Archive for the ‘Dubai’ Category

This week the school that I work in brought in somebody from the Office of Cultural Understanding (or something like that) to give the new teachers a little introduction to the “culture of Dubai.”  But actually this phrase is misleading.  What our guest was talking about is the culture of the Emiratis in Dubai, and the native population of the emirate, and the whole country, is actually only a small part of the population.  Estimates vary, but I’ve heard the Emiratis make up about 20% of the people here.  And you don’t see them around much.  You’d know because of their distinctive mode of dress; all the men wear white robes and head coverings and the all the women wear the same in black.  Some women go so far as to wear the niqab (the veil that covers the face), but it’s not very common from what I can see. 

So while the native population seems to be in hiding, the expats are out in force.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve only been in Dubai for five days, but it has left a strong first impression on me in the form of its heat.  From the moment we exited the doors of the airport, it was un-ignorable.  It’s not like we weren’t expecting it, but it’s not really real until you experience it.  And by the way, it’s not a dry heat.  Summers in Dubai are hot and humid.  I’ve been told that in a few months the winds will shift and the air will come off the desert instead of the Arabian Gulf, but for now it’s pretty uncomfortable. Read the rest of this entry »