People in the UAE

Tuesday, September 16^th, 2014

Post by Kim

Hi again folks!  Sorry for not writing for almost two weeks, but Adam and I have been so busy moving our new home up that taking the time to write was impossible.  Things are beginning to settle down now, so I finally get the chance to share what’s been happening with us J  Today I thought that I would give some of my impressions about the people here in the United Arab Emirates.

As I’ve mentioned earlier in one of my prior posts, the vast majority of the people here in the Abu Dhabi Emirate are expats (maybe 80% expat / 20% Emirati).   There are probably a little more Emirati in Al Ain City than in Abu Dhabi City, but expats still make up the majority of the population.  Because of this, most of our encounters have been with expats. 

The ADEC teacher community (which is made-up of mostly Americans, Canadians, Irish, and South Africans) has been great and really supportive.  Through Facebook groups, we’ve been exchanging a lot of helpful and useful advice and information – from steps to getting water and electricity in our flats… to where we can find beer and wine (and a liquor license, of course) :)  A big part of the ADEC teacher community resides in the Hili Complex, where we live as well. We all live right next door to each other, so we’ve been able to help each other out a lot.  The other day, for example, Adam and I needed a drill to hang up our curtains and pictures, so another ADEC family (who live 3 doors away) lent us theirs.  I homeschool the girls of this family by the way, and I absolutely love this new job.  They are very sweet, curious, and vibrant kids – a pleasure to teach!

Here’s a picture of an opening day NFL party at Hili Complex; Adam and I are on the righthand side of the picture.

A lot of the expats working in Abu Dhabi are actually from the Philippines, so people here often mistake me for being Filipina (instead of Vietnamese).  Here in the UAE, this has lead to some funny instances, especially when I was being served at hotels or restaurants; (here in the UAE, Filipinos are often in customer service and are rarely the clients in swankier locations).  Last week, when Adam and I went to an Italian restaurant at the mall, a Filipina waitress came over to our table and asked us whether we were ADEC teachers; she was asking us this because, apparently, ADEC teachers get a 25% discount at the restaurant.  We confirmed that Adam was an ADEC teacher, but that he didn’t have his paperwork on him to prove it; we told her that it was fine though, and that we would get a discount next time we would come to the restaurant.  Despite this, the waitress kept on insisting that we get the discount, going back and forth between our table and the back of the restaurant to speak to her manager.  The funny thing was that every time she was coming back to see us, she kept on looking and smiling at me, rather than Adam (who was the ADEC teacher).  Finally, we got our 25% discount, without any proof of working for ADEC.  This is one of several occasions where Filipina women would pay particular attention to me, smiling at me and giving me a better deal.

On Facebook groups where you can buy second-hand furniture in Al Ain, Filipino people would often address me as “Sister” and start typing in Tagalog.  Because I have often been mistaken for a Filipina, I feel this strange affinity with this community (aside from my affinity with the ADEC teacher community).

Other expats that we have met are quite nice as well.  We have encountered lots of Sri Lankans (our doorman for example), Indians, Pakistanis, and Arab expats such as Jordanians, Tunisians, and Afghans.  My impression of the Emirati people, on the other hand, is that they are quite distant; this goes only for the Emiratis – not the other Arabs like Jordanians, Tunisians, and Afghans whom I have found quite kind and/or friendly.  It’s almost as if the Emiratis are an aristocracy whereas all other people/expats are their servants – this goes for all expats (White Westerners included).  For example, the other day when Adam and I were eating at a restaurant, an Emirati couple sat at a table to have dinner at a table and left their two Filipina nannies to wait outside the restaurant and look after some of their kids.  There were no seats outside the restaurant.  Meanwhile, some of the kids were running in and out of the restaurant (partly to join their parents) and ramming a stroller into things; the parents did nothing to intervene – only the nannies stopped them.  When the Emirati couple finished their meal, the man walked out and began looking at his own reflection on the store window to fix his headscarf.  Not once did he look at the nannies or at the children to check up on them.  He then started walking away with his wife, and the nannies had to scramble and strap the kids in their strollers and follow them.  The couple was far ahead and did not even look back once to check that the nannies and the kids were doing okay…  I just guess that this is what happens to some people when they have so much money.

At another location, we saw an Emirati lady who would not even pick up her own grocery bags; she was expecting someone else to do it for her.

This is seems to be specific to Emirati culture, as the Arabs we have met from other countries like Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia have been extremely warm and friendly. It seems that the main difference is actually a socio-economic one rather than a religious or cultural one. For example, the Afghan man who moved our furniture gave us a lot of advice about where to shop to find the best deals and even offered to help with any odd jobs that we might need.

Anyway, so far we are so pleased with how things are going and the people we have met. We always looked forward to seeing a new part of the world, but the people we have come in contact with here have made this adventure truly special.

P.S.  Please stay tuned to the blog; next post will be about our new flat and the Hili Complex.  There will more pictures than in the last two posts :)