Cheetah7

Do you miss Dubai?

Heard anything from Jellybean? I know you didnt get on with her but was just wondering if you had.

sarah1

Losing some good friends.
My cat who went missing.
Sarah x

Cheetah7

Group hug

sarah1

Thanks PP, miss them all sooooo much xx, friends me to blame....long story but my puss.....very sad
Sarah xx

sarah1

PP, so sorry to hear about your Mum, my thoughts are with you.
Sarah xx

novita77

Sam ... u can find jellybeans in expatgossip.com

xx

CasaNova

why didn't i get a hug?

novita77

why should u ???

Cheetah7

I shall smother you in my chest.

CasaNova

Why shouldn't i???

CasaNova

my... !


i dont know what to say.

Cheetah7

You wont be able to say anything if I did it, you would suffocate.

Jammy_Dodgers

Yes i do PP...very much...it has been a good exercise in patience!!

Heard nothing from JB, have no reason to, and im sure she has no desire to talk to me

CasaNova

thank you i know they are empty words but still thank you... i always knew i will be dead because of a women!


sorry i cant tell you my further experience of this females who tried to kill me on the road! I saw that shorty again and she was shouting and yelling at me and told me why am passing her route???


now she thinks she owns dubai!

Tami2

Hi everyone,

Yes, Novi, we were very excited to be moving to Dubai, particularly since my husband was there for a year without us (we were living in the states because we couldn't get the kids into school here). Unfortunately, nothing has turned out the way we had planned. So much in fact, that we are seriously considering going back home.

First of all, the kids hate it here. Our 15 year old hasn't found a single friend at the school, although she has tried and they are friendly enough while in school, no one calls or asks her to join them outside of school. Our 12 year old son has been beaten up in the locker room and is being bullied by the kids AND one of the teachers. The 6 year old likes school well enough, but says she'd rather be back home, too. And even I am having a hard time adjusting to life here. I thought it would be more like our community in Riyadh; close and friendly with lots of activities for the kids, but it's just not like that. Even the school isn't as close-knit as our previous International School; they don't even have a PTA!!!

Housing is a real issue! We are still in the small villa my husband had rented for himself while he was here alone. Everything we have looked at that would be big enough for the five of us is at least 190,000 Dhs. per year and up! The utilities are more than we were paying back home, food is at least 50-60% more, the television and radio stations s@ck, doing laundry with this stupid condensing dryer and tiny washing machine is a nightmare, the traffic is straight from hell, and I honestly believe that if you're not into beach and bar hopping or shopping, this place has NOTHING to offer. There's no substance here; everyone is either living paycheck to paycheck or they are on fat expat packages that just don't exist anymore for most of us. Dubai is all glitz and glamour, but it's like one of those old western towns or a movie set, nothing but phoney store-fronts and showy faces. Nothing is real or permanent.

Sorry for the rant, you asked and I gave my opinion. We still have our very lovely home back in Pennsylvania, and it looks like the kids and I will go back, at least until my 15 year old finishes high school; then we will re-evaluate. Hopefully, my husband will be able to fly over every 4-6 weeks for a visit, depending on his work schedule. All in all, we just feel like it's the best choice for the kids right now.

I think everyone has to evaluate this place for themselves. Maybe it's good for some people, especially if they don't have children, or if their children are young (elementary school). But honestly, the older the kids get, the harder it is to live here. And financially, it's obviously a huge commitment. 200,000 Dhs ($55,000) per year for rent; 165,000 Dhs ($45,000) for tuition for 3 children; 1,500 Dhs ($400) per month for utilities; 4,000-5,000 ($1,500-1,800) per month for food; and then any other activities on top of that. It's just too much!