With so many Expatriates hoping on to the next flight to Dubai (or U.A.E in general) to make their dreams happen. Life would turn out to be a shocker here. The common problem for us is that they want to make too much money in too little time. They are willing to leave their country on the first offer from any country of repute (or even without repute) without considering the pros and cons. As for the millions of U.A.E aspirants in other countries, guys hold on do a self assessment based on the under mentioned facts.
· If you a married person, consider the cost of family accommodation in U.A.E and more importantly in Dubai . The minimum requirement of a one BHK (bedroom, hall, and kitchen) flat would cost you a minimum of AED 5,000/- per month (not per annum,) any where in downtown Dubai … Add a minimum of 15-25% annual increments in rent. Don’t expect the salaries to rise by even half that %.
· If you are smart enough to realize that you can look for apartments outside Dubai(Sharjah, Ajman, RAK) to save AED 500 – 750 per month in rent , please allow yourself three to four hours for commuting every day(given the present traffic situation, which can only degrade with influx of millions of immigrants every year) .Add that to a normal 10 hours day would mean you would end up spending around 14-15 hours a day on job……and you thought family life would be so much fun in Dubai.
· Be prepared to shell out AED 100/- for a routine check up at doctors in UAE (that is if your company does not cover you with health insurance). If you are lucky you will not fall ill, but god forbid if you do, then you will have a big hole in your pocket.
· If you aren’t used to summers and storm of your country then you are in for a treat of your lifetime. Temperatures can run up to 50 degrees on a normal sunny afternoon and such days are pretty regular. And did I mention the humidity levels of 95% ……….I am sure I did.
· If you don’t have children you are lucky, because if you have 2-3 children going to school, add at least AED 12,000 (per annum per child) to the cost of living in U.A.E
· You know that petrol here is cheaper and so would be the taxies. Try taking a cab from airport to your hotel, the meter would touch AED 75-100/- before you will be able to make yourself comfortable in the Camry.
· You might have the fanciest of all cars available here, but when it comes to parking the same, you might regret buying one. Imagine roaming around the streets of Dubai for 1 hour just to find a parking space..alaas..
Even that’s not free. Don’t forget to display your parking ticket, else a fine awaits you. Parking fee comes to AED 2 per hour for all main roads toll collections also there!!!!!!!!
· Last but not the least of all woes is a triple call rate to your loved ones in your country . It must give you an idea what awaits you in Dubai . Don’t you dare think you can use skype in Dubai. It is banned and its illegal, so much so for the communication.
So if you are fascinated by the growing number of glam malls in Dubai, the ever-changing skyline, all the hype and glory that surrounds this place , the cute cars, the chic cafés ……….BURJ DUBAI……. .BURJ AL ARAB ……Dubai Marina; think twice buddies!!!!!! (Remember what is yours is what you take home after a lifetime in Dubai ).No matter how long you stay here you will still be an expatriate ……no UAE passport ….no home =(
Trust me, there’s nothing like home!!!
This is GULF
* Petrol is cheaper than water , Pay for drainage too
* Any building construction finishes in 3 months
* Unqualified get more salary than Qualified
* Show-off matters more than real quality & performance
* Laborers are paid less than what they can earn back in their own country
* Companies can kick out their employees without any reason
* Wastas (recommendation) are more powerful than money
* Cleaners have more Wasta than officers
* Watchman has more Rights than the Building Owner
* Office boy & Drivers have more influence on Boss than Manager
* Gulf climate changes so fast, in one hour u can see rain, dust storm, hot / humid / chilling weather
* Gulf is located in the desert, still u find greenery everywhere
* If u can’t earn money in the Gulf, u can’t earn anywhere in the world * In Gulf, time goes very fast,
* Friday to Friday comes so soon u never know, its sooo fast
* Every bachelor has a dream of getting married and buying a house in your country
* U love your parents, friends, relatives 100 times more than when you were together
* Being at home is more painful than being at work
* Some appear/pretend to be more religious/God fearing than they really are
* Theatres are full of Arab nationals whenever there is a movie of Salman / Sharukh (BOTH POPULAR IN INDIA)
* Gulf girls sing Hindi songs but don’t understand anything
* A ladies hair saloon every 5 meters
* Food/Grocery delivery to the car
* A Starbucks every 10 meters
* Hard Rock Cafe with no alcohol
* A Shopping Mall located every 5km
* Highway lanes differentiated for slow & fast drivers
* Getting a license is more difficult than getting a car
* Smashed cars are more than bugs
* Parking charge: 2 Dirham for 1 hour – 5 Dirham for 2 hours & so on
* No Queues for women
* GREEN : Signal to go for Americans, Europeans and Indians
* YELLOW : Signal to go for Egyptians and Pakistanis
* RED : Signal to go for Kuwaitis, Saudis & Palestinians
