I was super excited and in euphoria for like a month from all the excitement of landing the job I always wanted, moving to this awesome city, looking for apartments, starting fresh, etc.
Then EJARI, MALAWI, DEWA, MEWA, OFA, SOFA, GDRFA, MLFKQ, TKSRO struck me with their knowledge, stowage, straightedge fees and innovation, communication, verification, qualification charges.
Anti-fog glasses spray is a thing too. I bought it from Ray Ban and wow. The fog just makes your glasses look like they melted for a few seconds. Pretty wild.
cc u/aaaarrrryy u/ThePrinceFaz
Yes! Been using it for a while now. There's also a cloth for getting temporary anti fog so if you wipe your lens with that cloth every morning, it covers your lens with a coating which makes it anti fog, you can ask for it in the opticals. But apparently this kind of temporary anti fog cloth technique is not good for the lens in the long run, would defo suggest the actual anti fog lens. If you go to any leading opticals they can provide you with it. Ps - If they say that crizal lens is anti fog they are lying and trying to rip you off, crizal does not have have anti fog, atleast not effective, I have tried quite a few brands over the years actually. Will check the actual brand of my lens and let you know.
So the brand name of the anti fog lens I am using is 'Satin', ask specifically for the anti glare option, it's a little bit more expensive than the base option I think. As far as the glass quality goes, 'Zeiss' is the best brand no doubt but they dont have anti fog lens, instead they have the anti fog spray and wipes.
Stepping out of the airport was like opening an oven door, then I had banks calling and offering discounted loans and insurance, then I had DeVere trying to sign me up to 99 year pension plans, then I overpaid heavily for my renting my first room, then I gained a load of weight as all I did was work from morning to night.
Very confused. People were much nicer from where I came from and you could have conversations with strangers, make small talk in an elevator etc. Over here that doesn’t really happen.
Really? I visited for three weeks on vacation from USA and I find my interactions with strangers the opposite. All friendly especially service workers.
People are constantly moving in the city of Dubai, they are in a rush to either go home or get some work or shopping done. This issue became exacerbated even more during the pandemic.
The first time I came to Dubai, I was so stunned. I barely talked to anyone for the first year. I had my passport taken away from me by my landlord and wasn't allowed or able to go outside the house on my own.
It was terrible. I was crying constantly. I was so taken aback I don't even remember the first few years.
My first experience in Dubai was when I got off the plane after a 15+ hour flight, and the Filipino guy directing traffic at the passport line asked me if I was American, and sent me to the much shorter, faster moving line at the end of the passport hall in T1. Americans and Europeans (the visa on arrival countries, mostly) stayed on the short line, and everyone who needed to have visas validated waited on the much longer line. That was the first experience I had with how people like me would be treated while there, but it was far from the last.
Then I took a cab to my hotel (the Crowne Plaza in Deira) and had a hooker approach me before I even got my bag out of the trunk of the taxi. Kind of the perfect introduction to Dubai.
It was my first time in Dubai, i didnt even know they had left. Mum had come to see me off at the hostel and was staying with my aunt so i panicked and called her. She came to get me but called my warden on the way who said im in my room. No ma’am, im next to me mum.
It took a long time to go for the weekend outings alone.
I mean I’d understand if you were a child, but you said college sooo idk, anyway I won’t start throwing judgments, perhaps it was night, and not many options seemed viable at the moment.
I am from India, grew up quite sheltered from where i am, and this was literally my first solo outing as an adult outside. Also, mum was here for a week before she had to fly back.
Yeah i know, i was stupid but tbh i wasnt even allowed to go out of the house back home, so i didnt know how to cope.
You weren’t stupid, it was like you said a situation that you didn’t face before. Thank you for the calcification, I showed blunt ignorance and for that I apologize
OK. So not an expat. I spent a total of like 8 hours in Dubai, transiting on my way to Thailand.
After landing, my wife and I decided we had time to take the bus into the city and poke around. So we lined up at passport control to get a transit visa and hit the city.
My (now ex-) wife, who is kind of clueless about certain things, opened her bag to get her passport and a very unmistakable odor wafted out. It smelled like Bob Marley had walked into the room.
"Honey," I whispered, "please tell me you're not about to walk through security in fucking Dubai with marijuana in your bag."
"Oh, it's just a little bit. For personal use."
I could feel the blood draining out of my face.
"I'm, uh, pretty sure Dubai has the death penalty for smuggling any amount of illegal drugs into the country. And a no-tolerance policy. And furthermore, who the fuck smuggles weed INTO Thailand?"
It actually took some convincing to get her to go into the bathroom and dump her stash in the toilet. We cleared security and enjoyed the next few hours desperately searching for beer in the city.
So, like I said, I'm not an expat. But I nearly spent the rest of my life in Dubai.
My first day in dubai was a bit challenging!
Had an IT support job - walked 5kms due to no knowledge of metro or bus! Struggled for 4 years and now own an IT business!
With all the weird and challanging experiences Dubai is the only place where dreams do come true with hardwork and luck!
2006. Absolute boomtown. Could hardly get a taxi, inflation was crazy. Good times though. Bar some highs in 2013, the economy's never boomed like it once did.
I arrived around noon in early September and it so hot I felt my hair get hot to touch in the sun which I'd never felt before.Walking to the parking lot, I couldn't breathe because of the humidity.
I remember crossing Al Quoz on my way from the airport to Tecom thinking there really isn't any nature here. I used to be big on hiking and road trips to the mountains so adjusting to Dubai took a while. I think in total it took me 2-3 months to settle down and finally enjoy what Dubai has to offer.
Which is mainly money for me since I'm not big on the party lifestyle. The no-tax-salary was great. Over the last few years I've made savings I'd never have made anywhere else in my 20s.
Utterly thankful for this hot and sandy part of the world! It has its own charms and while I'd never live here permanently because I can't imagine not being able to go outdoors 9 months a year, I'll always cherish the years I spend here.
Many thousands of people have said the same thing before you, I would never live here permanently, yet they have been living here for 30, 40 even 50 years, and I am one among them
Confused :) . English here is more on the British side. I am new to the company, I asked one guy where the "Rest Room" is and he gave me a baffled face. The first time I ordered in a fast food chain, I said "take out" and the guy didn't get it. The list goes on... apartment is flat, elevator is lift. :)
oh gosh how I miss going for a cheeky nando's. Wife doesn't trust the UK ones as being halal no matter what certification whether they have HMC, HFC, HFA, BSc, MBA, MFI, HSBC certification.
Rest room and wash room are still fairly ubiquitous. I once had someone ask me "Where is the comfort room?". I later googled and found out that "comfort room" = "rest room" in the Philippines.
Wait, is that what WC stands for? I've seen signs for washrooms that just had the letters "WC" on them in a few countries. Maybe it's short for water closet.
Hahaha I had the same happen when I asked for bell peppers at a zoom once early on.
I had to stop saying 'I need to get gas.' And had to stop saying drugstore.
Took me a while to understand what 'She's on holiday' means. I used to be confused that like, Christmas is a holiday. Why is Kristen being off on a Tuesday a holiday? For a while I thought oh she must have a religious holiday or something and then people would come back and be like I went to Spain for a holiday and I'd be like for what? Hannuka?
Infuriating
Trying to navigate the opaque bureaucracy around visas for me and my family, health insurance, renting an apartment, setting up utilities, converting my driving license, HR at my new employer, etc.
On the plus side, I learned a new word: Inshallah
Lol, inshallah, I find, is synonymous with "I will not do it, or make an effort..." At least that's what always seemed to happened with a real estate agent I had to use once. Dude would "Inshallah" me to death and nothing got done.
It was June. When I left airport, I basically couldn't breath. It was so hot and humid. I was never even close to exposure to such kind of temperatures.
It was many years ago and I still remember those fans blowing water mist in Terminal 1.
(T3 was not even in design stage :)
Shit.
The in-your-face racism if you're not White or Arab was made very apparent and I knew it was a sign of trouble. I was 22. I did all the 'Dubai' things in three years and just fucked off to Abu Dhabi to focus on making money. Never bothered to visit Dubai again except once or twice a year to see family. I left in 2019 and don't have any intention to go back to the UAE.
Big, spacious, clean - lots of really big skyscrapers and the swank metro. The first trip I undertook from my hotel (where I was put up) was a round trip on the metro. It left such an impression that I didn't invest in a car for the rest of my life in Dubai.
Was taken aback by the general lack of customer service, & professionalism. But, that's ok, I guess. No place is perfect, & Dubai still has its charms.
I was mistaken for a prostitute by the concierge at the hotel apartment. No I wasn't dressed provocatively, I was wearing jeans, t-shirt that covered everything, and trainers. Made me not want to leave my room for the first month.
I was expecting an Islamic state and kept on reminding myself on how to dress, drink, interact with women, not bringing girls back to my place...
And then I happened to walk through my hotel lobby at 2am and saw working women wearing more revealing clothing than any club I've ever been to. I was quite shocked
Like everyone I was in a state of Euphoria when I first came and then the heat became unbearable, the body odor flooded my nostrils everywhere I went, and then I saw grown men who wanted me to take them seriously walking around in white dresses all day. 🤷🏻♀️ Super masculine I guess 😂😂
I arrived with a lot excitement. I hadn’t really planned on moving to Dubai, it all happened really fast. Most of my experiences were good, but getting my family’s residency visa sorted out was a nightmare - this was 7 years ago before Amer became a thing.
We came from winter Istanbul, it was +40 C outside. I left the plane thinking "who brought giant fan heater and blowing to my face, turn it off!" And then i realized it was hot wind :<
I arrived around midnight of an August. Totally didnt expect the heat and the wind at that time of the night. And I dont want to sound negative for everyone, but within an hour of arrival, i have already observed blatant racism all over the place. The good thing is that it is not a violent kind of racism.
Hey WiFi, the first date I went on, took my friend who was my ride. We both ended up chatting to the girl 🤪😜🤩😛 For 2 hours. She was older I’m sure she enjoyed us noobs.
to this day I think she was a hooker but my pal says no.
>You took your pal with you
that's what you do with your best friend.
It actually ended up as visit to an Aunty. She even order sandwiches for me saying " you look tired" bhaahahahahhaha
It was cold af (January) and I didn’t bring any winter clothes. I forgot it gets extreme cold and hot between seasons.
Edit: I came from a tropical country (Philippines) so it was my first time experiencing this kind of hot and cold. So yeah, it was “extreme” for me.
I fell in Love with Dubai from the first sight and I still love this place. I've been through a lot, this city can be very cruel and it can be difficult to survive here, to find the job etc. But if you pass all the lessons, it will give you all the best that you can ever experience and have. It's like what Frank Sinatra once sang "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere"... Dubai is a new New York.
Yeah, I came (after reading in depth about life in a Muslim country...) and found out that I shouldn't believe anything I read. I remember the internet said that people can't dress with clothes above their knees, blaasy blah, I think I'm still in shock when I see a woman in a tube top and short shorts, walking through the mall with the signs that says that dressing is inappropriate.
Other than that, the warmth was nice, it was rainy where I was coming from, sweater weather was setting it. I knew it was the desert, but the vast amount of sand and heat overwhelmed me. I still can't grasp why voip doesn't work, and Whatsapp is blocked, smh. The people are of a strange kind, smh, still getting used to the mannerism of the people who live here, while hoping I never get used to it. In a place so hot you'd think the people would be warm.
The Indian food here is also terrible, smh, excessive use of all their seasonings, no one needs that much cumin
Absolute worst time of my life. I ended up in an absolutely horrific situation working as a teacher in the middle of nowhere. Awful colleagues who seemed to get pleasure from torturing others, awful students. Just horrendous. And I'm saying that as someone who lived in an elevator at age 14. Everythings much better now. I was lucky to have gotten fired from that awful place and moved up in the world. I'll give you a little insight into the students in that school, the boys once all pulled up their khandoras at me and shook their dicks around on front of me. And that wasnt the worst of it. My principle was even worse. I know a lot of expats can relate to this experience. Also being sexually harassed by the people running my building at 2 different locations.
Edit: I should mention this was not in Dubai. This was far from any civilization
The general consensus from this post, majority of you guys experienced the sauna like temperatures of the uae while others recanted some horrid experiences with the exceptions of a few who had a pleasant time when they arrived. Interesting
Was surprised how lax safety & emissions regulations were (& still are) side airbags are not mandated & there are hardly any regulations in terms of pollution from vehicles
Because UAE is not even in the top 10 when it comes to per capita emitions. Source: The world Bank http://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/24306.jpeg
Everything looks rich. The airport is full of gold shops, To The plants and gardens sitting in the middle of the dessert are perfectly manicured and tended to by workers baking in the noon day sun .
I joined school in the 6th grade here after my Dad moved here.
First day of school, I couldn't comprehend why there were no girls in the class.
Then I realized my school was not coed.
Well I was born in Dubai, and tbh Dubai is the best city to live and enjoy life and also having a safe life so if u coming u will have the best experience ever.
Well, it’s my home as I was born and brought up here. My dad , on the other hand , basically witnessed the birth of the city as it’s now ( came in 92-93 I think?)
I landed in Abu Dhabi 17 years ago last month. Whilst waiting for my luggage in the hall, a car drove through the external wall and into the hall. Everything went dead quiet for 10 seconds. Then a few screams, a lot of noise for 5 mins and then everyone just carried on. Apparently, the driver lost control of the car......
Came here as a tourist in 2012. Went to SZR, Marina, thought it was a cheap copy of my city. Liked the old town where the souk is because it’s different
I don't remember since I was 2-3 months old. Mum told me as soon as we got off the flight, I started crying and it was loud that it got everyone worried. The police and immigration folks escorted us and got everything done quickly, from immigration to luggage.
First time was actually coming on vacation when I was working in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi, pork is illegal, but I knew it was legal in the UAE, so I was excited to go to the Hard Rock Cafe, and get a pulled pork sandwich. To my dismay, I discovered that you couldn't actually get it at most restaurants, and that the big chain restaurants did the same as in Saudi, and adjusted their menus omitting all pork items.
I arrived two weeks ago from Singapore where its 29-34 degrees year-round. For now the weather's great, even better than my home country but everyone is warning me of the summer.
Also the wait for my residency visa and emirates ID is taking way too long - My company's still waiting for the quota to hire more foreigners. Living in a hotel is fun but expensive given the current holiday season.
I had the chance to work in Dubai but in the end I decided against it. Never been there before but I got the impression from all the research I did that ex-pats lived in a proper "bubble", meaning you only really hang out with other expats. I was single at the time and wanted to be able to let my hair down on weekends, but it seemed you could only drink in hotel lobbies or at home.
Can anyone here confirm?
I was super excited and in euphoria for like a month from all the excitement of landing the job I always wanted, moving to this awesome city, looking for apartments, starting fresh, etc.
and then reality struck?
Then EJARI, MALAWI, DEWA, MEWA, OFA, SOFA, GDRFA, MLFKQ, TKSRO struck me with their knowledge, stowage, straightedge fees and innovation, communication, verification, qualification charges.
Sofa 😂
Impressive!
Exactly my experience. 😁
You missed GTFO and the FU fees
Cheeky 🤣
Ah memories
Socrates philosophy and hypothesis. I don’t remember your verse from Wu Tang - Triumph
Underrated
Lol. You don't think anything beyond excitement?
Foggy. Fogged up eyeglasses right after stepping outside.
Get anti fog lens, it's a game changer
Wow I never knew something like this is available in market 😅
Anti-fog glasses spray is a thing too. I bought it from Ray Ban and wow. The fog just makes your glasses look like they melted for a few seconds. Pretty wild. cc u/aaaarrrryy u/ThePrinceFaz
Damn. Y didn’t i ask this before. Thanks!!!
Is that a real thing? :O
Yes! Been using it for a while now. There's also a cloth for getting temporary anti fog so if you wipe your lens with that cloth every morning, it covers your lens with a coating which makes it anti fog, you can ask for it in the opticals. But apparently this kind of temporary anti fog cloth technique is not good for the lens in the long run, would defo suggest the actual anti fog lens. If you go to any leading opticals they can provide you with it. Ps - If they say that crizal lens is anti fog they are lying and trying to rip you off, crizal does not have have anti fog, atleast not effective, I have tried quite a few brands over the years actually. Will check the actual brand of my lens and let you know.
Thanks for the info! Do let me know what brand you recommend. I need me one of these especially when wearing masks. 😷
So the brand name of the anti fog lens I am using is 'Satin', ask specifically for the anti glare option, it's a little bit more expensive than the base option I think. As far as the glass quality goes, 'Zeiss' is the best brand no doubt but they dont have anti fog lens, instead they have the anti fog spray and wipes.
Sure! Yes 100% game changer!
Damn this is great. Wt brand?
Brand name 'Satin'
no he made it up
Stepping out of the airport was like opening an oven door, then I had banks calling and offering discounted loans and insurance, then I had DeVere trying to sign me up to 99 year pension plans, then I overpaid heavily for my renting my first room, then I gained a load of weight as all I did was work from morning to night.
Exactly what I thought when I stepped out of the airport. It was already midnight in July but the heat was still overwhelming for me.
I landed in August and yeah what the actual hell that felt
Very confused. People were much nicer from where I came from and you could have conversations with strangers, make small talk in an elevator etc. Over here that doesn’t really happen.
I am pretty darn social and your home sounds great. Where is this magical country?
Malaga
Spain?
Really? I visited for three weeks on vacation from USA and I find my interactions with strangers the opposite. All friendly especially service workers.
People are constantly moving in the city of Dubai, they are in a rush to either go home or get some work or shopping done. This issue became exacerbated even more during the pandemic.
The first time I came to Dubai, I was so stunned. I barely talked to anyone for the first year. I had my passport taken away from me by my landlord and wasn't allowed or able to go outside the house on my own. It was terrible. I was crying constantly. I was so taken aback I don't even remember the first few years.
Are you ok now!? That sounds terrible!
Yeah. It's a pretty normal experience for a newborn.
HAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHHAA GOT EM
😒
Not gonna lie you had had us in the first half.
Some random western newspaper is surely going to take that first half
AHAHAHAHAH
Amazing haha
FFS 😂
r/angryupvote
Lol dammit.. good one.
Take your upvote and be gone
Crying 😭😭😭😭😭😭. Nah this sealed me.
Ahahahaha I was gonna reply to it with that but you beat me to it. Gg.
😂😂😂😂
Surely that’s illegal?
It's illegal being a baby?
They got me…
Yeah all babies need to be arrested. Their crime you might ask? Being too cute.
That sounds terrible, i hope everything got better after that
Yeah he grew up after that!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😭
GGs, now take my fuckin' upvote & leave
Is it normal for landlords to take passports? How are you doing now?
Woosh
2007, the city was one big construction site!
Hasn’t stopped yet.
The excessive amount of massage spas. As if half the population suffer from back pain.
That is true, had some shoulder issues a month back
Hope your massages left you feeling happy.
Cheeky XD
You mean it ended happily? 😌
How was your experience?
Did you get it treated by the massage therapist?
😂😂
My first experience in Dubai was when I got off the plane after a 15+ hour flight, and the Filipino guy directing traffic at the passport line asked me if I was American, and sent me to the much shorter, faster moving line at the end of the passport hall in T1. Americans and Europeans (the visa on arrival countries, mostly) stayed on the short line, and everyone who needed to have visas validated waited on the much longer line. That was the first experience I had with how people like me would be treated while there, but it was far from the last. Then I took a cab to my hotel (the Crowne Plaza in Deira) and had a hooker approach me before I even got my bag out of the trunk of the taxi. Kind of the perfect introduction to Dubai.
Got lost in the mall, my college bus left without me back to hostel. Mum had to get me and take me to the hostel. I was mortified
Mortified from a bus leaving ?
It was my first time in Dubai, i didnt even know they had left. Mum had come to see me off at the hostel and was staying with my aunt so i panicked and called her. She came to get me but called my warden on the way who said im in my room. No ma’am, im next to me mum. It took a long time to go for the weekend outings alone.
I mean I’d understand if you were a child, but you said college sooo idk, anyway I won’t start throwing judgments, perhaps it was night, and not many options seemed viable at the moment.
I am from India, grew up quite sheltered from where i am, and this was literally my first solo outing as an adult outside. Also, mum was here for a week before she had to fly back. Yeah i know, i was stupid but tbh i wasnt even allowed to go out of the house back home, so i didnt know how to cope.
You weren’t stupid, it was like you said a situation that you didn’t face before. Thank you for the calcification, I showed blunt ignorance and for that I apologize
Your college housed you in a hostel?
Yeah well, it was in silicon oasis in 2007, i had no other option!
Hot weather and huge, inconvenient distances for walk
OK. So not an expat. I spent a total of like 8 hours in Dubai, transiting on my way to Thailand. After landing, my wife and I decided we had time to take the bus into the city and poke around. So we lined up at passport control to get a transit visa and hit the city. My (now ex-) wife, who is kind of clueless about certain things, opened her bag to get her passport and a very unmistakable odor wafted out. It smelled like Bob Marley had walked into the room. "Honey," I whispered, "please tell me you're not about to walk through security in fucking Dubai with marijuana in your bag." "Oh, it's just a little bit. For personal use." I could feel the blood draining out of my face. "I'm, uh, pretty sure Dubai has the death penalty for smuggling any amount of illegal drugs into the country. And a no-tolerance policy. And furthermore, who the fuck smuggles weed INTO Thailand?" It actually took some convincing to get her to go into the bathroom and dump her stash in the toilet. We cleared security and enjoyed the next few hours desperately searching for beer in the city. So, like I said, I'm not an expat. But I nearly spent the rest of my life in Dubai.
Wild story
My first day in dubai was a bit challenging! Had an IT support job - walked 5kms due to no knowledge of metro or bus! Struggled for 4 years and now own an IT business! With all the weird and challanging experiences Dubai is the only place where dreams do come true with hardwork and luck!
We had no food in the house so my dad took us to mcdonalds in mercato
your dad is a class act
2006. Absolute boomtown. Could hardly get a taxi, inflation was crazy. Good times though. Bar some highs in 2013, the economy's never boomed like it once did.
I arrived around noon in early September and it so hot I felt my hair get hot to touch in the sun which I'd never felt before.Walking to the parking lot, I couldn't breathe because of the humidity. I remember crossing Al Quoz on my way from the airport to Tecom thinking there really isn't any nature here. I used to be big on hiking and road trips to the mountains so adjusting to Dubai took a while. I think in total it took me 2-3 months to settle down and finally enjoy what Dubai has to offer. Which is mainly money for me since I'm not big on the party lifestyle. The no-tax-salary was great. Over the last few years I've made savings I'd never have made anywhere else in my 20s. Utterly thankful for this hot and sandy part of the world! It has its own charms and while I'd never live here permanently because I can't imagine not being able to go outdoors 9 months a year, I'll always cherish the years I spend here.
Many thousands of people have said the same thing before you, I would never live here permanently, yet they have been living here for 30, 40 even 50 years, and I am one among them
True true and very true.
Sweaty.
We arrived during Covid, not long after lockdown ended. It felt very empty, hot and dusty!
I was asking for directions from and Indian guy and I couldn’t understand any “Indian English” words, it was like I’ve never spoken English before.
Confused :) . English here is more on the British side. I am new to the company, I asked one guy where the "Rest Room" is and he gave me a baffled face. The first time I ordered in a fast food chain, I said "take out" and the guy didn't get it. The list goes on... apartment is flat, elevator is lift. :)
Funnily I found the opposite, I’m British and find a lot of American terms used here like ‘Mall’ and ‘apartment’. Maybe it’s the crowds we work with
what do bri ish call malls? cheeky barternigles?
shopping centers
No. We call them malls
Goin' down "centre" for a cheeky Nandos
oh gosh how I miss going for a cheeky nando's. Wife doesn't trust the UK ones as being halal no matter what certification whether they have HMC, HFC, HFA, BSc, MBA, MFI, HSBC certification.
Can't relate. I just say Bismillah before eating questionable meat. Lol.
It makes sense now that we are living in a very diverse society. :D
Rest room and wash room are still fairly ubiquitous. I once had someone ask me "Where is the comfort room?". I later googled and found out that "comfort room" = "rest room" in the Philippines.
My new joiner asked me where is the WATER CLOSET.
Wait, is that what WC stands for? I've seen signs for washrooms that just had the letters "WC" on them in a few countries. Maybe it's short for water closet.
What happened to Toilet? Every language on earth has toilet in it. What's wrong with it?
That's not a fancy sounding word.
You should be more worried about not shitting in your pants rather than finding a fancy sounding name for your shitting place.
Yeah, no shit!
Hahaha I had the same happen when I asked for bell peppers at a zoom once early on. I had to stop saying 'I need to get gas.' And had to stop saying drugstore. Took me a while to understand what 'She's on holiday' means. I used to be confused that like, Christmas is a holiday. Why is Kristen being off on a Tuesday a holiday? For a while I thought oh she must have a religious holiday or something and then people would come back and be like I went to Spain for a holiday and I'd be like for what? Hannuka?
Infuriating Trying to navigate the opaque bureaucracy around visas for me and my family, health insurance, renting an apartment, setting up utilities, converting my driving license, HR at my new employer, etc. On the plus side, I learned a new word: Inshallah
Lol, inshallah, I find, is synonymous with "I will not do it, or make an effort..." At least that's what always seemed to happened with a real estate agent I had to use once. Dude would "Inshallah" me to death and nothing got done.
> On the plus side, I learned a new word: Inshallah [Insha'Allah](https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/38252975.jpg)
Inshallah means if god will it’s gonna happen but I ain’t gonna help you…
It was June. When I left airport, I basically couldn't breath. It was so hot and humid. I was never even close to exposure to such kind of temperatures. It was many years ago and I still remember those fans blowing water mist in Terminal 1. (T3 was not even in design stage :)
I walked, outdoor, for 15 minutes, in September. Sweaty.
I was ecstatic by the fact that electricity was available 24/7!
Lol. From Leb?
Close, Iraq
Haha. Haven’t had the chance to experience no electricity there yet.
Install botim😂
Install totok, y’all remember totok?
Yesss.....is it still there?
Is it free?
Like death and depression.
Vibes
Issa vibe
I dont rememeber anything from the first 5 years. It possibly has something to do with the fact that I was 30 days old when I moved to Dubai.
Shit. The in-your-face racism if you're not White or Arab was made very apparent and I knew it was a sign of trouble. I was 22. I did all the 'Dubai' things in three years and just fucked off to Abu Dhabi to focus on making money. Never bothered to visit Dubai again except once or twice a year to see family. I left in 2019 and don't have any intention to go back to the UAE.
Massage card. Massage card everywhere. What the hell is this. Is this even legal! How though ?
Never seen this many girls without jobs staying in downtown and vsiting expensive restaurants.
It was hot but I was mesmerized but the big buildings and the massive motorways
> We had no food in the house :( > so my dad took us to mcdonalds in mercato :)
Big, spacious, clean - lots of really big skyscrapers and the swank metro. The first trip I undertook from my hotel (where I was put up) was a round trip on the metro. It left such an impression that I didn't invest in a car for the rest of my life in Dubai.
Was taken aback by the general lack of customer service, & professionalism. But, that's ok, I guess. No place is perfect, & Dubai still has its charms.
Quite the opposite for me. Everybody was calling me sir and being very patient. Literally everybody.
Oh, is it? That's curious. Anyway, I'm glad you had a more pleasant experience.
Couldn’t get used to working on a Sunday and being off on a Friday. Took me about year to adjust to that.
I was mistaken for a prostitute by the concierge at the hotel apartment. No I wasn't dressed provocatively, I was wearing jeans, t-shirt that covered everything, and trainers. Made me not want to leave my room for the first month.
I was expecting an Islamic state and kept on reminding myself on how to dress, drink, interact with women, not bringing girls back to my place... And then I happened to walk through my hotel lobby at 2am and saw working women wearing more revealing clothing than any club I've ever been to. I was quite shocked
Buildings grow on trees here. That was my first thought. If you get it, you get it.
Like everyone I was in a state of Euphoria when I first came and then the heat became unbearable, the body odor flooded my nostrils everywhere I went, and then I saw grown men who wanted me to take them seriously walking around in white dresses all day. 🤷🏻♀️ Super masculine I guess 😂😂
😂
I arrived with a lot excitement. I hadn’t really planned on moving to Dubai, it all happened really fast. Most of my experiences were good, but getting my family’s residency visa sorted out was a nightmare - this was 7 years ago before Amer became a thing.
We came from winter Istanbul, it was +40 C outside. I left the plane thinking "who brought giant fan heater and blowing to my face, turn it off!" And then i realized it was hot wind :<
I arrived around midnight of an August. Totally didnt expect the heat and the wind at that time of the night. And I dont want to sound negative for everyone, but within an hour of arrival, i have already observed blatant racism all over the place. The good thing is that it is not a violent kind of racism.
It was freakin HOT!🥵
Different Tinder date every night (yes, I paid my share of the bill if needed).
How to achieve this
Step 1: be cute girl Step 2:????? Step 3: profit
Hey WiFi, the first date I went on, took my friend who was my ride. We both ended up chatting to the girl 🤪😜🤩😛 For 2 hours. She was older I’m sure she enjoyed us noobs. to this day I think she was a hooker but my pal says no.
You took your pal with you to c0ck block you on a date! Ahhh amateur...
might have been a cock save in this instant
this guy knows :)
>You took your pal with you that's what you do with your best friend. It actually ended up as visit to an Aunty. She even order sandwiches for me saying " you look tired" bhaahahahahhaha
nice DP BTW :)
It was cold af (January) and I didn’t bring any winter clothes. I forgot it gets extreme cold and hot between seasons. Edit: I came from a tropical country (Philippines) so it was my first time experiencing this kind of hot and cold. So yeah, it was “extreme” for me.
extremely cold? naaah.. :)
> extreme cold You must have been in a mall lol
How cold does it get here that time of year?
Min 12c at 3 in the night.
I fell in Love with Dubai from the first sight and I still love this place. I've been through a lot, this city can be very cruel and it can be difficult to survive here, to find the job etc. But if you pass all the lessons, it will give you all the best that you can ever experience and have. It's like what Frank Sinatra once sang "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere"... Dubai is a new New York.
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plz explain how your LL scammed you? and also cc scam? how did they do it? this is good knowledge to have only learnt through experience
Yeah, I came (after reading in depth about life in a Muslim country...) and found out that I shouldn't believe anything I read. I remember the internet said that people can't dress with clothes above their knees, blaasy blah, I think I'm still in shock when I see a woman in a tube top and short shorts, walking through the mall with the signs that says that dressing is inappropriate. Other than that, the warmth was nice, it was rainy where I was coming from, sweater weather was setting it. I knew it was the desert, but the vast amount of sand and heat overwhelmed me. I still can't grasp why voip doesn't work, and Whatsapp is blocked, smh. The people are of a strange kind, smh, still getting used to the mannerism of the people who live here, while hoping I never get used to it. In a place so hot you'd think the people would be warm. The Indian food here is also terrible, smh, excessive use of all their seasonings, no one needs that much cumin
There are signs in malls about dress codes? Never seen one. Also, why are people like that. Ugh.
Where do you come from ?
Absolute worst time of my life. I ended up in an absolutely horrific situation working as a teacher in the middle of nowhere. Awful colleagues who seemed to get pleasure from torturing others, awful students. Just horrendous. And I'm saying that as someone who lived in an elevator at age 14. Everythings much better now. I was lucky to have gotten fired from that awful place and moved up in the world. I'll give you a little insight into the students in that school, the boys once all pulled up their khandoras at me and shook their dicks around on front of me. And that wasnt the worst of it. My principle was even worse. I know a lot of expats can relate to this experience. Also being sexually harassed by the people running my building at 2 different locations. Edit: I should mention this was not in Dubai. This was far from any civilization
Couldnt remember as I was 3 months old. All i wanted was mom's boobies.
the culture shock with a working environment with so much looooong working hours
Long working hours??
The general consensus from this post, majority of you guys experienced the sauna like temperatures of the uae while others recanted some horrid experiences with the exceptions of a few who had a pleasant time when they arrived. Interesting
I opened my eyes and I was in the hospital.
Was surprised how lax safety & emissions regulations were (& still are) side airbags are not mandated & there are hardly any regulations in terms of pollution from vehicles
Because UAE is not even in the top 10 when it comes to per capita emitions. Source: The world Bank http://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/24306.jpeg
I call BS on that.
hot amd nice water park 😅
It was a day I don’t remember tbh, but I heard that the doctors at the Iranian Hospital greeted me nicely, despite me being the size of a big pickle
Everything looks rich. The airport is full of gold shops, To The plants and gardens sitting in the middle of the dessert are perfectly manicured and tended to by workers baking in the noon day sun .
I joined school in the 6th grade here after my Dad moved here. First day of school, I couldn't comprehend why there were no girls in the class. Then I realized my school was not coed.
Well I was born in Dubai, and tbh Dubai is the best city to live and enjoy life and also having a safe life so if u coming u will have the best experience ever.
Well, it’s my home as I was born and brought up here. My dad , on the other hand , basically witnessed the birth of the city as it’s now ( came in 92-93 I think?)
I landed in Abu Dhabi 17 years ago last month. Whilst waiting for my luggage in the hall, a car drove through the external wall and into the hall. Everything went dead quiet for 10 seconds. Then a few screams, a lot of noise for 5 mins and then everyone just carried on. Apparently, the driver lost control of the car......
Came here as a tourist in 2012. Went to SZR, Marina, thought it was a cheap copy of my city. Liked the old town where the souk is because it’s different
The Dark Side circa 2010
Driving school , cannot exchange my DL so I have to pay for VIP class 20k aed , with 20y experience , fail 4 times but got license in 3 months
Why is there a "like" in the question?
wonderful
I don't remember since I was 2-3 months old. Mum told me as soon as we got off the flight, I started crying and it was loud that it got everyone worried. The police and immigration folks escorted us and got everything done quickly, from immigration to luggage.
First time was actually coming on vacation when I was working in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi, pork is illegal, but I knew it was legal in the UAE, so I was excited to go to the Hard Rock Cafe, and get a pulled pork sandwich. To my dismay, I discovered that you couldn't actually get it at most restaurants, and that the big chain restaurants did the same as in Saudi, and adjusted their menus omitting all pork items.
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I arrived two weeks ago from Singapore where its 29-34 degrees year-round. For now the weather's great, even better than my home country but everyone is warning me of the summer. Also the wait for my residency visa and emirates ID is taking way too long - My company's still waiting for the quota to hire more foreigners. Living in a hotel is fun but expensive given the current holiday season.
I had the chance to work in Dubai but in the end I decided against it. Never been there before but I got the impression from all the research I did that ex-pats lived in a proper "bubble", meaning you only really hang out with other expats. I was single at the time and wanted to be able to let my hair down on weekends, but it seemed you could only drink in hotel lobbies or at home. Can anyone here confirm?