked up and their passports taken but here the perpetrators are Chinese. It doesn't make it right but it isn't just a Dubai thing. Obviously, the country is going to promote itself but if any of you who said you love it or that it is an evil or unsafe place would care to expand on those statements so I can understand where you are coming from I would appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) Some thoughts based on several short visits over 5 years: Dubai is very "big city", very international and doesn't really have an "Arabic" feel to it, at least in comparison to Oman, where we lived. Although we loved the quiet, laid back life of Oman, I was always a little envious of all the "happenings" in Dubai. There was much more in terms of activities for children, and adults, of course, great dining options, fabulous shops etc etc. The traffic is pretty bad, so I think you need to plan your life fairly carefully from the outset, i.e. live close to work and schools. There are few Emiratis relative to the expat population, so you will deal mostly with non-Emiratis - Filipinos, Indian, Pakistani and other Arabs, as well as Westerners (a minority amongst expats, I think). We found people friendly. As for the "dark side of Dubai" - sure, there's a dark side to any big city, and there are certainly aspects of regional culture that are negative, like anywhere else. It annoys me, though, that people go to the Emirates (or anywhere), choose to ignore local values and custom, then complain when things go wrong. My French friend who spent several years in Dubai with small children would go back happily - she loved her life there (and has lived in the UK, France and Australia). She enjoys a very sociable lifestyle with plenty of dining options etc. I'm not sure such "big city" life is for me, particularly, but speaking more generally about the region, we'd be happy to live there again. Our experiences were also limited to central, tourist areas - I imagine life in the suburbs is much more laid back. This blog might be helpful - a Christian family running a church in Dubai. Edited October 30, 2011 by nd293 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 I was in Dubai this spring- I have about four blog posts dedicated to it starting with this one http://www.domesticlifestyle.com/?p=6436 I would move there in a heartbeat. It is safe, modest, polite, upbeat, cosmopolitan and it makes America look stupid with education and technology. Love, love, love it! What beautiful pictures!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Some thoughts based on several short visits over 5 years: Dubai is very "big city", very international and doesn't really have an "Arabic" feel to it, at least in comparison to Oman, where we lived. This is my impression as well. We lived in Abu Dhabi for three years and it was similar -- I felt like I was essentially living in any Western city, which was not really what I wanted. I mean, one of the several reasons we moved here was to be in an Arabic environment/culture for ourselves and our children to improve our language skills; but in the bigger cities we were hard pressed to get much of that; our neighbors were Canadian, European, etc. etc. and the default language on the street was always English or Hindi. Four years ago we moved to a much smaller town; my neighbors are locals, and even most shopkeepers will start by speaking Arabic (with me at least). I am very happy to have Dubai and its benefits nearby, but happier to be based in a smaller town. Not just the language/culture issues, but also the smaller town lifestyle -- quieter, less traffic, etc. Being a KY girl I find myself much more comfortable in a more rural area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have no first hand knowledge of that region and I agree that there are good and bad things everywhere. Two things I thought were interesting in the article for anybody who wants to live there - property ownership and what happens if you can't pay debt and environmental issues (practical knowledge). I guess at the end of the day, it's what you make of the place. I think it's wonderful you get to live in many different places! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I don't imagine a couple having sex on a public beach in America would be left to it if a patrolman passed by, would they? :lol::lol::lol: Spot on. Indecent exposure charges, to say the least here in the states. ;) What cracked me up was the supposed outrage by UK folks over the arrest of the couple. Like duh... what were they thinking??? LOL :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 This article describes not a very pretty side of Dubai. Worth reading to get "the otherside." http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html Wow. This was really eye opening. :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 This is an old post-Heather is still in Malaysia! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 ooops it's an old post and I wrote a really long reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I would look very carefully at the experiences of people of the same nationality as your children, in comparison to expat americans. I think the local attitudes to white americans compared to people of other races could be very different.Also talk to women who worked in positions of authority over there, not just the women who lived there as spouses. Excellent advice! I have a good friend who does consulting there (she (that's the important gender part) is a well known, high powered woman who has done education all over the world. She felt that Dubai was a place she was eager to depart from....BE cautious. Living there and visiting there are two distinctly different things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 (edited) Oops! I didn't realize it was an old post either. :tongue_smilie: Edited May 28, 2012 by JessReplanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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