Top 3 Luxuries You'll Miss From LA

While I obviously miss my friends and family, here are the top 3 luxuries you'll miss in Dubai:

1. Fast Food

The abundance of cheap, quality fast food restaurants like Chipotle, In N Out, and Panda Express will leave you homesick and hungry. While major fast food joints like McDonalds are around, local fast food is mediocre at best and disappointing at worst. 

-But, the lack of quality fast food has been replaced by the abundance of delivery. Mcdonalds, Wendy's, and Which Wich all deliver! The joys of answering the door in my pajamas battles against the joys of American fast food. 

2. Toilet Seat Covers in Public Restrooms

Yes, I know these don't actually protect against anything & I can lay down some toilet paper if I'm a prim little princess, but I still don't want to put my bare bum where yours was only seconds ago! Thank goodness The Cheesecake Factory (TCF) at Mall of the Emirates is considerate enough to not inconvenience my pampered ass.

-However, these have been semi-replaced with bidets. Bidets are French washbasins located inside restrooms used to rinse any residue. Rather than a full bidet to squat over, though, most public areas offer the hose & handle for aiming and space conservation.

3. Free Water

Gone are the days of ordering free tap water along with your meal. Tap water here is considered unsuitable for drinking so you have to pay for bottled water at restaurants (TCF charges $6).

-Buying bottled water from supermarkets though is surprisingly cheap, though. Most bottled water found in LA supermarkets ranges between $1-$3 whereas it ranges between $0.25-$1 in Dubai. 

It's obviously not unbearable, but these three alone are enough to make you homesick. 

2013

Over the span of 12 months in 2013:

* graduated from university (after taking courses as a visitor on a different campus)

* moved to another country (and left the US for the first time...)

* found a managerial position (and was promoted again 3 months later)

* got engaged (I can't believe how blessed I am to have him)

* began learning new languages (ASL, Arabic, Turkish) & how to cook

Wow... Life is a dream! 2013 flew by and we're already in the second month of the new year. Here's to growing, connecting, and celebrating in 2014. 

What I've Learned these last 5 Months

The biggest realization I've had since moving to Dubai is that I'm privileged. I learned about my privilege when I took my first Women's Studies course in 2008, but it remained a mostly invisible backpack of opportunity until I moved to Dubai and it grew too heavy for me to ignore. 

I'm financially privileged as I was raised, received a quality education, and worked various jobs in one of the most expensive cities globally. I was fortunate enough to save sufficient funds from these jobs to move out of that city and into another one of the most expensive places to live globally.

Dubai is home to many western (British, American) expats. It's likewise home to many Asian (Filipino, Indian, Pakistani) expats.

I can't tell you what it felt like when I made a local phone call and expected a Filipina receptionist to answer. When I hail a taxi and know I'll be greeted with a male driver from Yemen or Pakistan. When I walk into a business building and have the door opened for me by Indian office cleaners.

...I've had the door opened for me by my parents and their parents who chose to immigrate to America 30 years ago. I've had the door opened for me by the government which helped fund my education. I've had the door opened for me by the Latino guy I bought my car from to go to school. 

There have been too many people in my life who have consciously or unconsciously provided me with the means of getting where I am today. I can't tell you what it feels like when I survey the beautiful business towers hovering above me and remember all the cheap laborers who were crushed under their weight. 

I am a western-educated American who graduated without debt. I am inconceivably more privileged than I ever appreciated in Beverly Hills, CA, when I would stupidly bemoan my poor material state compared to that of my peers. I'm disappointed that it took moving to another country to remember how privileged I am. 

Here's to self-awareness, gratitude, & being happy with what you have, not having what makes you happy.

We are.

We are imperceptible blips on the cosmic radar. When I think of how tiny I truly am, I wonder why we don't love one another? Cast the bullshit aside... Love one another. 

It took leaving America to realize how privileged I am. That's sad. I shouldn't have to compare myself to others to be grateful for all the opportunities afforded me. 

Life is but a dream... With such relatively short time, why do we as humans sometimes treat one another so terribly? Our hearts break for the starving dog, but not the starving person on the street? Do we not know hunger?

We are nothing. We hardly exist. 

Love one another. 

If You Want to Work in Dubai, Read This First

I am far from the first USA native to relocate to Dubai for work and I certainly won't be the last. US locals are all too familiar with the job situation in America and some people are interested in moving internationally to find better opportunities. Here are a few things to know before making the move:

1. Discrimination is Legal

In America, it is illegal to not hire someone based on their background (ethnicity, age, sex). This is not the case in the UAE- employers may specify required age, ethnicity, sex, of potential candidates in their job postings. Why is this legal? My guess is because of the large expat community, certain businesses are nationality-specific to make those nationals feel more at home (e.g. American expats would likely rather be treated by American doctors than doctors of other backgrounds). 

2. There Is No Mininum Wage

And you're typically paid a salary, not hourly. Salary is paid at the end of every month so you should be financially prepared prior to moving. Fortunately there are many contract positions so you'll have job security for the next 1-3 years. Six day work weeks are the norm for some positions, so be sure to review your contract carefully.  

3. It's Illegal to Work Two Jobs

The rationale is twofold: your employer ought to be paying you enough in terms of basic wage and living allowances for you to get by, and working a second job after your primary one will make you too tired for you to do the first one well. So you need your employer's explicit consent in pursuing another position otherwise that's grounds for termination. While it's true that the same rule exists in America, it seems to be more enforced in Dubai. 

4. Westerners Preferred

Western nationals are given preference in hiring, possibly due to our education system. Generally though, preference for job positions goes first to UAE natives, Arab natives of another country, and workers of other nationalities, in that order. Be aware that many companies set a six month probabtion period in case you do not live up to their expectations, so be honest and upfront during the hiring process.

5. Market Prices Based on Market Needs

While this is likewise true in America, in Dubai you can literally earn more as a bilingual receptionist than as a nurse: http://www.dubaifaqs.com/salaries-dubai.php. Research available industry opportunities in Dubai to determine if it's a worthwhile move for your profession. 

For more information on labor laws, check out these resources-

- UAE Ministry of Labor: http://www.mol.gov.ae/newmolgateway/english/newindex.aspx

- UAE Labor Law PDF: http://tinyurl.com/o2vwsbc

- UAE Labor Law site: http://uaelaborlaw.com

5 Benefits of Moving to Dubai

Some of you expressed apprehension about life in Dubai following my last post on censorship laws in Dubai and what it's like experiencing them as a Los Angeles native so here's a post to perk you up. 

1. No Taxes

Easily the best and biggest perk of moving to Dubai. An employer offers you $20/hour? That's $20/hour, not $16/hour after taxes. No taxes = more disposable income going back into the economy. No taxes applies to shopping, as well: price tags are true to life (no more mental guesswork calculating the cost of shoes, food, and clothes after tax!)

2. Ease of Transport

I mentioned this in previous posts but it bears repeating: traveling within Dubai is easy thanks to frequent trains, abundance of taxis, and license transferability should you want a car. During the average work day, I take the metro 3 times and it still costs less than what I would pay in Los Angeles for a single trip ($1.47 for 3 trips in Dubai vs $1.50 for one trip in LA)

3. Furnished Apartments

While one can find furnished apts in LA, Dubai welcomes the large number of expatriates by offering a larger availability of furnished apartments. Bed, couches, tables, chairs, TV, Internet, appliances, dishware... All included. Plus there's a washing machine inside every apartment! Talk about convenient. 

4. Night Life

Granted I haven't gone out yet, but "Dubai After Dark" is a very real thing. Take the architecture and extravagance normally associated with Dubai and implement it onto a nightclub. There is no shortage of drinks, dancing, and little black dresses.

5. Activity

Swimming, skiing, golfing, football (soccer), water parks, safaris, amusement parks... I can't name a single outdoor activity Dubai doesn't offer. "Time Out Dubai" is a great electronic and print resource detailing all the adventures Dubai offers. Much like LA, you'll never run out of a new experience to try. 

Dubai is a great place to live especially for DINK (Dual Income No Kids) types. It's only been a month but I am happy here and looking forward to experience all that Dubai has to offer. 

[Censored]

Today I'm going to talk about censorship in Dubai from a Los angeleno's perspective. 

To start, many things are censored in the UAE, both IRL and via Internet. The Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) ultimately decides what is blocked online but some people report that there are differences between what is blocked on Etisalat versus Du, the two leading telecom providers in Dubai.

Anything that "contradicts the ethics and morals of the UAE" is blocked. Some examples of Internet censorship in Dubai include:

- content expressing hatred towards religions (especially Islam but includes other religions as well)

- dating websites (though matrimony are OK)

- gambling, pornography (including online sites such as Maxim although the print versions are available with some nudity blacked out)

Back into the real world, it's frowned upon to speak poorly of high ranking officials, e.g. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Try saying that 5 times fast. He is the Prime Minister & VP of the UAE, and constitutional monarch of Dubai. Note: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is composed of 7 emirates. Think of it this way: UAE = USA, emirate = state, & Dubai = California.

Censorship is weird, to say the least. On one hand, everyone seems to speak more politely and pleasantly about others while OTOH no one really appears to express any negative opinions. It's strange thinking about this given my diverse background (liberal feminist psych grad from LA). 

As a blogger, I inherently censor myself when writing these posts. Beyond the usual human filter of what is/not appropriate to discuss, I am constantly cautious not to reveal too much, both in terms of my exact physical location & how I feel sometimes about Dubai for fear that I may face some unidentifiable repercussion. 

In America, we are accustomed to freedom of speech. It truly is a beautiful thing and I defend it completely. Freedom of speech is a constitutional value that many Americans use to express themselves, join groups, & find both like- and unlike-minded individuals. Unfortunately some people choose to abuse that right by creating, sharing, or downloading unsavory material (I'm looking at you, Reddit). Now that I'm in Dubai though I feel conflicted because the lack of freedom of speech feels very 1984-ish but these restrictions are clearly in place for a seemingly (mostly) well-intentioned reason. 

A couple additional resources on censorship in the UAE (the irony is not lost on me):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates#Internet_censorship

http://www.dubaifaqs.com/censorship-uae-internet.php