"Tainted" is a woman originally from Canada who now calls Dubai her home. In spite of her pseudonym, her views on what it’s like to live in a multi-ethnic, fast-changing Arab nation are anything but tainted. See why it’s very important for expats to learn and respect the local culture and laws and know what NOT to do to get on this forceful young woman’s bad side.	Tainted

July 4 2006

-Where were you born?
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my parents. However they spend more than six months out of every year traveling abroad.

-In which country and city are you living now?
The United Arab Emirates, Dubai

-How long have you been living in Dubai?
It’s been eleven years now.

-What is your age?
I’m 25.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Dubai and what factors helped your decision?
I didn’t. My parents decided when I was just 14 years old. My father had a friend a business proposition here that he couldn’t turn down.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not for us, but I’ve been told that some people have issues with it here.

-How do you make your living there? Do you have any type of income generated?
I’ve worked in multiple industries here; my most recent was the alternative medicine industry. Currently, I’m not working at all, though.

-Do you speak Arabic and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Well, I have a national son and a national ex-husband. I speak a fair amount of Arabic and I think that though English is pretty widespread, speaking Arabic would be a sure advantage. Things like traffic tickets and court documents are written purely in Arabic. So some knowledge is probably best for all foreigners.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I’ve been here so long, this is home. There are so many activities I can do here. For instance, in the winter, I like spending days at the beach, or picnicking on sand-dunes, or climbing mountains in neighboring emirates. But when the weather gets hot, you’ll likely spend more time in shopping centers or recreational places like Ski Dubai; all at a costly price, though.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I change my mind too often to tell, really. I don’t really ever know what I’m doing till it’s done.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
This doesn’t really apply to me or my family. We live on land owned by the ruling family.

-What is the cost of living in Dubai?
It’s expensive and rising at rapid rates. The other day I was reading some commentary calling Dubai one of the most expensive cities in the world. I don’t know how accurate that is, though.

-What do you think about the locals?
Well, I have a local son as I mentioned before. It was a lot easier to learn about and understand the local population before the flood of foreigners rushed in. Now, everything you’ll hear about them or us is rumor, pretty much. The whole country seems to be going through a rapid transition period and people don’t bother to learn about other nationalities. It makes for a very racist mix.

I think it’s most important for expatriates to respect the culture in public and not many are doing so now, despite their own nationalities. It would be important to dress modestly, for lovers not to show their affection – like kissing and hugging – in public places, and not playing music loudly during the call to prayers. The UAE is truly a multinational, multicultural, and multiethnic society, where the nationals take up the lowest percentage of the population. You can live quite comfortably without knowing the slightest thing about locals, though I personally think not learning shows disrespect, and you miss out on a lot of culturally rich education.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Dubai, in your opinion?
Negative:
* Racism, whether you’re applying for a job or paying for a shirt, the salary or cost of the item will depend on the race.
* Instability. It’s hard to know where the future is going to lead you in this place. Every day there seems to be something new happening that’s out of your control that can and will affect you. For example, 20,000 expatriate secretaries are due to lose their jobs now because a new nationalization law insists that only nationals occupy secretarial positions in companies.
* Complaining expatriates. The expatriate population here complains about everything and it’s exhausting to hear.
* Traffic.

Positive:
* If you’re willing to learn, you can educate yourself on multiple cultures from around the world just by associating with the people you meet in public.
* There is money to be made here still, despite the rising costs of living.
* Many will argue this with me, but I’ve spent a total of six years in courts for various reasons and the laws here are more justified than in most places I know about. The punishments for those who break the laws don’t seem as justified, but I’m sure that will change soon enough. If you don’t break the laws, chances are you’ll be fine even if falsely accused.
* UAE is tax-free.
* Though crime is rising as the expatriate population grows, the crime rate here is still very low compared to those in other places in the world. You can leave your car or house door unlocked without fearing someone will rob you. And you can walk at night without thinking you’ll be mugged.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in the UAE?
Sure, before you consider coming learn some of the basic laws and understand the consequences if you choose the break them. The UAE has a number of them that don’t seem to be followed, but on the odd chance that you’re the one they do decide to take to court (and it does happen), negligence is never an excuse. For example, in all of the Emirates, excepting Dubai, it’s illegal for men and woman to reside in the same house if they’re not related. This will be considered adultery or unlawful relations if you’re caught doing so. That’s not a small charge and yet many ignore this law. But those who are caught sure wish they didn’t.

If you’re going to sign a working contract from abroad, make sure accommodation (not an allowance) is included. The cost of living is rising every day, while salaries don’t increase as rapidly. Many find themselves in tough situations once they’ve agreed to an accommodation allowance and then seen the reality of housing expense.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about anything related to that country and/or living there?

http://tainted-in-uae.blogspot.com
This is my blog. I use a lot of foul language and to be honest it’s a bit tough, especially on the expatriates who reside here because I find most bloggers point out only the bad aspects of living here despite their own unwillingness to leave because of all the good the UAE offers. I don’t suggest young readers look at this.

http://webmasterdubai.blogspot.com/
This is a fantastic blog that highlights the day to day life of a British Expatriate living in the UAE.

http://falapeno.blogspot.com/
This is another fantastic blog that highlights the thoughts of a young Filipino living in the UAE.

http://secretarabian.blogspot.com/ and http://khaleejione.blogspot.com/
These are two blogs written by UAE nationals (an Omani also writes in the first linked one).

http://uaecommunity.blogspot.com
This is a UAE community blog, but to be honest with you I find it doesn’t represent the UAE in the least. Again, they only point out the bad and ignore the good, and use this blog to promote blogs which highlight negative aspects of this place. My personal opinion is that this is a hate blog, masqueraded as something else. But you can find a number of other personal UAE blogs on the blogrolls there.