Originally Posted by Arcadia

I agree with the last two posts.

We didn't get pushed out of our jobs, we decided after 12 years in Abu Dhabi it was time to leave.

We arrived in 1999 before the days of shopping malls, brunch culture etc and saved, saved, saved.

We ran a Dodge Durango into the ground even though we were tempted at times to buy the big shiny landcruiser, navigator, escalade.

We worked hard all week, and weekends still went for meals, sightseeing and just meeting up with mates for bbq's.

We always had a goal which was a house mortgage free, a nice static caravan, he got his Merc and we have a six figure sum stashed away..Job done, targets met..go home...simple.

I am the only worker now, he " thinks" he's retired, I work for an Emiratee family, but I'm still based in the North East, and only have to travel South to deal with the families private buisness here.

End of the day, I think you get a gut feeling when you know you done, it's not just the usual..(some dickhead pissed you off today) feeling..It' s a more calm, controlled, enough is enough I want to go home feeling.

Originally Posted by lullabelle

I haven't posted in a looooong time.

I'm another one who is happy being back in the UK. It took a while to feel settled. I experienced a kind of reverse culture shock and actually felt dissatisfied about a lot of things for some time. And I'm not talking about lavish lifestyle, cars etc because that wasn't my life in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. It was a very weird feeling. I didn't want to go back to the Middle East (I was offered a good job in Doha but just couldn't...) but at the same time couldn't settle at home. Not getting back into my own house for six months probably didn't help.
A year or so down the line and its hugely different. I have my own business which is just starting to take off and is making me very, very happy. I have less money, bog standard car, my house is needing several grand spent on it... but more time and more joy. Less stress. I have a dog and go for longs walks in the country every day which makes me feel so happy and full of well being. I just drink in the green, the lush intensity, the different habitats. The creativity of my work mates is another bonus - i found it hard to be as creative in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and I did feel that I lived in a bubble where I wasn't exposed to enough subcultures, whether that be fashion, film, tv, music or just different people. The heat, the dust, the hidous commute, the politics of work made my head full of sludge. This summer was rather magical as the weather was great and seemed to bring out the best in everything. I holidayed in France and on the north Norfolk coast and had easily as good a time as in other more exotic locations. The British seaside can be enchanting, quirky and very eccentric and I still reckon eating really good fish and chips watching the sun set after a blowy day on the beach is very close to heaven. I enjoy driving again. Fewer people are trying to kill me...
On the other hand I miss tliving on a beach, swimming in the sea every day, the weather between November and March and the fantastic food (really good noodle soups, dosas and pani puri. I have to go to green street in London for a fix and its a bit off my beaten track). I miss friends there. I can see why some people would return and long to go back as your standard of living can be higher and things are so clean and shiny. For me that comes at a price. my friend, who is still there sums his feelings up by saying "there's no tax but they take 40 percent of your soul." It rings true to me. I honestly wouldn't return to live as so much got me down - the casual racism, inequality, insecurity and daily irritations just wore at me.
Finally, my kids are better back here. Their lifestyle is healthier. Despite the UK weather, we are outside a lot more. London is half an hour away and the entertainment offererd there is fantastic on so many levels. Being close to family is important to them. Their friends aren't going anywhere and their schooling is better (all that money for a so called private education and there were holes. I guess something has got to give way for the fours hours of Arabic a week)

I still work for a few Dubai companies so there are links. And I have a real fondness for some things - which I admit sits oddly with my utter contempt for other things. But I guess that's normal for a place which is so schizophrenic anyway.

Originally Posted by ctfc

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It's very much a western cultural malaise that people resent what they don't have. In poorer countries, people who are poor tend to be grateful for the (much fewer) things that they do have. It's easy to work out who will be happier.

Originally Posted by Maxima

Fixed that for you.

An upper middle class Chinese or Indian is no less ambitious than your average westerner, and in fact has a stronger "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality

Originally Posted by ctfc

I would argue that they're emulating Western culture which they see as more sophisticated (and are very annoyingly putting up the prices of decent wine for the rest of us)

Originally Posted by Scamp

It's a shame they don't try and emulate manners as well.