Oh I missed all the fun on here today.

Well said! I work for a b*tch so it is not always easy juggling work demands and home life. But then I know this b*tch very well and the next one could be worse!

DH has twiced been screwed by companies not paying salaries, both times when I was pregnant. Never getting pregnant again, it's a bad omen

Having spent time in AUH, DXB, RUH, JED and DOH, I can safely say that as much as I'm struggling to settle in DOH, Dubai is by far the biggest sh!thole on the planet, let alone the middle east. DOH may be provincial but at least it fvcking works and isn't pretending to be awesome when it's still putting itself together.

Dubai Mall epitomises Dubai:

Poorly designed, a nightmare to get into , overpriced, parking is a nightmare, driving around it is a nightmare, navigating around it is a nightmare, and it's full of cOcks. Or put another way, it doesn't work or do the job it's supposed to do despite someone spending a FORTUNE on it.

But word to the wise - DOH is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more expensive that the UAE. And I mean WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more expensive

You talk nonsense....

Doha is 15 years behind Dubai in everything from infrastructure , commerce , business and social development .

13 kids never burned to death in no mall in Dubai either

Dubaiguy, say WHAT ?????DOH may be provincial but at least it fvcking works and isn't pretending to be awesome when it's still putting itself together.

It works??? Where??? It does not pretend to be awesome???? ROFL!!!!!!
I dont know where you live, but I live in Doha, and what you are saying is simply not true. Not a bit, not a little bit, ZERO.

I just came back from Singapore, now, THAT place works. Qatar can't even dream about it.

I do wonder dear doha residents..considering life is pretty short and unpredictable..is money really worth it? I mean, you could drop dead tomorrow of a heart attack like an old colleague of mine did the day after he retired. Why stay if its such a shithole? Money has no worth in the afterlife.

Doha is is not a shithole but like so many other places it could be better, however it is, like many ME cities rebuilding with apparently any real plan which in turn creates a pita environment for everybody trying to get around.

I've seen it myself. Just curious on some of the residents who just can't seem to shut up about how horrible it is yet stay. I appreciate most if not everyone is in the ME for money, but what about living? When did that become secondary to money?

When we get there we have already made a pact that its not all about money and we are going for the experience and adventure and yes will save money but live more.
life is for living and theres no coming back.

Living is definitely not secondary to money to me and if I was unhappy here I wouldn't stay. Doha has its FFS moments, but for the most part I'm happy here. except for my job which sucks but that is soon to be remedied

here here Theseus. and if you live anywhere in the world you`ll always get the FFS moments. its cold,damp,grey,in the UK and gas bills just announced they are going up ready for winter,people are miserable because they are all worried about paying bills, roll on the sun is what i say.

The uk is pretty strenuous to live in for sure, but if sun is all you wanted, there are better options than the ME. Some people like myself, like the change in season. And no, not talking about a ridicolous heat to liveable heat..Spent too much time in places where it gets dark at 6 every day, all year. Not even a hurricane to spice things up a little, just dust and more dust and 1 day of rain and the office gets flooded...not to talk about the streets.

But sure, I am not saying it is bad or you are bound to have a horrible time. I quite enjoyed my stint in the ME, but the money and lifestyle made little sense to me and I left. I have done things in the past year I could never do in the ME, like going to see amazing bands on a tuesday that would never tour outside this country, get really pissed and walk through the park and have a tree climbing session, go to an actually funny stand up open mic night, shout abuse at a local for being a prick and have no fear of being arrested, not worrying about insulting anyone by saying 'flying spaghetti monster, pasta be upon him', not having to socialise with people who earn mega bucks and only care about the fact they only earn mega bucks, being appreciated by my employer, going skiing outside, sitting outside in the sun in june and enjoying it. But hey, it's all about prioritise, mine is life.

It is about more than money. In our case it is about career and job security. YES, job security. The company we are with offers this more than any other company we had offers from.
It is also about life style. And a little fear of the unknown.

Sounds nice. Where are you?

Norway. Salaries are decent, my job security is beyond belief. Who'd have thought I could live so close to the UK and still earn mega bucks and enjoy life? Oh, and 7 weeks of holiday a year when I cash in my flexi time, and should the woman get pregnant, I get a ton of spare time to raise little junior paracletus if I want to. It is a bit of a hole as well, quite provincial, alot of ignroant people and alot of xenophobia, but I can't find time to complain..though I am critical of certain things, I feel its no need to voice such grievances in public. That was what caused me to leave Bahrain in the first place, when I found myself complaining more about my living situation than praising it.

I've lived in some dodgy places in my life, I've had my cup of the unknown for breakfast, I found Africa much more exciting on a day to day basis than the ME. Nothing like a lynching for lunch whilst having a round of golf and such. Life never felt as cheap and cherished at the same time.