Things in the UAE that will surprise, delight and irk

It occurred to me today that I always seem to experience a broader range of emotions here on a daily basis than I would at home. I think it is because I am having new experiences all the time, noticing more and always observing.

I would like to share with you some things that have surprised, delighted, irked and perturbed me.

Surprises:

1. The difference in heat between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain is remarkable. Abu Dhabi is a coastal city so it is very humid, where as Al Ain is dry as a bone (or rather, dry as a desert...). You can walk outside in Al Ain mid afternoon and not die. It's not comfortable, mind you, but you won't pass out.

2. Cigarettes are shockingly cheap. I am not a smoker but I checked out the prices one day and it's like $12 CDN for a carton! I'm pretty sure it's like $60 at home.

3. No one ever goes to sleep here! Well, that is not exactly true. Many people here sleep between 1 and 4 pm daily which allows them to stay up later. The malls get insane after about 6pm and it is not uncommon at all to see whole families outside the malls letting their kids play on a bouncy castle at 12:30am...regardless of the day of the week.

4. Nationals in this country are often very wealthy and it seems they do not need to work. So, when you go to the mall you will see scores of Nationals (primarily men) just wandering, shopping and sitting in coffee shops all day. It is contrary to a North America view of teenage girl shoppers and hipster Starbuck's patrons hogging up all the comfy seating with their Macbooks and sketch pads.

5. You literally CANNOT throw out your own tray or clean up after yourself anywhere in the country. There is always a hired person waiting there to do it for you. I feel guilty each time they do it, but you have to actually fight to do it yourself, so it's really not worth it.

Delightful:

1. People in this country take family life very seriously. You will see tender care being given to children, elderly members of the family and people with disabilities. Many events are family focused and you can tell it is of utmost importance.

2. Men and women of all ages hold hands with their same sex friends as a means of friendship. In such a conservative country, it is a bit of a jolt the first time you see men everywhere walking down the street holding hands and rubbing noses as a greeting when they meet. Once you are used to it though, it is adorable (just don't tell them I said that!)

3. Things here are clean and beautiful (generally speaking..more on that in the perturbing section). I still haven't gotten used to driving past rows of palm trees and giant sand dunes on the way to work.

Irksome

1. Driving here SUCKS (or at least being a passenger and watching others drive tells me that). Everyone drives like 140 km/hr at all times and will literally run each other onto the curb rather than give way. Al Ain is all roundabouts with only a few traffic lights, and they can be scary when it's busy. I haven't driven here yet, but I have had and seen some close calls in my cab rides.

2. No one waits in line, ever. People will cut in front of you, physically push you out of the way if there is food to be had or simply step in front of you while you are making a transaction in a store and start talking. It is highly irritating, but it is part of the culture (for some people) so it's best to just smile and wait.

3. Two favourite sayings here are "shway shway" meaning little by little, or slow down, and Insha'Allah, meaning if Allah wills it. This can be a nice, relaxed attitude, but it can also be very irksome when it comes to trying to get anything done. You will and must simply wait until people are good and ready to do whatever it is you are waiting for. This applies to social life, work, shopping, banking, services like internet and even more important services like VISAs and immigration.

4. You can smoke anywhere here. In malls, restaurants, any random building...light up! Go ahead! I don't need my lungs anyway...