Ok, you’re right - the fact that the two subsequent posts are monthly compilations is disconcerting and talks a lot about the (in)frequency of my posts and I do apologize. Quite a few things have happened since my last post although not all of them necessarily in Dubai. In the course of the past month I managed to:
- Spend most of it in Abu Dhabi - working
- Go for a (surprise) extended weekend in Belgrade
- Start the process of finally unpacking and settling in
- Get ready for the arrival of the Lady and the Master of the Domain
Working Week in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, also the smaller and (arguably) lesser known version of its more famous neighbor. That being said, with all the hype surrounding Dubai these days, if you’re wondering where your $4/gallon gas money is going, it’s probably Abu Dhabi. Most of the oil exported from the UAE, one of the world’s top exporters, actually comes from Abu Dhabi Emirate. A recent report identified Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation as #8 largest recipient of funds from the US Federal budget. Compared to Dubai, Abu Dhabi is significantly smaller and much less of a work-in-progress kind of a place. Its tree lined boulevards are a welcome change after all the dust and construction cranes ~100 miles north.
My working week starts on Sunday morning (I know) when I head out for a 1.5hr long road trip to Abu Dhabi where I stay until Thursday night. Being constantly on the road hasn’t been much of an issue so far considering the empty apartment and inflatable mattress alternative back home. However, with the arrival of my household and scheduled arrival of the S&P team, things are bound to change soon.
Weekend in Belgrade
One of the reasons why we moved to Dubai from San Francisco was to be close(r!) to our hometown Belgrade. While still 8 hrs away (compared to 17hrs from SF!), the new location allows for more frequent visits to extended family and friends in Belgrade. I’ve been away from S&P for more than a month and haven’t seen my parents for almost year. So, when the opportunity showed, I quickly jumped at it. Without a word, I boarded the plane on Thursday night and arrived to BEG on an early Friday morning.
As luck would have it, S&P were spending the night at my parents’ so I had a great opportunity to take them all by surprise. Short double ring (postman always rings twice, no?) and a second later I’m looking at my Mom’s surprised face when she opens the door to a very special delivery guy!!! Priceless! While S was quite surprised herself, I must admit that P took me for granted a little bit. I guess he knew better than to be surprised by such an obvious stunt :).
The ensuing weekend was great while I was winding down in a familiar environment surrounded by the people I love. I badly needed that meaningful break to re-charge my batteries and was very happy it worked out well.
Home arrived!
Moving is frequently cited as one of the most stressful situations an individual can face in life. That thought didn’t really help while I was looking at my life packed into numerous boxes that need to be unpacked for the new chapter in Dubai to really begin. After more than two months of wait, sleeping on the air mattress, eating with plastic silverware(!) - the day finally came. The home has arrived! While it will still take a while to finally unpack and settle in, that day kind of signified the (near) permanence of the decision made in February - not a trip or a short term stay - for better or worse and for the foreseeable future, we are now Dubaians!
Welcome S&P!
No, they’re not here yet, but the prospect of their arrival is making me excited! Having them stay in Belgrade during the moving process was probably the most (although by no means completely!) painless way of doing it - still, being apart for such a long time was hard on all of us. Finally, after more than two months, S&P are coming on JU088/June 26th to our new home, Dubai!
Can’t wait to see you!!!
Tags: Family · Life · Places
So, today is the last day of my first month in Dubai. From this perspective, my previous life in San Francisco seems like a distant past. As a short retrospect, in the past 30 days or so I managed to:
- pack my whole life (well, a huge part of it) and fly half way across the world to a little desert town called Dubai
- find and move into a new apartment in the Greens community in the new part of Dubai
- become a resident of the UAE and more specifically Emirate of Dubai (something that, at least administratively) I was unable to accomplish in my four years in the US
One of the things that I’m missing and that obviously will present a challenge in my new environment is reestablishing a circle of friends that I had in the Bay Area (to all of you who are reading this - I miss you!!!). Yes, I’ve done that before when I first came to the US, but the sheer fact that I went there to attend school made it so much easier. This time, it will take much more effort and the results remain to be seen.
That being said I was thrilled to find out that one of my classmates, Steve also came to Dubai for a project with his firm (name not to be disclosed for competitive reasons). We caught up yesterday and spent half a day exploring a different facet of Dubai that I haven’t experienced beforehand:
Beach
One of the things that Dubai is trying to establish itself in is tourism. With sunny weather year round (too sunny at times), sandy beaches, great location and transport connections, liberal reputation (relative to the region) and abundance of shopping, it is no wonder that it attracts tourists from all over the world. In fact, their 2015 Strategic Plan foresees a twofold increase in the number of tourists visiting from the current 7M/year to 15M/year (very similar to the 16M attracted by one of the top tourist destinations in the US and my former hometown of San Francisco, California).
The Jumeirah Beach Park public beach that we went to had all the makings of a tropical beach: golden sand, emerald water - warm enough to enjoy it (for a change!), hot girls in bikinis and the palm trees scenery of Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world and Burj al Arab, a seven star hotel.
The Creek
The creek is where the ‘old Dubai’ was founded. As was typical at that time, the little hideout was a frequent stop of the ships and traders going to and from India and beyond. Even today, when most of the seafreight is transported through Dubai in 10-storey high post-Panamax transoceanic ships calling the nearby port of Jebel Ali, the creek is still bustling with activity. The docks are full of working men, loading and unloading cargo ranging from bulk goods, some of which surely has been a staple commodity on these docks for centuries, all the way through the modern A/C units, appliances and electronics.
On the banks of the creek is the old market (’old souk’). Quite a contrast to the shiny and glitzy (and ueberexpensive!) malls of the new and modern Dubai, this market with its natural ventilation system (yes, people have lived here even before the A/C) is a virtual time machine that gives a glimpse of the old ways of which not a whole lot is left. As is the case in other parts of the world, globalization, progress (or ‘progress’) are taking their toll. Interspersed between traditional shops selling carpets and traditional clothes are the small booths trying to entice hordes of tourists with cheap knock-offs of popular apparel and watch brands.
Tomorrow, I’m headed to Abu Dhabi, the second (or the first) city of the Emirates where I will be spending my working weeks for the foreseeable future. If luck (and some other factors) would have it, I hope to be able to catch a breather an explore a bit - keep your fingers crossed and I will thank you with a nice blog post. Fair enough!
Tags: Places
As I have hinted in one of the previous posts, traffic in Dubai is one of the biggest issues giving the city dwellers much of their daily headaches. Not surprising, considering that the city itself is an amalgamate of 180+ different nations each bringing with them their own driving habits - for example what constitutes ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ side of the road to start with. In addition, the city has experienced unprecedented growth in the recent years putting a lot of pressure on the existing infrastructure, which is constantly being improved but just doesn’t seem to be keeping pace with the population growth. Lack of reliable mass transit and ongoing construction are the icing on the cake of constant traffic jams and long commute times.
In order to tackle the issue, local government has embarked on a number of projects that are geared towards providing alternatives for road transportation as well as making driving a less desirable and available option.
Mass Transit
The work on the first phase of Dubai Metro has started in 2006 and the first phase is expected to be completed in 2009. This phase consists of two lines (one of which is crossing Dubai on its long East-West axis) running underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere. Not to disappoint, once finished it will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world.
In addition, the Road Transportation Authority (RTA) is constantly adding to their fleet of modern air-conditioned buses. As the local climate doesn’t make waiting for the bus a very pleasant experience (try 45C and 85% humidity!), the RTA is also building a network of air-conditioned bus stops to facilitate use of public transport.
All of these measures are geared towards increasing the market share of public transport from the current 5% to 15% by 2020 (compared to Chicago at 5%, Sydney at 15% and Hong Kong at whopping 60%).
Salik
Similar to Singapore and London, in 2007 the authorities have implemented an RFID based system of toll-gates called Salik (‘clear and moving’ in Arabic) charging motorists 4 Dhs (~1 USD) for every pass through (with a 24 Dhs daily maximum). In the first phase, the system has been set up on the Sheikh Zayed Road, the city’s most important (and congested) thoroughfare – a 7 lane highway turned a gigantic parking lot during the rush hours. While the second phase is already under consideration (more tolls!), the first results seem to indicate a mere redistribution of traffic from the Sheikh Zayed Road to the free alternative routes – not surprising considering the lack of real substitutes to the car transport.
Regulations
With a record growth that could see the current population of 1.4M double to almost 3M by 2020, the government is trying to make driving less of an option to this huge number of newcomers. Recent changes in regulations make it increasingly difficult to convert or obtain a new local driving license which is a must have in order to buy and insure a car in Dubai. With the exception of license and passport holders of the 36 (mainly Western and Gulf region) countries that can simply have their license converted for a small fee, the rest of the new residents are required to go through a lengthy and expensive process that could set them back for thousands of dollars and months (even years!) of time before obtaining this important document.
Unfortunately, as a proud holder of a Yugoslavian (sic) passport and a licensed driver (in two countries) of 13 years, I am about to join the ranks of patrons of local driving schools as soon as open slots (yes, that is an issue too) become available. Yet another cost in money and time to be paid for my roaming around the world. Wish me luck!
Tags: Places
On the eve of yet another crucial elections, Serbia and the European Union have signed the SAA (Stabilization and Association Agreement) that has been negotiated since 2005. This type of agreement is standard with potential future member states and denotes an important milestone in the country’s accession to the EU. The agreement does not include Kosovo, a breakaway province governed by the UN since 1999. In addition, the implementation of the agreement has been put on hold until the full cooperation with the ICTY (including the arrest of General Ratko Mladic, indicted for genocide in the Srebrenica area) is achieved.
The timing of the agreement has been interpreted as a strong signal of support to the pro-Western Democratic party of the ruling president Boris Tadic. The caretaker Prime Minister Kostunica, however, had little praise for the agreement due to the recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence by a number of EU member states. The two parties had been the mainstay of the former government that dissolved in March over the future of country’s strategic direction in the aftermath of Kosovo parliament’s declaration. While both parties oppose independence for Kosovo, the Democrats want to see Serbia in the European Union, whereas Kostunica and the opposition nationalist Radical Party are proponents of stronger ties with Russia - Serbia’s traditional ally who also oppose Kosovo’s independence.
According to the latest polls, Democrats and Radicals are neck to neck although it is unlikely that either party will win the majority needed to form the government. A post election coalition with one of the smaller parties (including Kostunica’s DSS, the party of ex-president Milosevic SPS as well as LDP of Cedomir Jovanovic - the only party that accepts Kosovo’s independence) will likely be needed to elect the new government. Depending on the results, Serbia could find itself closer or further away from the West determining country’s direction for the forseeable future.
Tags: Politics
As you remember, this is not the first time I am changing continents. I still remember pretty vividly my first impressions of the US and how they have changed (somewhat) in time. If nothing, I guess this post will come handy in the future to help me remember how I thought about this city in the beginning. In addition, it will also help my efficiency in replying to all those e-mails asking me “how’s Dubai”. So, how is Dubai?
Impression 1: Construction
Rumor has it that up to 25% of all the world’s cranes (machines-not birds) are located in Dubai. It is really difficult to comprehend the extent to which things are being built all over this city without seeing it for yourself. Artificial islands, tallest building in the world, largest mall, theme park, man made marina, new metro - you name it - it’s being built.
While it’s amazing to watch them emerge from the sand (literally), the incessant construction also brings with a number of challenges that are hard to get away from - noise, dust, traffic jams and (seemingly) even more heat.
Impression 2: Weather
Ok, fair enough - it’s not like I didn’t know, obviously. However, and especially compared to the fairly chilly San Francisco climate, the heat is hard to get used to.
That being said, the lifestyle has mostly quite adapted to the weather conditions. Come summer time (broadly speaking - Dubai Winter should be warmer than the SF Summer, but that’s a different and a very relative story altogether) life moves to the inside in the airconditioned space. Pretty quickly, you learn to appreciate all the different ways and offerings that have been invented to help you part with your hard earned (and tax-free) money.
Impression 3: Shopping
Compared to the malls back in the US, Dubai malls seem to be more comprehensive and diverse with numerous cafes, restaurants, entertainment centers etc.
Also, the stores (from fashion to grocery) offer a much wider selection of brands and products - American, European, Asian. Cost wise, things seem to be all over the place: as you would expect, local products - when available - are an order of magnitude cheaper than imports and satisfactory quality. That being said, if you absolutely can’t live without your favorite brand of cereals - you should be able to find it here as well, but do expect to pay an arm and a leg for it (reminder to self: have a conversation with Sanja about her purchasing habits). Did I mention tax-free?
Impression 4: Housing
It’s kind of nice not to have to turn on the TV every morning to the sounds of mortgage credit crunch and falling housing prices. Dubai real estate market seems to be alive and kicking - thank you for asking. After the market has been opened up for foreign investment in 2004 the prices have risen manyfold (bubble anyone?). In addition, with all the rich expat housing packages, demand (as hard as it may be to believe with all the new construction around here) is simply outstripping supply and the prices reflect that reality.
Unfortunately, that also means that my new apartment costs almost double of what I was paying in SF for the same size and layout.
Impression 5: People
It is hard to feel like a foreigner in Dubai - because, well, everyone kind of is. With 85% of the population non-Emirati - this number is only projected to grow - Dubai is a melting pot of different cultures, languages, dress codes, driving styles (this deserves a separate post) and cuisines (mmm). While Arabic is the official language of the UAE, English is lingua franca and you can really get by without speaking a word of Arabic.
Most of the inscriptions are bilingual and most people speak it regardless of their nationality. Most of the (foreign) population comes from the subcontinent (India, Pakistan) and Southeast Asia (Philippines). There is also a sizable Western (UK/US/AU) minority. Just like in the US, our arrival (Philip excluded) is a significant addition to the Eastern European/Serbian community.
To be continued…
Tags: Places
I guess now is as good time as ever to jump the blogging bandwagon.
Having just left my whole life behind (and not for the first time!) in San Francisco to pursue my happiness in Dubai, also meant leaving behind a lot of friends.
We are now more than just a bit apart - after all, it took me 22 hours to get here by plane! - but hopefully this blog will be a way for us to stay in touch. Ditto for all the people dear to me from my pre-California life.
While I will try to be diligent and post regularly, that might not always be possible. Thanks for sticking with me regardless and while I’m learning the ropes!
So, happy blogging!
Tags: Life
