Tockalosh

McDelivery

Standanista

I don't like how you can only get medium fries with Value Meals.

mission

Mac's delivery is rank - on the rare occasion I have ordered a delivery it turns up frigging cold

Leannmean

By far one of the most honest comments ever , you win sir !

Meow

(Early) mid life crisis.

mentalist

Being able to work a 40 hour week for decent money and without stress. Previously in the UK it was nearer a 55 hour week, loads of stress and tax. The warm winters here are nice too, but the summers suck. After 17 years in the Arabian Gulf, the time has now come to take early retirement, initially back home but eventually in Southern Europe somewhere.

iggle

Croatia! The women a smoking hot too.

Leannmean

Most Westerners like the absolute reverence and total respect they get , generally , from the locals , it's nice to be treated this way , most of those I know live in an expat bubble so they are certainly not here for cultural enrichment

Meow

Oman is not the same as the UAE, or other places...

You may live in a bubble but we don't all.

Leannmean

True , however , I hardly doubt that Brits get treated the same way as Asians or Indians for instance .
I said "most ", not " all "

if I may , do you mingle with the locals over there ?

Meow

Emiratis make up only 15% of the population of Dubai so few expats know many Emiratis unless they have been here a long time. I know a few.

If, as your earlier post implies, Westerners move to the ME to get respect from the locals they are somewhat misguided. Also, what a weird reason to move somewhere.

Leannmean

Agreed , the main reason is so eloquently put by Martin : "Money"

mentalist

But here in the UAE over 75% of the population is from the Indian sub-continent so we rarely come across locals, as you call them.

govandave

This and the fact that I like to get called Mam-Sir when I order my dinner/ drink/ ice cream, while sitting by the poolside in mid December.

jam25mack

They make it to my place in Mirdif in 10-12 mins. Always bang on.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the 3 D's as the most common reasons for people being here in the GCC...... Debt, Drugs and Divorce.

For me, I was bored of the UK. I come from a well travelled family so I always said I would work abroad. I'd already worked in the US for a winter season straight after Uni so the expat living appealed. As for choosing the Gulf, well initially I was in Kuwait and I agreed to that job when some recruitment chap rang me up at 6am one morning when I was particularly delicate after a standard Glasgow night out. I agreed to the job just to get him off the phone. It only dawned on me a few hours later when I woke up and I realised I had agreed to the move. Well that was about 10 years ago now so can't say it was a bad decision.