so, what is life like in Abu Dhabi?

Life in Abu Dhabi

Imagine for a moment that you were the ruler in a small area of the Middle East. It was a small and quaint fishing village against the shore of the Arabian Sea, with vast desert land to the south. There were no paved roads and culture was very traditional of the Bedouins. Society was very conservative, following the Islam faith. The people were friendly and welcoming. One day, one of your trusted advisors comes to you, and tells you that your small ‘kingdom’ has found oil under the sands. Money was no longer an object to your people. What would you do?

The opportunity to move to Abu Dhabi this year made a lot of financial sense. This country had recruiters fly all over the world selecting teachers that they thought would be suitable for their education reform. The kingdom mentioned above belonged to Sheik Zayed, founding father of Abu Dhabi. Before he went and had everything paved in gold, he realized at one point, the oil was going to stop flowing. He decided to make one of the best nations in the world, and help amalgamate other Emirates, making the 7 nations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With careful planning, the money is continuing to be used to strengthen the education system among many other sectors, particularly tourism, to help ensure a cash-flow after the oil runs dry. The Sheik, now passed on, is the reason for the opportunity that was presented to me. I can’t thank him in person, but I can do the best I can to the students I receive.

Life here in Abu Dhabi is definitely different. Nothing is the same, so it is hard for me to compare it to someone who has not set foot outside of North America. Those of you who are from Europe, or have at least visited there, have more of a background to the foundations of the UAE. The malls are open late, traffic is always a nuisance in the city, and the heat can be so hot that when you get into your car, any jewelry on your fingers and hands can burn your skin. Certain measurements are different. Luckily, here in Abu Dhabi, they follow the metric system. The highways have limits, but they change. Sometimes the limit is 80 km/hr, sometimes it’s 100 km/hr…at other times, it is 140 km/hr! All the signs are posted. One measurement that struck me as odd was the colour of the flag on the beach. Of course only noticing it when I got out, the flag was red. I was a little embarrassed…how could I get into the sea while on red? Wait….I looked back at the water and realized that there were no waves. I was in no danger. If the red had anything to do with pollutants…surely someone would have gotten me out, or the hotel would have closed access…right? The red was not measuring waves nor pollutants. When I asked a life guard, he explained that the red meant the CLARITY of the water. He also mentioned that it may irritate skin. Hmmph…something new everyday, right?

The society of course is different, but I can really appreciate it. Conservative dress, sex only within marriage, and respect is the norm rather than the exception. The largest misconception I believe is the dress of women. There really is beauty in it. The curves of the body, hair, and face are all considered aspects of beauty. Women go out with these covered so that no other man besides her husband knows about the secrets that lay underneath. When she is alone with her girlfriends, she can remove the coverings. The aspect of them being black seems oppressive as well. But consider this…most women in the Emirate are mothers. Black hides most stains AND makes you look slimmer. And believe me, the material isn’t heavy. I’m not required to wear one, but at my school, most English teachers wear the abaya, and some even a headscarf, so I am happy to comply with the norm…it’s easy to dress…you can wear what you want underneath J

The UAE has come to prove to me that this is definitely an area of the world that needs to be experienced by the Westerner to fully appreciate all it has to offer. Like the Emirati, I am proud every time I see a picture (and there are many of them!) of the late Sheik Zayed. So…when are you booking your tickets?