tomsmum

Hi Ireland Calling! My husband is also out with SSAT, we came out in April. The local paediatricians will recommend a chickenpox vaccine as chickenpox in al ain is particularly virulent and has a (very small)number of fatalities each year. This is not covered by your health insurance and will cost you approx 700 dirhams (i think). I am going to attempt to PM you with some more stuff.

tomsmum

Been away for AGES and can't wait to bet back! Looking forward to cosi (monday) and playgroup at Hilton (Thursday). I see it is HOT, so much for it starting to cool down!

Practical advice for newies esp those with kids:-

take a cool bag shopping
a plant mister is very useful when your car a/c just isn't cooling the car fast enough.
Hire a car asap and practice driving on friday mornings
Milk loaf is not pleasant- fresh bread from carrefour and lulu is fine
Nothing keeps outside the fridge.
Definitely get a sim card on day one, your cell phone number is your id for EVERYTHING (and you will need your passport to get it)
You will need at least 5 passport photos for everything
Clothes and shoes (especially childrens) are expensive, take these with you.
(I have just bought shoes in the next 2 sizes for my son ready for our return)
On your first shop buy a load of plug converters, although the sockets are the same as the uk, electronics bought in UAE rarely come with a uk style plug.

Hope this is useful!

emptynester

Thanks for the info from one who is arriving fresh next week. The only mobile phone I have is locked from my old vendor in the U.S. Are the prices for a new cell phone reasonable? Where to get one?

tomsmum

depending what you want your cell phone to do ie make calls and SMS, or at the other extreme, take over the world, prices vary. basic models are less than 100 AED but sim cards will cost about 165 aed each (i think!) if you get them from lulu you may get shopping vouchers, there are etisalat kiosks at most malls, (easiest to find at Jimi mall, also you can do your grocery shopping at the superstore there) there is also a provider called du, i don't know who is cheaper. All calls are cheap in comparison to the uk.

We also bought 50 dirham credit which lasted for months (and i was doing a lot of texting).

emptynester

That sounds great Tomsmum. Am I to understand that one does not have to purchase phone and sim card from Etisalat? I didn't think that there were any options. I'm probably looking for a basic phone that can call, text, and perhaps download e-mail. No data plan or Internet apps.

tomsmum

you can buy a sim only. the pay as you go product is called wasel. try it in your current unlocked handset. i doubt you will have any problems.

handsets are available at all of the supermarkets. You can haggle prices down in independent retailers (not the superstore). All the cell phone shops are next to each other so you can get the best deal. They expect you to haggle, don't worry about being cheeky with your first offer. The sim itself is a fixed price though i think.

emptynester

Many thanks. Oddly, my greatest is shaping up to be the ability to stay in touch with the rest of the world. Getting a working phone/e-mail will be my first order of business. I understand that Internet cafes are easily accessible.

Amazing Grace

Please please make sure you download things like Sype before you arrive here as you cannot download it afterwards. Also I have just bought a new phone and just transfer my pay as you go Etisalat sim card to the new phone. I dont know if anyone realises that after a year you have to re-register your sim card on the anniversary of buying it, this cost approx AED100

tomsmum

It is also worth buying some skype credit before you arrive if you plan to call cellphones or land lines of people who can't or won't skype. Home broadband speeds can vary from one day to the next and some days video calling is difficult. Other days you wouldn't know the difference. Generally the broadband is reliable if sometimes a little slow.

zoukla

Hi tomsmom,

Not sure what the deal is. but was told to top up my skype credit but when i got here and tried to use my skype to call non- skype (intl direct dial) it was blocked by etisalat. My vonage also does not work to my UK number. this is also blocked.


Also can you say where the expat areas are in Al Ain and any recomms?

Cochraf

Would anybody know where Khalifah Bin Zayed Secondary School located in the Al Mereijeb would be?

My husband was just told that he would be teaching there so we were wondering where the general area is.

Thanks so much.

arabian

hi
Coming to Al Ain in first week of September.

Will summer be over till then..

My wife is on antidepressants medicines, do i have to bring them along ?
Are they avalabl there?

Amazing Grace

If your wife is on medication prescribed by her doctor then you must bring a doctor's letter and the prescription as you may be stopped at customs when coming in to the country.

At the moment were are in the hottest part of the year and unusually Al Ain at the moment is very humid at times but towards September it will start to cool down and it become extremely pleasant to sit out on an evening and even during the day. Bring a light sweater as you will notice the difference.

Amazing Grace

Skype is not blocked by Etisalat, I am on it now without any problems.

I think I spoke to you on Skype and as I said there are no "Expats" areas as such in Al Ain, its not a big place and people are dotted around everywhere.

emptynester

Looking for info on Christian churches in Al Ain that have service in English. I found the website for St Mary's. Are there any others?
Empty Nester