First impressions

In the middle of my first week in Dubai, I moved to a studio at the beginning of Jumeirah Beach. The apartment block is called Royal Oceanic. 

 View from my balcony.

I have made a small list of my first impressions of Dubai.

Like:

-       Shops & supermarkets are open until 10pm  (Hooray, shopping after work)

-       Multicultural for example two friends: 1 in a Burka and the other dressed like a western woman.

-       Cheap taxi’s

-       Friendliness of everybody

-       Sunshine ( Vitamin D!) … It’s perfect minus the summer.

-       Vibrant, city with the lights & skyscrapers

-       The beach is so close by … 5 minutes max. (I know you are jealous)

-       Diversity in activities (you can even go skiing!)

-       Men are still gentlemen; opening doors or letting you pass first.

Dislike:

-       Construction work everywhere (especially right across my studio)

-       Stares of the male population

-       Taxi men that don’t know where they are going (you better know the way yourself)

-       Need of a car as walking is not an option during the summer and the public transportation is not the same as home. (Still have to try it out)

-       Starting end of May until end of October this place will be hell as it gets reaaaaally hot &  humid

-       Planning of the roads (can be a bit confusing for people new to the roads)

-       Fresh fruit & vegs, a lot is flown in, but it does not taste the same like we have at home.

That is it for my first impressions. Hope to discover more in the next weeks. 

Job

The next step was going to our local partner in Dubai to meet the team. Most of my colleagues are Lebanese or Filipino’s. First impressions: friendly bunch, like to laugh and don’t take life too seriously. You can tell the work atmosphere is different here than in Belgium.  People are more relaxed. It also made me aware that not speaking “Arabic” is a small set-back. My colleagues often switch to Arabic. I can’t blame them, as it comes natural to speak in your mother tongue.  Once I am settled in, I will look for an Arabic course. I’ve been told the Lebanese accent is the loveliest one… So it’s swell that most of my colleagues are Lebanese. Hopefully I will be able to understand something after my course.

At the end of the year I should be an expert in Lebanese food, as at lunchtime we always seem to go to Lebanese restaurants. At the end of the year I will also be showing redrawal symptoms because of the nicotine. All my colleagues smoke. They tend to smoke during lunch for an anti-smoker like me…it’s not something I am used to. Not to say that I was so happy that finally a complete smoking ban is planned in Belgium for pubs & restaurants in June. Lungs, hang in there!

And whenever I hear “Lebanese”, I have to stifle a laugh because of our dear friend Barney Stinson. The HIMYM fans know what I am talking about. *blog five*