Arrival

Hi there,

First of all, welcome to my new blog.  Microsoft deleted my previous one, which I wrote in Germany, when they switched from Windows Livespace to Wordpress. So here we are, ready to start with a clean slate. In this new blog you will find information about Dubai, the people here as also the culture. Mostly you will be hearing about my experiences in Dubai.

It all started about 4 months ago, when I heard that my company was opening an office in Dubai.  I always wanted to work abroad and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Mind you, I never thought my first abroad work experience would have been in the Middle-East.  Somehow I always pictured it to be a European country or the USA.  I guess it made the opportunity even more adventurous. I informed my boss that I was interested to move there… and to my surprise a month later I was told I would actually be going to Dubai.

Time flew by, I was saying my goodbyes, packing my bags and on Sunday the 6^th of March it was time to leave. I hopped on a plane to Abu Dhabi from Brussels with Etihad. Ready to discover the unknown, I would be calling home for 1 year. I arrived at Abu Dhabi airport  late in the evening. As I did not feel like hanging around, I went straight to border control.  The border control took a while. I really wished I already had a resident visum, so I would be able to use the e-gate card, which is much faster. Maybe next time…

My new boss told me that changing money, prior to the trip was unnecessary.  I should be able to use the ATM machines. (Tip: For those of you coming to visit me. Most banks needs to unlock your card, as most of them have increased security. Which means you cannot use your card outside of Europe.) I was pleased to see my Maestro card working in Dubai. As this meant I would be able to handle my Belgian finances here without a bank account in Dubai. You need a resident visum to open a bank account. So this temporary solution is much needed, while I wait for the resident visum procedure to start.

My first thought when I stepped outside, as I was searching for the free Etihad shuttle bus: “Good thing I am wearing a jumper because the night is not as hot as I was expecting it to be.” The shuttle bus to Dubai took a bit more than an hour. As it was nighttime I could not see much throughout the bus ride except for the desert sand and some palm trees.  I did notice that the roads are larger and the driving is more aggressive. Once we arrived in Dubai I could marvel at all the skyscrapers and lights.

From the drop off I still had to take a 20min cab ride to my hotel (Amwaj Rotana) at Jumeirah Beach Walk. What I learned about the taxi’s that night:

-       You can only pay cash

-       Tips are expected

-       They do not always know how to get there

I got to the hotel and went straight to my room.  I fell asleep immediately.