The Top 20 Reasons Not to Move to Dubai

The Top 20 Reasons Not to Move to Dubai (in no particular order!)
By Tia O’Neill

Living in Dubai is not wonderful and glamorous, as many would have you believe. Forget about what you’ve read, seen, and heard; those shiny buildings and manmade islands are all just smoke and mirrors. There are so many things wrong with this place that I have decided to compile a list, a must read if you are considering a potential move to Dubai.

1. There is no standard address system making mail-to-the door delivery impossible. In fact, it makes anything nearly impossible. The taxi driver, here for only two days, and having learned English from old Beatles albums has no clue where your house is. He won’t tell you that of course, he’ll just keep calling and saying, “Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah.” When you purchase something that requires delivery they do not have an address line, but a box where you are expected to draw a map. Not able to draw a map? Explain like this: I live on the street after the airport road, but before the roundabout. Go past the mosque and make a U-turn.

2. The government blocks all web sites that it deems “offensive” to the “religious, moral, and cultural values” of the UAE. That’s hard to swallow for a freedom loving American, but I get it. I do not understand, however, why all VOIP access and related web sites are blocked. I guess the government also takes offense to people inexpensively contacting their families back home. You’re welcome to call using the analog service provided by the government-owned telephone monopoly, but it will cost you a whole lot more. So much so, in fact, your frequency of calls will be greatly diminished if you can afford them at all. The government says VOIP is blocked for security reasons, yet even the residents of communist China and North Korea have access to these inexpensive calls.

3. It is really hot outside. Not Florida in July hot; Hot as if you were locked in a car in Florida in July with sufficient humidity to make it feel as though you are drowning. Hot as in 120 degrees with nearly 100% humidity. Do not look to the wind for relief. This is the equivalent of pointing a hairdryer on full blast directly at your face. Pour fine moon dust-like sand over your head as you do this and you get the picture.

4. There are too few trees, plants, and grass – or living things aside from us crazy humans, for that matter. Ever see a bird pant? I have. In my opinion, human beings were not meant to live in such a place. If we were, there would be sufficient water and shade. The only greenery around are the roadside gardens planted by the government, who waters the hell out of them in the middle of the day. Thanks a lot! Didn’t you say we should cut down on our water consumption because you are unable to keep up with the demand? I have an idea: let’s all move someplace where it’s not 120 degrees outside.

5. This country prides itself so much on its glitz and glamour that it put a picture of its 7-star hotel on the license plate. Yet, the public toilets in the king-of-bling Gold Souk district are holes in the ground with no toilet paper or soap. Hoses to rinse your nether regions, however, are provided. This results in a mass of water on the floor that you must stand in to pee. Try squatting without touching anything and keeping your pants from touching anything either. Oh yeah. It’s 120 degrees in there too.

6. This country encourages businesses to hire people from other poor countries to come here and work. They have them sign contracts that are a decade long and then take their passports. Even though taking passports is supposedly illegal, the government knows it happens and does nothing to enforce the law. These poor people are promised a certain pay, but the companies neglect to tell them they will be deducting their cost of living from their paychecks, leaving them virtually penniless – that is, if they choose to pay them. Companies hold back paychecks for months at a time. When the workers strike as a result, they are jailed. Protesting is illegal, you see (apparently this law IS enforced).

These people will never make enough to buy a ticket home and even if they do, they do not have their passports. They live crammed in portables with tons of others, in highly unsanitary conditions. The kicker: they are building hotels that cost more to stay in for one night than they will make in an entire year. Things are so bad that a number of laborers are willing to throw themselves in front of cars because their death would bring their family affluence in the form of diya, blood money paid to the victim’s family as mandated by the government.

7. Things are not cheaper here. I’m sick of people saying that. I read the letters to the editor page of the paper and people say to those who complain about the cost of living rising here, “Well, it’s cheaper than your home country or you wouldn’t be here.” The only thing cheaper here is labor. Yes, you can have a maid – but a bag of washed lettuce will cost you almost $10.

8. There are traffic cameras everywhere. I consider this cheating. Where are the damn cops? I drove around this city for weeks before I ever even saw a cop. Trust me, they need traffic cops here. People drive like idiots. It’s perfectly okay to turn left from the far right lane, but speeding even just a couple of kilometers over will get you fined. These cameras are placed strategically as you come down hills, or just as the speed limit changes. Before you know it…BAM! Fined. Forget to pay the bill and your car will be impounded..

9. The clothing some of these women wear makes no sense to me. I understand that as part of your religion you are required to dress in a particular way, but a black robe over your jeans and turtleneck and cover your head when it is 120 degrees outside? In the gym some women wear five layers of clothing…sweatpants and t-****s over sweaters with headscarves. Yet the men’s clothing makes absolute sense: white, airy, and nothing underneath but their skivvies.

10. People stare at you. I am sick of being stared at. I’m stared at by men who have never seen a fair-skinned blue-eyed woman before, or who have and think we are all prostitutes so it’s okay to stare. They stare at me when I am fully covered or with my husband, and even follow me around. It’s beyond creepy and has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. The staring is not limited to men, either. I’m stared at angrily by female prostitutes who think I am running in on their territory by having a few drinks with my husband at the bar.

11. Prostitutes? Oh hell yes, there are prostitutes. Tons of them. So, let me get this straight, I can’t look at a naked picture of a person on the Internet in the privacy of my home, but it is okay to go out in public and buy a few for the night?

12. Alcohol can only be sold in hotels and a handful of private clubs. A person must own a liquor license to consume in the privacy of their own home. To obtain a liquor license you must get signed approval from your boss, prove a certain level of salary that determines how much you are allowed to buy, and then submit several mug shots (aka passport photos) for approval. Pay the fee and the additional 30% tax on every purchase and you may drink at home. Then again, you can just pick up a few bottles in the airport duty free on your way in to the country, but two is the max. Why not just drive out to Ajman where it’s a free-for-all and load up the SUV? It’s easy enough, but crossing the Emirates with alcohol is illegal – particularly in the dry emirate of Sharjah, which just happens to lie between Dubai and Ajman. Go figure.

13. Not only do you have to get your boss’s approval to obtain a liquor license, but you must also get the company’s approval to rent property, have a telephone, or get satellite TV.

14. Back to the craziness on the roads: If I see one more kid standing up and waving to me out the back window while flying down the road at 160 kph…whatever happened to seatbelts?

15. When is the weekend again? Let me get this straight: the weekend used to be Thursday and Friday, but no one took off all of Thursday, just a half day really. Now the government says Friday and Saturday are the weekend, but some people only take off Friday, others still take a half day on Thursday, but some might just take a half day on Saturday instead. Anyway you slice it, Sundays are workdays and little business can be accomplished Thursday through Saturday.

16. There are few satellite television operators:. The movie channels play movies that are old and outdated. Many of them went straight to video back in the States. Every sitcom that failed in the US has been purchased and is played here. Old episodes of Knight Rider are advertised like it is the coolest thing since sliced bread. The TV commercials are repeated so often that I am determined NOT to buy anything I see advertised on television here just for thee principle of it. When I say repeated often, I mean every commercial break - sometimes more than once.

17. The roads are horribly designed. Driving ten minutes out of the way to make a U-turn is not uncommon. People are not able to give directions most of the time (remember reason #1), and the maps are little help because most have few road names on them, if any. Where is interchange four? You just have to hope you got on the freeway in the right place and start counting because they are not numbered. Miss it and you’ll likely end up on the other side of town before you are able to turn around and go back.

18. Taxi drivers are dangerous and smell. Taxi drivers work very hard here to earn a living because travel by taxi is still relatively inexpensive, even though the cost of living is not (see reason #7). Because of this you may have a driver who has had little sleep or the opportunity to shower for several days. Many of these drivers have just as much difficulty finding their way around as you do, but add to this a third-world country driving style and extreme exhaustion and, well, remember to buckle up for safety.

19. Speeding is an Emirati sport and Emirates Road is just an extension of the Dubai Autodrome. I know I keep mentioning the roads, but really, much of this city’s issues are encompassed by the erratic and irrational behavior displayed on its streets. Visions of flashing lights on even flashier, limo-tinted SUVs haunt me as I merge on to the highway. Local nationals are somehow able to get the sun-protecting dark window tint denied to us lowly expats and use it to hide their faces as they tailgate you incessantly at unbelievably high speeds, their lights flickering on and off and horn blaring repeatedly. It doesn’t matter that you can’t get over, or if doing so would be particularly dangerous, they will run you off the road to get in front of you. Don’t even think about giving someone the finger; the offense could land you in jail. Tailgating is, unbelievably, legal.

20. Dubai is far from environmentally friendly. Ever wonder how much damage those manmade islands are doing to the delicate ocean ecosystem? Coral reefs, sea grasses, and oyster beds that were once part of protected marine lands lie choked under a barrage of dredged up sea sand. Consider the waste that occurs from erecting buildings on top of these sand monsters and from the people that occupy them coupled with the lack of an effective recycling program and you have an environmental disaster on your hands. Add to this more gas guzzling SUVs than fuel-efficient cars on the road and the need for 24-hour powerful air-conditioning and its evident that the environment is not high on the priority list of the UAE.

So while I’m sure there are benefits to living in Dubai, tax breaks, multi-cultural environments, and beautiful buildings aside, reconsider your plans to move here if any of the above mentioned reasons strikes a chord within you. Dubai is a city caught in an identity crisis. Struggling somewhere between its desire to be a playground for the rich and its adherence to traditional Islamic roots, rests a city that lacks sufficient infrastructure to support its delusions of grandeur. Visit if you must, but leave quickly before you are sucked into its calamitous void.

Source: The Internet

I’ve just spent the last three weeks in Saudi – just came home a few hours ago.

Makkah and Medinah was absolutely fantastic.

I feel as if I’ve returned with SO much (and I hardly did any personal shopping).

I spent some time in Jeddah too – it was even more cosmopolitan and westernised than London.

I’ve seriously considered moving to Dubai many times in the past. Many of my friends have made their shift there after they completed their Uni education. However, after spending the last 3 weeks with Arabs. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with them.

Hey welcome back!

  • It can never be satisfied, the mind, never. -- Wallace Stevens

"MuslimSister" wrote:
I’ve just spent the last three weeks in Saudi – just came home a few hours ago.

Makkah and Medinah was absolutely fantastic.

I feel as if I’ve returned with SO much (and I hardly did any personal shopping).

I spent some time in Jeddah too – it was even more cosmopolitan and westernised than London.

I’ve seriously considered moving to Dubai many times in the past. Many of my friends have made their shift there after they completed their Uni education. However, after spending the last 3 weeks with Arabs. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with them.

welcome back! insha'Allah I will follow u to Umrah for the last 10 days of Ramadan - sent off for the visa 2day!

apparently it is much nicer in the other Emirates, Dubai is the best holiday destination, but it is better to practice Islam in the others,

Don't just do something! Stand there.

Welcome back MS.

Maybe you can inject some life back into the forum and stop everyone complaining about how dead this place is.

welcome back ukhti, i bet u hated leaving the blessed city of medinah Sad
please do post up a report when you get time insha'Allah.

@ Ya'qub, wow! you lucky, lucky person! esp going in the last 10 days of Ramadan!! aaah, make plenty of dua’s for the revival fourumites once your there insha’Allah.

Thanks for the welcome back guys.

Its good to be back.

I returned home late last night and started my new job at 8am this morning. I'm shattered. But content.

No rest for the wicked.

And Yaqub congrats on your upcoming Umrah trip.

In a hadith it is reported that Umrah in Ramadan gets you the same reward as Hajj.

In another Hadith it is reported that Umrah in Ramadan is like doing Umrah with the Holy Prophet (saw).

I've done my Hajj in 2003/2004 and did Umrah when I was about 13 in Ramadan. There was little difference between the number of people present there.

Also, stock up on sun cream. Esp is you burn easily. The weather was in the mid 40's when I left. And its getting hotter.

Welcome back MS.

And Ya'qub... WOW!!! That is going to be amazing! Inshallah you'll get your visa.

I loved to be in either one of your shoes, Muslimsister just come bac from teh blessed city (welcome bac) and Ya'qub just going.

A rose protects its beauty with thorns..a woman protects hers with a veil

congrats on your ummrah MS and lilsis. There's no worse feeling than to leave the blessed city of Madina, i did ummrah 7 years ago and I remeber everything as if it happend yesterday. Absoultely beautiful. Inshallah I'll be going to do ummrah soon or even hajj with my husband.

Congrats.

A question on mobiles though. DO they allow them? I am pretty sure they are big on no cameras... and most phones do have them... what is the situation?

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

"Angel" wrote:
congrats on your ummrah MS and lilsis. There's no worse feeling than to leave the blessed city of Madina, i did ummrah 7 years ago and I remeber everything as if it happend yesterday. Absoultely beautiful. Inshallah I'll be going to do ummrah soon or even hajj with my husband.

i was just wondering, if a girl husnband doesnt give her permission to go hajj, is she still alowed to go with her family or realitves?

"ThiS WoRlD Iz A PrIsOn 4 A BeLiVeR AnD PaRaDiSe 4 A NoN-BeLiVeR.........."

"You" wrote:
Congrats.

A question on mobiles though. DO they allow them? I am pretty sure they are big on no cameras... and most phones do have them... what is the situation?

Thanks for the welcome back guys. I mentioned a lot of you guys reg in my prayers - those of you who requested I do so, as well as Angel/Admin etc etc

Admin,

They body search you before you entire the Mosque. They're much more strict in Madinah than they are in Makkah.

The womens search is more thorough then the mens one, so my dad usually managed to slip a phone in.

As a result we took lots of pictures.

However, annoyingly enough. Its not an unusual sight to see men using the phone whilst doing Tawaaf and/or Safa Marwa. And its usually ringing in Salaah too - Arab men love their mobile phones.

Thanks and thanks.

And a more important question. Did you eat a big Mac?

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

"You" wrote:

And a more important question. Did you eat a big Mac?

A junior whopper burger from Burger King and the Zinger from KFC used to be too much for me to handle.

So I didnt attempt the BigMac. It's too big for my tiny mouth.

"MuslimSister" wrote:
Thanks for the welcome back guys. I mentioned a lot of you guys reg in my prayers - those of you who requested I do so, as well as Angel/Admin etc etc

Thanks for your prayers appreciate em.

Regarding searches when we went 7 years ago, females had it very easy never once got searched. we also took pics outside madinah and inside i think. however in haram sharif its more strict.

makaveli - regarding your Q. The women doesnt have to obey her husband in this matter as she is fulfiling her fardh duty and if she goes to do hajj with a mahram than that is fine, however she has to look her financial situation, ie is her husband able to afford it if not then her husband can refuse on this because he doesnt have the capability of sending her. what reason would a husband refuse or not allow his wife to do hajj?

Whats weird about Saudi's is that they are SO thorough about body searching women ...you have women security on every corner... you have them in Aiports and the Mosques in Makkah and Medinah.

So much so, that I dont understand why they just dont put up metal detector bars in every entrance....cos the searches used to hold up the women, create a crowd and take up so much time.

Yet despite this increased security, an Arab lady once informed my how often women travel on friends/family's passport - when their own passport becomes invalid...or even when they down even have one...cos security never asks to see their covered faces!

"MuslimSister" wrote:
Yet despite this increased security, an Arab lady once informed my how often women travel on friends/family's passport - when their own passport becomes invalid...or even when they down even have one...cos security never asks to see their covered faces!

bloody hell! :o

that's crazy.

"ßeast" wrote:
The Top 20 Reasons Not to Move to Dubai (in no particular order!)
By Tia O’Neill

Some of that was quite insightful, some of it I couldn't help thinking what I do when people complain about the UK... why do you continue living there then? Surely the highs are much, much higher than the lows?

Her point 5 is funny and very true. When I first went to Pakistan aged 7 we didn't have any toilets at all. But there were plenty of fields around. The first toilet that they had was allergic to toilet paper.

And all the drivers there seem to have a deah wish. And oh yes they frequently fall asleep at the wheel.

MuslimSister wrote:

I’ve seriously considered moving to Dubai many times in the past. Many of my friends have made their shift there after they completed their Uni education. However, after spending the last 3 weeks with Arabs. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life with them.

I enjoy sifting through old posts in this forum - esp when I come across something that I've had to take back.

Not only have I lived with the Arabs - I'm now having to consider a permanent relocation to Dubai.

Anyone been there on holiday recently? Is it really that westernised?

urgh Dubai. superficial ugliness. urgh.

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

i really want to stop you. Personal reasons I hate the place & never want to have to step foot in it or think about it myself atm. maybe oneday that will change and i will want to go I know one day i will go just to face the fear inshallah but atm no.

 

But Dubai is just so so clean, like squeeky clean! Didn't see many blue skies more of a grey-ish sort of colour but it really is clean, the malls are wow too!

Jihad of the Nafs (The Struggle of the Soul)

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE wrote:
urgh Dubai. superficial ugliness. urgh.

Have you been?

Is Dubai the one that is accused of virtual slavery?

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

You wrote:
ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE wrote:
urgh Dubai. superficial ugliness. urgh.

Have you been?


no
You wrote:

Is Dubai the one that is accused of virtual slavery?

yes

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

Exception wrote:
i really want to stop you. Personal reasons I hate the place & never want to have to step foot in it or think about it myself atm. maybe oneday that will change and i will want to go I know one day i will go just to face the fear inshallah but atm no.

Why do you say that Sis?

MuslimSister wrote:
Exception wrote:
i really want to stop you. Personal reasons I hate the place & never want to have to step foot in it or think about it myself atm. maybe oneday that will change and i will want to go I know one day i will go just to face the fear inshallah but atm no.

Why do you say that Sis?

My uncle passed away there, he was only there 4 days, he moved as he got a new job there, & erm we were quite close.