Breaking the ice
 

I've been in Dubai for just over two weeks now, so pretty much everything I can sort out for the time being, has been. (well, at least until I get my passport with my residency visa and can start applying for the hundred and one 'licenses' you need)

I'm a sociable person, so I'm not used to being confined to a room at the weekend or evenings. That said, I'm not the kind of person who can go to a pub and start chatting to random people who I have absolutely no connection to (i.e. a shared friend, or even a friend of a friend, of a friend). However, once the ice has been broken, I don't haven't the slightest problem chatting to anyone.

I was wondering if there is anybody in their 20s looking for another friendly face to go the pub with and chat crap.

I'm 25, come from near Liverpool, love live music (rock mainly, though I'm open to other genres), movies, video games, photography and going the pub – more the social aspect than the drinking, though I can drink with the best when the need arises. (God that sounds like a lonely hearts column, which was definitely not the intention :rofl:)

I've heard about the infamous brunches of Dubai. Anyone here attend them, and feel like meeting up at one? Or we could go shoot some photos or play some games. I'm up for anything really – so long as it gives me the chance to get out and socialise.

Right, I'm going to stop typing now before I make myself sound more of desperate creep :rofl:.

Re: Breaking the ice
 

yay a young one like me... welcome! :D

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What field are you working in over in Dubai?

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I'm a magazine editor at one of the more 'popular' and 'well liked' publishing houses. Or did I get that round the wrong way? :rofl:

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Well I'm not due out there for another 3 weeks but when I am sure we could get a few of us and meet up.

How are you finding it so far?

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Hot...and humid. If you're coming out in three weeks, it (the heat) is the thing that will hit you the hardest. Still, I'm a glass half-full kind of person. It can only get cooler. :D

Other than that, I haven't really had a chance to get out and explore, but I'm hoping that if we can get a group of newbies together, we can go explore together.

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Ha, sounds fun! I am up for that! Most of em on here hate it there and cant wait to leave so don't expect to organise a fun packed day of touring the city with them! :rofl:

I was born in UK but parents are eastern so I know all about those rechid summers! Where abouts are you living? Thats something I'm still trying to figure out :confused:

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I'm currently in subsidised accommodation in Bur Dubai, though I'm currently looking up the Marina end, as that's where most of the expats are, and is where the company I work for is moving to.

The couple of times I've been up there, I've found the traffic (and driving for that matter) to be better, building quality is higher and it's just generally nicer up that end. This end is cultural, but it's also packed, a little dirty and overcrowded.

Still, it's nicer than the town where I'm from, so I shouldn't complain haha.

Re: Breaking the ice
 

auzdafluff- welcome, I'm too old at the grand age of 33 so I won't offer my company but if you get desperate I can talk crap with the best of them! Tip- I have found since being here I socialize with a far wider mix and age of people than I would in the UK so be open minded and you might meet some interesting people!

xxx

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33 isn't old... It's nowhere near old :p

Whoops. I just re-read my post and realised how ageist it sounds! :o I had friends who were all sorts of ages.

Of course we can chat crap together.

Perhaps it might be worth looking at setting up a group meet in the next couple of weeks.

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You don't appear to say if you're male or female. It might help.

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Hate it here? Can't wait to leave? Most of us oldies as you so diplomatically put it, have been here a long time and are just realistic about it here.

Oh and when you do get out here and have another load of questions, it will be us oldies giving you our advice, experience and opinions, or maybe you are one of those 20+ brigades who know it all

Re: Breaking the ice
 

She's not going to live that thread down, is she :p.

Anyway, back to the topic, is there a group of people who go to brunches and that type of thing on the board, who wouldn't mind me tagging along?

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the blue thing next to his name does give you a clue...

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Depends on what day of the week it is :lol:

I've amended my profile in any case.

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Fair does to lionheart though, I hadn't filled out the gender settings when he posted. (Not because I was trying to hide anything, obviously. Just me being dozy and not doing it when I first signed up.)

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errr....no actually...
it's just that the moaners seem to feel obliged to share their every depressive thought on here, where as the people that are ok with being here just get on with it...

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well that's good...cause the 'fluff' bit makes you sound a bit girlie...

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lol good post Grace.....
I think that most people who have been here long term are here because we like Dubai. It doesn't mean that we are blind to Dubai's many faults, it just means that we have adapted to them :)

Lets see how long it takes Distinctiveflair to start moaning about the endless trail of red tape living in Dubai entails. Or wading through endless phonecalls trying to get something done! :)

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... well the compromise on the housing has already started...

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Yeah. It's the curse of having a hard to pronounce (when you've never heard it said) surname. I take no offence at being called fluff, fluffy, fluffmeister... I've heard them all before. :p

And @Patsy.

I know what you mean. I just think some people (through no fault of their own mind) have rose tinted views and forget how many things are a pain the ass/non-sensical in the UK.

Part of the fun of moving somewhere else are the idiosyncrasies.

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lets wait to hear about the 5% agents fees, the Dewa deposit, the security deposit etc AND then sit back to listen to the moans that maintenance is virtually non existent and Emaar ( or similiar) won't fix anything :D

Thank God I live in a stand alone villa :D

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Just one of the many reasons I'm looking at flat sharing.:p

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Fortunately I have been out of the UK for almost 20 years, I like living abroad and have always enjoyed the Expat life :)

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lol my pet hate at the mo is when i go anywhere for a drink or to eat is for the waiter/waitress to get the order right, even though i repeated it twice and it still arrives wrong, ahhhhhhhhh

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After several phone calls trying to get a company to give me a quote for my pool maintenance she asked me
"Do you have a name Maam?"

OFCOURSE I HAVE A BLOODY NAME!!!!!!!!! :frown:

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:rofl: painful

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I've experienced that on both occasions I've been to Chillies in Garhoud – thankfully not to me though.

That and a taxi driver somehow confusing 'Chillies, Garhoud' with Jebel Ali the other day.

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How adorably sensitive you all are.

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We are all nice honestly!

Re: Breaking the ice
 

Distintiveflair,

You may think we all bitch and hate it here, but you're not here yet.

I've been here for 10 months now and started posting on here about 3 months before I moved out, if you read through my posts you'll see I've had a real rollercoaster of emotions, when I first got here I absolutely hated it- to the point of crying more or less every night on skype to my friends at home, I spent my first 6 months going through hating it to tollerating it, I knew noone here and felt bloody miserable to be here. I've now made some fantastic friends and am able to enjoy myself more but it really does take a lot of getting used to and is a massive shock when you get here. I still go through phases of hating it but those are becoming lesser, and I can sometimes even see why people like it here.:ohmy:

I have used this forum to air my journey and ask advice along the way, yes it may be negative more than positive but thats how my experience been, I'm sure if I'm still here in a couple of years my views may be different again. You can use this forum however you choose, you can get something out of it or you can all us all a bunch of sad bastards who hate their lives, but you'd be wrong, airing your frustrations helps you through it and getting advice from others who have been through the same really helps as friends and family back at home just won't understand what you're going through and it takes time to build friendships where you can confide so this is a sounding board.

You may love it straight away when you move out and I hope you do, but have a little respect for people whos journeys haven't been as straight forwards as that. I've met loads of people from here and have made some good/great friends, they aren't all miserable bastards! Irony and dry senses of humour that may go over your head may be why you deem us a bunch of losers! :p

And fluffy, I work in Oud Metha so close to Garhoud if thats where you're staying, if you fancy a drink I'd be happy to meet up and chat twaddle.

xxx

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I wasnt trying to be personal at all. I do respect the difficulties you all may have faced when moving out there but people, seriously relax! You all really are a bundle of emotions arent you! If your all this sensitive now how will you ever get through ramadan? Its the weekend. Have a drink. Relax.

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I am sure we'll manage...but thanks for your concern

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ramadan is a real bastard for me. I have to work 9 till 3. How will I cope.

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lol you really are quite cocky aren't you? I am not saying that it is a negative trait, as in some professions/environments you need to be, but it wont work here. You need to be a lot more diplomatic if you are going to succeed here, your clients, both employers and candidates will shoot you down very quickly

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lol, and no tea, my god, how will you cope

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lol are you serious? I wasnt being cocky at all. Just playful. Sorry to have offended you.

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playful- add smilies- ;):D:p difficult to pick up peoples tones on line. :blink: and seeinga s we're generally a bunch of bastards we assume everyone else is too ;)

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no need to apologize and you have not offended me at all. Its just you come across that way and if you are going to work out here and be successful, you will really have to adapt your behaviour to suit the way business is done here, just some advice

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Spot on. DF certainly has a bad attitude and it won't get her very far in UAE.