W10

Lay it on the line...Dubai is full of shallow slappers who will **** anything that moves (both on the male or female side). It is a marriage breaker...and I don't think many people will disagree with that.

Dubai is more hedonistic than London, becauase Dubai is full of thick Brits. London is full of more intelligent people. Considering you are supposed to be university educated to get a visa it makes me cry for the further education system in Europe...so many Westerners here who are so stupid it is beyond belief.

As for children - sorry - unless you are earning a good salary, there is nothing for children to do. And even then, it is shallow nonsense most of the time. When was the last time your children did anything constructive out of hours? What have your children learned out of being here? Not even fckuing Arabic from the expat brats I speak to. I speak more arabic than then and they learn it in school.

sassy

Actually the arabic issue is not the kids fault its the ministry's

and you still havent given any examples of what there is to do at home for kids that there isnt here.......... especially free stuff........... and dont even bother with the museums cuz unless you live near or have 30quid to spend on train tickets getting into London its hardly free....

Zannie

Personally I wouldn't blame Dubai for it being a marriage wrecker, or full of slappers. If somebody who is in a marriage is going to sh@g someone else, they're do it wherever they are. It's just that there maybe more opportunity here due to some men working long hours, and the wives getting bored, or wives and kids go back to the UK for a few weeks in the summer, leaving the husband behind to then get up to whatever he wants. If these people are doing it here, they are just as likely to behave the same at home or wherever. Also Dubai is a small place and these things to get out

As for kids learning arabic, a friend of mine's young son impressed me the other day by reading arabic really well. Obviously his school is teaching them verywell.

And I agree with Sassy on the amount there is for kids to do here. I would say there is plenty to do, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are lovely parks (OK so 5Dhs to get in, won't break the bank), the beach, cinema, football, swimming pools, taking them out into the desert, lots of clubs and groups etc...etc....! OK some activities will cost money, however in the UK it's just as bad if not worse, and costs just as much if not worse. You don't see as many kids hanging around shopping centres or street corners getting upto no-good here because as they say, 'there's nothing to do'! Plus the advantage of Dubai currently being a save place for children to grow up.

We all have different views and outlooks in Dubai, some will hate it, some will love it. I don't love everything about Dubai, but everywhere has its advantages and disadvantages.

As for meeting thick Brits, well I suppose it all depends where you hang out? If you're going to places such as Double Decker and Jimmy Dixs, then I'll probably agree with you there !

NorthernLad

From the marriage breaking point of view, I would say it depends on if you are happily married...and if people are out looking for a bit on the side they can get that pretty much anywhere in the world. There may be more temptation here, but personally I think if you are happily married you should be able to resist.

Thick Brits? You never been to, for example, Yates or Wetherspoons? I've not seen much intellectual behaviour in such places. I would say it all depends on where you go. Try Infernos (if it is still going) or Clapham Grand on a weekend - nasty places. I would expect if you look at the percentage of 'Thick Brits' here and compared it to the percentage of 'Thick Brits' in the UK, Dubai would come out with a far lower score.

And as for education, we have friends whose children go sailing, horseriding, do drama classes, go camping and so on. The kids speak pretty good Arabic too - better than my French or German ever was at school.

Some people hate the place, but I would say the vast majority of people I know here see far more pros...hang on, let me rephrase that, far more plus points for Dubai.

Eeyore

Maybe it's the drinking culture here, maybe it's just the easy availability of brass (and expat wives whose husbands spend a lot of time away from home) but there's something about Dubai that makes fat middle-aged British men think they're nineteen and slim again. Then again, I'm told that *most* expat communities around the world tend to be like that.

To echo the missus, if you're going to classic British expat dives like Waxy's, Double Decker or Jimmy Dix, then yes, mixed in among the normal people there's going to be a higher-than-usual proportion of the kind of people who say things like "I've got to get some blood into my alcohol stream" (and think they're being funny) trying to drink themselves into oblivion - just as would happen in similar places back in the UK. But for every one place like Waxy's here, there are hundreds of similar places in the UK.

W10

I wasn't aware you were supposed to have been through higher education to get into Yates...that's the point I was making.

Dubai is supposed to attract educated people - my experience makes me realise that universities must be letting anyone in these days.

W10

Parks and I mean big ass parks where you can spend all day playing sports, games and running around (not like Zabeel Park for example where you are seemingly only allowed to sit down and walk around), subsidised sports centres (my local one in London has a climbing wall and tennis courts which cost around a quid an hour), libraries, art galleries and museums (they do have them in most towns you know) - these things are all within easy reach...how easy is it in dubai to have a game of football or cricket for example? How easy is it to go swimming if you don't live in a complex with a pool??

As for not letting your children out of your sight in the UK, simple misplaced paranoia. I suggest you stop reading the tabloids.

NorthernLad

But they do let pretty much anyone into UK universities - like the rest of the country the education system is a shambles.

I think saying Dubai is full of thick Brits is a sweeping statement - most of the people from the UK I know do not fit into that category, the point I was making is that you will get them anywere, just look for the easily recognisable theme pub that they will flock to.

You obviously despise pretty much everything about Dubai (apart from tax-free benefits), that's your opinion - I am just trying to show people who are considering a move here that some people actually like the place. Not perfect, but a far sight better than the way the UK is going (in our opinon).

(One last point 'As for not letting your children out of your sight in the UK, simple misplaced paranoia. I suggest you stop reading the tabloids.' - we don't have kids yet, and I seriously doubt you do making a statement like that. None of my friends with children in the UK would shrug off the safety of their kids as 'misplaced paranoia').

Truth Speak

Folks - as theres a lively debate going I have added a poll at the start of this thread. You can vote as many times as you want. This is a public pole so everyone can see how u vote,

Happy new year to you all

Take care
TS

DillyDaydream

I take it you haven't actually been to Zabeel Park then - I was there the other day and there is plenty to keep you entertained for the day - kids playgrounds, boating lake, cricket and football pitches. Even the public toilets have attendants manning them and were very clean

sassy

W10 I would love for you to suggest to a bunch of 9 year olds that we go off to the art gallery or library for the afternoon.........

Remember Dubai is quite a small city just how many museums art gallaries etc do you want in a city of this size.... plus that not the sort of thing you do day in day out.......... if you look around theres loads of places where kids play footy ect... just like at home bits of waste ground ,parks beach where I live the kids go over to media city......... I do think you must go around with blinkers on.............

And so its hot in the summer but it bloody cold in the winter at home so what do the kids do... exactly the same as they do at home hangout with there friends at each others houses and in the malls ect.................

As for not reading Tabloids I dont need to I lived in the UK with kids and working with kids to know how unsafe it can be............

LakesLassie

Eh? Last time I went to a sports centre in the UK (about 2 yrs ago) it was bog standard public tennis courts where it cost over 13 quid for an hour - and that was supplying all your own stuff and no coaching. You can get 1 1/2 hours of professional coaching here with excellent facilities for just over a tenner. And that's only 1 example.

As for your not letting kids out of your sight comment - get real - at least I know my primary age kids aren't being approached outside the school gates or anywhere else by dealers or other unsavoury types.

Oh and I think there's plenty thick Brits still in the land of hope & glory too.

W10

Granted - the last time I went was a year ago. They expressly told me (after I'd paid to get in) that I wasn't allowed to play football in the park.

I'm currently sitting at JFK airport, about to head back to Dubai..., after spending New Year over here I am depressed at the prospect of going back to the soulless sandpit.

W10

Then you will know that you are statistically more likely to lose your kids in a car accident in Dubai than have them abducted etc in big, bad blighty.

Fear of crime doesn't equate to actual crime...

W10

Sweeping statement yes...untrue - not really.

As I said...Dubai is supposed to only let the cream in...except in most cases the cream doesn't want to come (and I don't include myself in being the cream)

And yes...I don't like Dubai. I don't see much to like about it to be honest. I'm here because of the money and nothing else. If you offered me apackage worth 20% less in another country then I'd snap your hand off.

Thank god I am lucky enough to earn enough money to be able to escape on a regular basis. I feel sorry for the 50% plus who barely earn enough to pay the rent.