Millhouse

Hola!

I've had 14 great years here, and I'm finally out of these dusty lands; four years longer than I had initially planned and je ne regrette rien! The UAE is a wonderful place that has a special place in my heart.

Some observations:

• This place gets very samey very fast. There is no nature to speak of, and you are stuck inside for close to eight months a year (I would have previously argued it's only four months, but the reality is it is much more - but still better than the UK's gloom). Aside from eating and drinking, there is not much to do here.
• The two buckets theory is true, and the rate at which the shit bucket fills up accelerates as the money bucket becomes closer to the top. My shit bucket has been filled by the terrible (and declining) air quality. I'm suffering from allergies almost daily now.
• The service culture is incredible. CAFU is the best invention since the discovery of fire.
• The cost of living here is incredibly cheap when compared to taxed Euro salaries (or just expensive US service costs)
• 2014/2015 was peak Dubai in terms of quality/price.
• It is not easy to leave here (mentally and logistically). Closing bank accounts is painful, and everyone wants their last bite of your ass. My wife's dormant ADCB account has a closing fee of 5200dh due to an uncleared 2dh ATM fee from 3 years ago.
• The country has one of the best governments (and government services) on earth.
• The best thing about Dubai is the people that are here. A young, dynamic population that is fun, bright, ambitious and, for the most part, looks good.
• The worst thing about Dubai is the people that are here. No one truly wants to be here. They are either running from something (taxes, ex-wives, poverty etc.) or are busy filling their two buckets; this is the same if you come from a small village in India or downtown New York. The place hardens you to all these sob stories.

I wish everyone here the best. The transition to a Christian weekend will probably benefit the few and screw the majority, luckily most people on this forum are in the few.

My advice to anyone coming here is:

• Have an exit plan.
• Maintain your standards - work here is sloppy, don't get sucked down by others.
• Be kind to everyone and connect with everyone at all levels (cleaners, security, crew, service staff) - it will pay dividends.
• Don't try and stay at any cost. If it stops working for you, leave
• Don't try and make it England in the Sun or behave like you would at home.

You never know when you need to leave, and very few plan for it. The UAE welcomes everyone regardless of how rich or poor they are, but it does its absolute best to send them back the way they came.

Adios amigos.

HiHo

Adios amigo,
Ill be joining you, Riyadh has become the Dubai of the 00s. The real money has run out and the bottom feeders have moved on from Dubai to suck it dry.
Their is a new coffee shop on Olaya street called Toby Estates so I'm guessing the rumours must have some substance. Alcohol will be the death nail for the drug dealers.

weasel decentral

Well done geezer and good luck in the new adventures in Spain. I'm currently exiting India also so will be back to Europe quite soon - though less costa del sol, more costa del rain

flares

Strewth mate. Toby's Estate in Saudi. Is the exotically-named Wayne's Coffee still going strong?

HiHo

yes it is flares, but don't you think it is more curious that a UK brewer has acquired a prime real estate in Riyadh?

DXBtoDOH

Well said, Millhouse. I had a great time in Dubai and can be wistful for it but in retrospect it's usually more wistful for being a certain age in a certain place making a certain income. No real desire to move back though I'd love to visit periodically. It is still in the blood.

Agree on air pollution and the dust. But if you thought you had it bad in the UAE, Qatar is far worse.

Miss the service and smiling faces and twice weekly cleaners. And that everyone is neatly dressed and presented and polite. It's staggering how few slobs and yobs there are that going back to the UK was always a bit of a shock. And for someone with a keen interest in political theory, the experience of living in what is probably the most benevolent despotism in the world was also fascinating.

Good luck with your next adventure. And Dubai's way of shaking you down with the 5200 AED charge is, well, so very Dubai.

flares

Isn't it a franchise of an Aussie coffee house? Lots of them in Kuwait

Or is it a front...for something sinister?

Sure it won't be long until a Brewdog AF site crops up in KSA - even though their AF is 0.5% proof

flares

and good luck in the new country Emirates Millhouse

DXBtoDOH

Saw this in the Times today:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/u...ilms-nj2zffhx9

With the change to the weekends days, booze and brunches during Ramadan daylight hours, and now uncensored films, what is left? For those of us who lived in the UAE going back to the mid 2000s we've definitely seen many a change. Was it always for the better? Who knows. If the UAE is stripped of most of the little cultural differences then what are you left with? Just the money? The older I am the more I understand modernisation and globalisation isn't always progress.

Paracletus

All the best. This forum won't be the same without you, unless you plan to pop by on occasion. I say that as mostly having lurked for the best part of a decade on here.

pharid

I saw your comment on Reddit the other day "Dubai has terrible air, this is why I’m leaving Dubai."
Funny how 14 years after it all boils down to Dubai having terrible air..that's funny. You just felt like you outgrew Dubai in some way, it does happen at a certain stage and it's totally understandable. Best of luck as you turn the page and begin writing your next chapter. you said something about Spain and then the U.S? hell of a ride mate, far less comfortable than a camel ride this time trust me. Dubai is here to stay..time will tell.

Millhouse

yes, it was a combination of a few things: my working hours started to suck (job moved to california so 12 hour time differences), over the last 3 years or so my tolerance to the dust and pollution has dropped and I started getting asthma, the kids are coughing etc. The driving factor for me though was the dust as I’ve worked bad hours for years. Everyone needs a reason to leave or we never would.

Currently in Marbella where it is freezing cold and pissing with rain. Service quality here is certainly lower but just as I didn’t try and recreate England in Dubai, I’m not going to recreate Dubai in Spain. I do have the option for moving to the US but none of us really want to do that.

If the car shows up today as planned I shall be driving to the mountains for Christmas so the kids can play in snow.

DXBtoDOH

Ronda is pretty.

If you have the inclination, drive to Granada. See the Alhambra with the snow-capped mountains in the background. Best tapas in Spain. We were there for Christmas 2018 and had a lovely time.

BEVS

A new phase in your life Millhouse.
May your 2022 is nothing but joy.

Miss Ann Thrope

Buen viaje y buena suerte!

Hot tip: the Duolingo Spanish course is a lot better than the Arabic one!

And I guess that means we can finally officially pronounce the death of this bored (pretty much on about the same time scale that death announcements follow the actual death of........ well, best you fill in the end of that sentence yourself).