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.

Charity Shops for Going Green

We don't have charity shops in Dubai, but we do have places we can take our unwanted items to and in most cases if you just put stuff outside your front door, someone will take it away and make use of it.

I try to find a home for nearly everything I no longer need. When we lived in South Africa it was easy to get rid of everything, from newspapers to line the inside of shacks with to keep warm in winter, to broken electrical items that would be dismantled and components sold. Even our recycling was collected and sold on, especially plastic bottles.

I learnt quickly that even out of date food was a vital resource for many also.

I'm currently in the UK, I don't have much for donations, but I'll often bring things over with me if I have space in my case that I know will be of use here to others.

What I do a lot of in the UK is buy from charity shops. They will be my first go to point for everything, whether its for a hat for our sons wedding in September to a new wash bag for my travels.

My current charity shopping list:

• Books to read
• Jeans
• White trousers
• Casserole dish

I've noticed the prices in the charity shops have increased in price and I've noticed worn clothing only a fraction of the price cheaper than buying new in the stores.

Whilst out looking for a casserole dish, I ended up purchasing a new one for £1.75 in Wilko, as the charity shops were charging over £2. I can't help but think that some of them are pricing themselves out of the market. I know the point is to rehouse and reuse unwanted goods, but I'm not prepared to pay over the odds to do so.

• Do you use charity shops, either for donating or purchasing? 
• Do you favour particular charities? I like the Dog's Trust for clothing.
• Do you find the cost of items has gone up and the quality has gone down?
• Are there too many charity shops in the high street?

Christmas in Dubai 2018

Yes they do do Christmas in Dubai. They play carols in the malls, they sell decorations in the malls and they erect huge trees in the malls.

You can't escape Christmas in Dubai.

From shopping, through Santa to Christmas Brunch on the QE2, it's Christmas everywhere.

Mum is visiting us for Christmas this year, she came in 2016 and is on the hunt for the biggest Christmas tree she can find, we're going to every Christmas market, eating Christmas cake from M&S, watching movies, shopping and she's getting freaked out by spending days on the beach in December.

So far Mum is disappointed with the Christmas trees she's seen, there's no point taking her to the biggest ones in her first few days. She has no concept however of the size of the malls she is in and says this tree is too small.

Another disappointment, but this tree is inside a shop in the mall.

Here we go, she was happy with this tree, but wants more.

The Souk Madinat

Mall of the Emirates I'm stood on the 3rd floor to get the tree in one shot.

I'll be adding more photo's leading up to the big day, so don't forget to check back as the trees are going to get bigger and better.

I'm wondering if Costa Coffee are using the same throughout their stores like they are in Dubai.

It's too hot in Dubai, despite it being winter, so I have a selection of Christmas t-shirts from Primark bought over the years. It's the Christmas pub quiz on Wednesday, help me choose one to wear.

You don't need to survive Christmas.

Ok there are some people who won't cope very well over Christmas and the title of my blog post is not aimed at them.

What I'm referring to are the endless blog posts appearing in my timeline, on face book and in linkys 'how to survive Christmas with kids' and 'top tips to get you through the season' and even worse 'how to explain to your kids why Santa didn't bring them the gifts they wanted'

I'm not opposed to anyone writing any of the above but I do get annoyed when people feel the need to talk about surviving something that doesn't actually need surviving, such as Christmas, especially when the post is titled 'Surviving Christmas with Kids' it's up there alongside 'sacrifices I've made for my children'

Christmas, if you choose to celebrate it is supposed to be a fun time, about family, decorating the tree, school plays, gifts. OK, I'm choosing to leave the religion part out here, that's a different post all together, one I won't be writing.

Christmas isn't about stress, or it's not supposed to be anyway. It's not about whose kid gets picked for the school play, it's about taking part. Blog posts shouldn't be about putting the parents down of the child who took the lead role or heaven forbid the child themselves, because yours didn't get picked. It's not about judging how your face book friend chooses to post pictures of their kids presents piling up under the tree and you writing a whole post on how people like that are selfish and should consider your childs' or more importantly your feelings because you can't afford to do that.

It's not about spending a small fortune on things you can't afford for fear of your child being bullied for not having the biggest, best, most expensive present and certainly isn't about getting into debt for, especially when you're still paying off the debt from the family holiday you've blogged about in a similar vain.

If you can't afford something, then you don't have have it. If it's out of stock and you can drive a 100 mile round trip to collect it, then do so, that's ok, but don't moan about those who do or don't because you choose not to or can't do or don't as I read on a recent mumsnet thread.

Without sounding too old (I'm 46) I don't remember returning to school in January with the topic of conversation being all about who had what for Christmas. I don't remember my kids getting in a strop because they didn't open the right gift on Christmas morning and I certainly don't remember there being a meltdown when one of the older ones informed their younger brother that Santa wasn't real, we just brushed over it and said 'if Santa isn't real then who puts the stockings at the bottom of the bed on Christmas Eve?' they knew I did it and if they visit over Christmas as adults I still do it.

We told our kids that the presents under the tree were from us and family and friends, how else could we explain the random timing and appearance of the gifts, with 5 kids I shopped early, had little storage space, so they were wrapped and plonked under the tree. We were fair with the number of gifts they had, if not the value, they were asked to make a list and Nintendo's and latest PS's were crossed off straight away as being too expensive.

However you choose to do Christmas is your choice and I hope you don't think from this post I'm telling you what you should or shouldn't do. My post is aimed at asking you to take a step back and think about what you write about how others choose to do their Christmas differently from yours and just consider for a moment that there intention might not be to show off, or be aimed at putting you down, just sharing how they do things, in their way, celebrating their successes and hard work and in no way making any one else feel like they need to 'survive Christmas with their kids'

After all it won't be long before like me, you'll be spending Christmas without the kids, they'll have left home, live in a different country, maybe have their own families. Spending Christmas without the kids as a blended family is something we've done on many occasions over the years, but we've still had an actual Christmas, just not on December 25th. Enjoy it while you can, don't worry about the number of gifts, the amount of food, whether Santa is real or not, let the kids discover that for themselves, just enjoy it and do it your way, whether that's with or without a Christmas Eve box or not. My kids remember Christmas, but they don't remember what gifts they had.

My Sunday Photo - Week 102

Christmas shopping at Mirdif City Centre in Dubai with Mother. Peter gave up after 2 hours and half way round the first floor, we got a taxi home.

How to keep a Geranium indoors with HDYGG?

 I've read and been told many times that Hydrangeas are temporary plants and do not survive winters, however I can't image my Gran bought new shrubs every year. She had a wall of them around her house, both pink and blue. Sadly I can't find any photos that show the marvellous display I was greated with as a small child when I visited her house in the holidays.

Hydrangeas need plenty of light to flower but not direct sunlight, hence why I bought mine with the purpose of growing indoors.

Watering can be a tricky business, they need daily watering but be careful the alkalinity of the water can affect the colour of the blooms and can turn this blue bloom into a pink one. Our local water is desalinated, I'll let you know if there is any effect.

Yellow leaves indicate over watering and if new growth is yellow, it may be caused due to the water being too alkaline.

Also be careful not to water the leaves, water the base of the base. Brown spots on the leaves are a disease called Botrytis that is caused by water standing on the leaves for any length of time, just remove the leaves.

Whilst in bloom a hydrangea should be watered daily, but reduced when it finishes blooming.

I selected a plant that filled the pot with it's greenery and still has a few buds. Hydrangeas best like humid conditions to thrive in, with summer on the way, this should be the perfect weather for the hydrangea. The air con is on daily now till the end of November and set around 25-30c. The hydrangea is by the front door where it gets plenty of natural light during the day and is shielded from the air con unit. If the plant gets too cold, large black patches will appear on the leaves and I'll have to  rethink where it lives in the house.

The back garden as we call it, because it is accessed via the kitchen door, which is actually on the side of the house, is the best place to sit in the evenings as we actually have some shade out there, although it won't be long before it is too hot to be outside full stop.

                 

We have to protect the furniture from the sun and dust during the day from the sun.

We found these basil plants growing outside Dragon Mart, I had brought our basil indoors now, but as there are two plants I'm going to take one back outside and see what happens.

I loved these floral displays inside Dragon Mart, you can buy anything your heart desires from there. On this trip we found a shop selling dental chairs and pink wigs, a dog push chair and if you wanted to open a cinema or a crisp filling production line, you could buy cinema seats and filling machines there, I kid you not.

We've got a few issues with lighting in the house, it's too bright in the main part of the house and there isn't enough light in the bathrooms, plus the bulbs, or globes as they're called here, give off too much heat, sadly all our lights are recessed, so it was just a case of buying new LED bulbs, but I did love the many light shops, you can see from the picture just how big the shops are inside Dragon Mart.

My Sunday Photo - Week 57 January 2016

When you live in Dubai, it's impossible not to notice the Burj Khalifa, the World's Tallest Building. Hubby says I have enough photographs without taking any more, but how could I resist this one.

From January 1st till February1st every year in Dubai is the DSF or Dubai Shopping Festival, with upto 70% off almost everything. There are some pretty good sales throughout the year, but the DSF is a big tourist attraction in it's own right, with an estimated 3 million visitors every year.

So with all those visitors here for the shopping it only seems fair that they get to see the best of Dubai.

The Burj Khalifa is currently covered in 70,000 LED's to set a world record for the biggest LED show ever. It covers 32,467 sq metres, which is equivalent to four and a half football pitches.

I've decided not to set myself any challenges or tasks this week as this was the only one I managed to achieve was to visit the Burj Khalifa to see this display. I never got round to the ironing or visiting the beach last week. My only challenge is to get some sleep during the week and not spend the weekend in bed, nursing a heavy cold.

My Sunday Photo - Week 51

I've really enjoyed taking part every week of 2015, it was a bit hit and miss prior to that. Sunday is no longer a day of rest, it's the first day of the working week in the UAE and after the holidays are over I'll be back in the world of work as a full time FS1 teacher.

I've also been taking part every week in Project 365 and writing a weekly blog post of my week. I've included a One Daily Positive into my photos and I've been combining two photo prompts each day. One from Britmums, Snaphappbritmums and the other from FMSPhotoADay.

I'm going to continue with Project 365 but not use the photo prompts as a weekly reflection, but as Sunday is the start of the week I'm going to use this post to tell you about my plans for the week ahead. 

This week I'm looking forward to seeing Star Wars, visiting the Madinat, spending time on the beach, walking Bob in the desert, eating junk food on Cheistmas day and going out for a meal on Boxing Day as a family. The teen has blood tests, I have an MRI, I need to hire a car, do a food shop, wash and iron also and watch as many Christmas movies as possible.

Getting back to the aim of this post. I give you today's Christmas Tree at the Oasis Centre off Sheikh Zayed Road as yes, they do celebrate Christmas here in Dubai. 

                    

Christmas in Dubai #HDYGG?

Yes, they do, do Christmas in Dubai, big time, it is huge and more importantly you will be wished a Happy Christmas in Dubai. They just don't play carols and you can buy a nativity set in the supermarkets and listen to Slade and Jingle Bells in public all day long if you want.

You can take the children to see Santa, in fact you can take your dog to see Santa, you can buy real trees, fake trees, pre decorated trees, stick on the wall trees.

This is our tree, we've had it for 6 years and it was inherited from my MIL, you'd never think it was in the high 20s here, in the day and it's the middle of winter.

The presents are piling up and there is money for the kids

Bob and Pushkins are waiting patiently for Christmas Day

This is the other tree, you can't see in the photo, as there is so much tinsel and too much sunlight, but the tree is purple.

Here are the trees I've seen so far this year in Dubai, not many and no real ones, but at £162 for an 8ft 'live' Christmas tree, I'll be sticking to the artificial ones. Don't think I've ever bought a 'real' tree.

Carrefour at The Mall of the Emirates

Mall of the Emirates

Jumeria Beach Residence

 There were dancers, gymnasts, jugglers and carols being sung also.

At the doctors

Tesco

Shopping for gifts back home - Review

As an expat living so far from my family in the UK, it is difficult to know what to buy my 4 year old niece for birthdays and Christmas, she grows so fast and as a Mother to 4 adult boys I have absolutely no idea what she has a preference for, other than she would like to be a Princess when she grows up.

She starts school in September and on being shown her new uniform she burst into tears stating 'but it isn't pink' bless, she was thinking she could wear one of her many Princess dresses to school as she does currently to nursery.

It was lovely this evening, despite the distance to be able to look at toys online together to choose a little gift from her Aunty to cheer her up. The Disney Princess range is extensive with toys starting at as little as AED 10.

Registering with the Toy Store was quick and easy and as a new customer I received 20% off my first order (see T&Cs)

With orders being dispatched within 24 hours with an estimated 3-4 day delivery, it is great to know that the gift will arrive quicker than the normal postal service of 2-3 weeks for the same cost as the delivery charge.

I’ve asked my niece to put together a little list for me to choose from for Christmas as I usually purchase and deliver gifts when I visit the UK around mid September. By buying them online I can purchase the latest Disney Princess range for my niece with just a click. 

And with an additional wrapping and message service, at no extra charge, I will definitely be using the Toy Store again.

This post was written for The Toy Store

Shopping in Dubai away from the malls and tourist areas.

Not everyone who comes to Dubai is here for the shopping, some of us live here and although you don't pay tax on your salary here, the cost of living is much higher than many other places.

Inside Dubai Mall

The Dubai Shopping Festival DSF, has celebrated it's 20th successful festival which runs January 1st to February 1st and was perfect timing for us on our relocation here when purchasing some essentials whilst waiting for our container and air freight to arrive. Including a massive discount of nearly 50% on a gas oven.

But I'm tired of the Malls now and having done all the touristy things I want to explore a little bit more of Dubai, the real Dubai, not just the attractions and the Malls.

Leaving the train at Diera City, the first place I saw was Diera City Mall, it was well signposted and whichever way you exited the train station it automatically draws you towards it.

After standing back and taking in the sights around me and confirming that everyone who drives a car in Dubai has a horn and every horn works, approximately every few seconds, I headed towards the bus station, in the hope of finding a few local shops. The guide books tell you where you can buy what and where, but when you arrive there's no sign posts to point towards the none tourist areas. It's a bit of hit and miss, but as long as you don't mind walking around and exploring, which is perfectly safe to do, you'll find some delights.

Two different style restaurants, the 1st one was more formal and near the train station, the second one, where I had lunch was off the beaten track, food was very cheap and very good and the staff helped me with directions to get back on the beaten track.

Another place to visit are the souks, but exiting the train at Al Ghubaiba or Al Ras you find yourself in the heart of the tourists again, but if you're prepared to wander a bit off the beaten track, head in the direction of the bus station again.

You'll find some amazing shops selling everything from material, hand made suits and dresses through to spices, gold, knock off handbags and wonderful little street cafes.

I've still Al Kamara and Al Jafilya to explore in search of quality leather handbags, not knock off, but if you do want a plastic designer copy then I've been told these are the best places to go to.

I found quite a few smaller independent malls, selling everything from Loom bands, through to toasters with toiletries, dried foods and clothes and of course what every visitor wants to buy when they come to Dubai, souvenirs.

The shops are packed full and you do have to rummage for items, if you have a pushchair or a wheel chair you certainly won't be able to get upstairs in these places and it can be hard to move around inside.

At the attractions, Marina mall and the airports you'll pay 4-5 times more for the same replica Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, magnet, carpet, sand bottles and camels. Be warned though, when you buy a stuffed musical camel form one of these places it is likely to burst out into a verse or two of Happy Birthday.

Check out the 1-19 dirham stores, souvenirs aren't made to last forever anyway.