Differences between Dubai and the UK as an expat

There are 4 main differences I've noticed this week on my UK visit between Dubai and the UK and have reached the conclusion that no where is perfect.

Weather. 
It's winter in both countries now but the differences are huge. I can't get over how cold the water runs from the taps in the UK, even in summer just cleaning my teeth is sensitive and I swear it takes longer for the kettle to boil and food to cook and I defiantly couldn't dry clothes and when mopping the floor it seemed to take forever to dry.

I had no idea how to manage the central heating system. In Dubai you have instant cold air when it gets too hot. In the UK it takes forever to warm the house up.

Dubai - I can't cool down in summer without the air conditioning. I have to spray the car windows from the water bottle to remove the sand. The sea and tap water run at 36c+. It's impossible to have a cool shower.

From the outdoor tap June 2015.

UK - It takes ages to warm up in the UK, but I can do it with extra clothing and keeping active without the need for putting the heating on. It's not pleasant, but it is doable. I have to sit in a freezing car, pressing various alien buttons to defrost the windows and had to buy deicer and a window scraper to see out.

Driving.
Both countries have their own style of driving, after 5 years in Dubai I automatically drive in both countries on opposite sides of the roads. I guess it's like learning a second language, it just becomes natural as you switch from country to country.

Dubai
We have 16 lane highways, they are permanently congested, there is little lane discipline and indicators are rarely used. Parking spaces are huge as are most of the vehicles here. To get across busy junctions you have to drive by and do a U turn rather than trying to cross busy intersections. New roads just pop up over night.

Two years ago we drove across the desert to take a short cut to our house, we now have this.

UK
Lanes are narrower and just as congested. Everything is in mph and I often wonder why it takes me twice as long to reach my destination, then I realise I've automatically assumed the signs are in kms per hour. I don't get confused with the speed limits as the vehicles for each country are in the correct format. Parking spaces are also narrow and far less available. I have to remember to put my own fuel in the car and go and pay.

Shopping.
I constantly think in Dirhams and convert all the time. I'm constantly surprised by UK prices as I haven't lived here for 9 years. It's all more expensive than I remember, but like I said it's been 9 years.

Dubai
On walking into any store you are greeted and asked if you require assistance, even if you say no, you are followed around, goods taken to the till and automatically packed. I don't do online shopping in Dubai as I find delivery times are too wide and someone has to be at home to receive the goods. Most people have live in maids, we don't and I've often waited from 8am for a delivery that's arrived at 8pm.

UK
Most small independent shops I walk into no one ever speaks. Trying to find an assistant in a supermarket or large store for help is almost impossible. Shopping online is easier, parcels will be left with neighbours or you can collect post the following day from the post office and it's easy online to rearrange a delivery.I do prefer wandering around the towns in the open air rather than be inside a mall all day although the views from the coffee shops differ greatly.

Monmouth

Dubai

Getting things done.
It's just as frustrating in both countries.

Dubai
It is easier to visit a branch, store to make a complaint or resolve an issue than it is to phone or email. We don't have street post delivery and the post can only be collected by Peter from his office, so if he is away I'm unable to enter the Freezone to find if anything has been delivered. All voice over internet is blocked in Dubai other than using an app which is expensive and uses up your mobile data as well as a monthly fee. It can take up to 6 weeks for post to reach both Dubai and the UK.

UK
To set up utilities I was on hold with nearly every phone call for 20+ minutes before I was then transferred to the correct department. All emails sent stated a response in 2-3 days or even up to 2 weeks.

Dubai or the UK?

Well from next month I'll have the best of both worlds with a home in 2 countries. I found winter in the UK to be as unpleasant as summer is in Dubai. While my main residence will be in the UK I still ahve the advantage of making regular trips to Dubai in winter and have the best of both worlds.

In regards to getting things done, I'll just have to keep switching between my Dubai and UK brain, as I do when I'm driving and hopefully it will all become 2nd nature to me quite quickly.

Week 41 - My Sunday Photo

Last Sunday I had a phone call out the blue. I'd met a woman a month or so back who asked for my CV for the school she worked at. At this point I'd given up looking for employment and was booking my promised trip back to South Africa to work with a couple of charities for a month. I'd sent off endless emails and CV's, knocked on numerous doors and considered returning to the UK for work .

I was invited for an interview on Monday as a Learning mentor, then asked if I'd be interested in shadow teaching. My interview went well and I was told I'd be employed and I'd hear from HR in the week.

I then had another call in the afternoon and was asked to come back in on Tuesday for an interview with the principal and her deputy. I left with a job offer after discussing my involvement in whole school SEN and an idea of a pay scale and my working hours.

I'm off to South Africa on Thursday for 5 weeks to work with a couple of charities and on my return I'll start the job.

It's been almost 5 years since I was in full time paid employment. I've was working as a volunteer for the 4 years I was in South Africa, but volunteering was flexible.

I'm neither excited or nervous about returning to the world of work, for some reason people think I should be one or the other. I'm just aware that this is another huge change for me, a new identity, a new routine that I will have to adjust to.

After giving up work and the kids leaving home and 2 international relocations in the past 5 years, I'd sort of got used to the me I am now, sort of got used to managing my own time, going out when I wanted, cleaning as and when needed, shopping if I felt like it and numerous coffee mornings.

Hopefully we'll start to save some money now with me out the house everyday as it is getting cooler week by week, we'll still need the air con for the cat and dog, but we'll keep them in the conservatory with access to the kitchen during the day and only run the one unit.

Winter is coming in the UK and I'm sure you'll be switching your central heating on soon. Do any of you heat your house to 26c to keep warm? We're battling to cool our house down to this temperature. Our average monthly bill is around £500.

Dhow Dinner Cruise and Ramadan

It's summer in Dubai and that means it is very hot, which means outside activities are limited. The temperatures in the day are around 42c but only drop 4-5c after sunset. Last week in Dubai the top temperature was recorded at 50.5c, it was unbearable. It does help going down to the beach in the evenings where there is a slight breeze, but the water is the same temperature as the air, but psychologically it feels cooler.

There are many bargains to be had at this time of the year to encourage people to come outside. We took advantage of a half price Dhow Dinner Cruise this week.

Ramadan is approaching, still waiting for confirmation from the moon, due around Wednesday/Thursday next week. Everywhere is offering some amazing deals on experiences, restaurants, entertainment, food and general shopping. I'm going to be in Canada for 3 weeks of Ramadan, it was planned to be this way, as when I initially looked at these dates, we were still living in South Africa. But it's good on many levels. I'm not a muslim but I have to follow the same rules and won't be able to eat or drink in public during daylight hours, neither am I permitted to smoke which is my biggest vice. As I don't work, my activities would be very limited and although I do spend most of the day in the house anyway, due to the heat, I do like to pop out for a coffee and socialise, it can be very lonely otherwise.

The deal we had for the Dhow Dinner Cruise was AED 65 each, I responded to an advertisement on face book, I paid for my vouchers, which I then emailed to the company with my preferred date and they emailed back confirmation, however on the day we were due, I had no idea where we were going other than somewhere in the creek and both the Dhow and the discount company were slow to respond and eventually I received an SMS to tell me where. Baniyas Street, opp Bank Saderat Iran and Emirates NBD.

We left the car at the train station and travelled to Union.

If you arrive early there are plenty of shops open before and after the cruise and some really cheap souvenirs can be found here.

Signage isn't the best in Dubai, so using google maps and locating which side of the station the creek was on, we had a short walk to the creek and then had to locate our Dhow. Of course we turned left towards the Emirates NBD large building to discover the Dhow was actually at the other end of the creek next to the small local branch.

Sitting on the Dhow for 20 mins waiting for passengers to board, we were given unlimited water and fruit juices. Once everyone arrived and took their seats, we set off into the creek with all the other boats and after turning left, we promptly stopped while they opened up the buffet.

 The food was very good, plenty of choice but if you're not a fan of hot and spicy food then this trip isn't for you. The food was clearly labelled so you knew if it was fish, chicken, lentils, veg etc. We piled a little bit of everything onto our plates. My son doesn't eat fish so avoided the last dish, which although written in English didn't actually tell us what it was, but looked fishy.

Having spooned it over my rice and returned to the table I took a forkful of the 'fish' with some rice and curried veg. Mmmmmmm interesting combination, I'd spooned a desert of sponge cake and white custard over my dinner. Oh well, I ate it, it wasn't that bad....lol.

We then cruised very slowly past the Sheiks Palace's. no photography is allowed and it was clearly sign posted to say this. The cruise operators were very quick to tell a couple they must put their cameras away, I believe it's an imprisonable offence. I wasn't taking the risk, especially after the 3 Brits who were jailed early this year for taking photos at an airport.

The entertainment was described as music and a magician. The speakers were a little dodgy which pleased me as I'm not a big fan of loud music. The entertainer was a man wearing a large skirt which whirled around in the air with him and lit up when he lifted it over his head and spun it around. He was moving from Dhow to Dhow on an Abra, a small boat, and the show only lasted a few minutes.

Although the food was good there were several complaints. I'm a great believer in actually making a complaint at the time and if the issue isn't resolved, I'll take it further with management and only if they fail to acknowledge the complaint will I take to social media, which usually is the only way to get a response, sadly, these days.

The toilets were filthy, even my son said the men's wasn't far off unusable. I have found in Dubai that of all the places I've visited that they without a doubt have the dirtiest toilets ever. It can't be cultural, there are too many nationalities living here, but I truly wonder what toilets look like back in some peoples homes. I did complain and was offered some toilet paper, when I said they needed cleaning, I was dismissed.

I also wasn't impressed by the way the Dhow looked. At the top of the stairs were the bins, black bags on the floor. Looking at the other Dhows on the creek you could see they were all cleaner, tidier and offered seating downstairs where the aircon was switched on, we however were made to stay upstairs and there were some grumpy, unhappy children whose parents didn't have the option, to take them out of the heat to cool down.

They allowed smoking on the Dhow, yes I'm a smoker, but still, we were eating and there were children around. Both parents of 2 families were smoking while their children were still eating, with the kids sitting on the edge of the Dhow the smoke was being sucked in front of their faces and all the way through my meal I had to contend with the smoke from the table behind me.

Thankfully the 2 hour cruise time was actually only 90 minutes and I had I been enjoying the cruise I may have been annoyed that it was 30 minutes less than advertised.

All in all, it really wasn't 'MY' thing. Everyone says 'you MUST go on the dhow dinner cruise, but now I know why they rant and rave over it, having seen some of the other boats, where alcohol was served, music was blaring and individuals probably paid around AED 500/£90 for the experience.

Large social, party scenes are not for me and I'm also not comfortable around large groups of people when alcohol is being consumed, especially on a boat, in the dark.

Over the next few weeks for Animal Tales, HDYGG and Time Traveller I will be using old posts for linking up while I'm on holiday. I'm hoping for an encounter with a bear or a moose while I'm in Canada for Animal Tales, I'll be blogging about Catherine's garden who you can find on twitter as @alwaysaredhead where I'll be staying for my holiday and of course thtere will be numerous posts for Time Traveller.

Winter in Dubai? or just a marketing exercise?

It is mid winter in Dubai, now bare in mind we've moved from the middle of summer in South Africa, so we're not tourists arriving looking for some sun. OK I grant you it's a little chilly in the morning and last thing at night, especially if you're eating outside in a restaurant near the sea, but seriously? these are common temperatures, it's not that cold, in fact it's actually rather pleasant.

In South Africa the winter temperatures are the same in the day, but at night time it drops to zero and below and as soon as the sun sets it gets proper cold. The houses in SA aren't really equipped for winter there and as soon as the end of May approaches out come the winter clothes, hat, scarves, electric blankets, fluffy sheets and boots.

The trouble is though that during the day you will need to change outfits and end up carrying around winter gear and wishing you'd popped your sandals in the car rather than being stuck wearing boots at midday.

In Dubai though, a pashmina will do to take the chill off in the early mornings and evenings, in fact it's probably colder in the air conditioned malls than it is outside at night fall, but that doesn't stop the shops being full of winter clothing, boots, hats and scarves.

I'm sure it's a marketing device, lets make people feel it's cold during the winter by selling winter clothing, lets create the feeling of winter with snow scenes. Starbucks sell the 'winter warmer' coffees with seasonal syrups, iced gingerbread snowmen with scarves on.

It's an attempt to make you feel like it is cold so they can sell you stuff you really don't need.

I wrote this post 2 weeks ago, since then we've had storms and the annual rainfall fell in one go on Sunday and Monday this week. The temperature has dropped, the air conditioning has been adjusted and I'm considering buying a pair of socks, but I don't need a winter wardrobe.