When I visited Dubai for the first time in April 2022, I was completely fascinated and in shock with my surroundings. This was my first trip to the Middle East, and I was so excited to explore the city. I stayed with a childhood friend who had been living in Dubai for three years. Being the curious human that I am, I asked her several questions about the Muslim religion, the local Emiratis, and what it is like living in Dubai as a foreigner.
I was blown away by my friend’s experience and what I observed during my two weeks there. Thus, this post was created to share some interesting facts and observations I gathered while on my trip to the U.A.E.
- You will only meet a few “local” Emiratis on your trip
How do you know people are locals? Well, traditional locals (Emiratis) wear thobes (men) and abayas (women), a traditional garment that is long and loose fitting. As a Westerner, seeing people wear casual clothes showing more skin, it was a bit of a culture shock to see Emiratis all covered up and dressed more modestly.
But, if you want to experience and see locals from Dubai, you will be quite disappointed as there are few of them spotted throughout the city. I only saw Emiratis when I was shopping in the Dubai Mall. The majority of the population are expats who immigrated to Dubai for better living and working conditions. I noticed a lot of Indian, Pakistani, and Filipino populations riding on trains and working in restaurants/various customer service roles. This was surprising to me because I thought I would see a lot more locals roaming throughout the city.
2. Work-life balance and living conditions for workers needs improvement
What I heard from my friend and other people living in Dubai was that the workers typically work 10, 12, and even 14-hour days for 6 days a week. I was shocked! This would never happen in the US without being paid some serious overtime.
Storytime:
I had a very eye-opening conversation with my taxi driver in Dubai. He told me he gets paid under 300 US dollars a month for 6 days of work a week, working 14-hour days. His living accommodation… even worse. He sleeps in a room with 6 other people, all taxi drivers. They sleep in bunk beds, sharing a bathroom and (maybe a kitchen… although I forgot to ask this question). He sends more than half of his money home to Pakistan to his wife and children who are very well living below the poverty level.
My heart goes out to him and all the other expat workers trying to survive and support their families from afar.
3. As a female, be prepared to be stared at (a lot)
As a 6’0″ white woman with green eyes traveling in the Middle East, I knew I would attract attention. I just was not prepared to be stared at constantly by men. It was very strange at first because I thought I had something on my face, or in my teeth. But my friend who had been living there reminded me that some of these people may have never seen a “blond-white person” before. This, however, put me a little more at ease because I now knew where these people were coming from even though it made me uncomfortable. If I were in their shoes I would probably do the same thing.
Nightlife:
If Dubai were a person, it would be the life of the party, always up to date on the latest fashion trends and of course a party animal. Dubai has a big party scene day and night. There are always men walking the public beaches trying to recruit girls to sit by the pool during the day and attract men into the club. I was asked several times at JBR beach (peacefully reading my book mind you) if I wanted to leave with a strange man I just met and join the pool party. I’m flattered, but no thanks!
4. You will be amazed at the type of luxury you’ll see
Part of the fascination of traveling to Dubai is being able to see the extreme side of richness: expensive cars, mansions, yachts, incredible architecture, and fashion. It is apparent everywhere you look in the city.
The luxury in Dubai is getting to a point of subtlety, where an average person (like myself) does not even notice it. For example, I saw a 700,000 dollar car cruising around the streets and thought WOW, that’s a super expensive car. But what I did not notice was the tinted windows or the license plate containing the numbers “P7” or “111” which cost more than 20 million dollars. This is just another layer of wealth.
The way I took it was any rich person could afford an expensive car. But it was more of a show stopper and “flex” if you couldn’t see who was driving, or had a “one of a kind” license plate. The rich are always trying to one-up each other. I guess keeping up the the Joneses came to the Middle East.
In my honest opinion, this luxury does sadden me. The need to feel like you need to show off your fame to strangers, family, and friends. In my mind, I’m just thinking “How many people and animals could be fed/ have shelter from that 1 million dollars you just used to get new tires on your car?” To each their own.
5. Ladies…do not be surprised if someone cuts in front of you while standing in line
This was something I experienced two different times on my 2-week trip. Still not sure why this occurred but it left me in shock because it hardly ever happens in the U.S., and if it does the person who got cut would say something!
My friend and I were in line to purchase tickets for a fair we were attending, when an Emirati father and son purposely cut right in front of us surpassing the 15-minute line we just waited in. I am not sure if this is a cultural thing or if these men thought they could cut in front of two women… but I was speechless.
A different occurrence was when I was standing in line to use the restroom when an elderly woman and her daughter cut in front of me. As with the first incident, I was once again shocked, but let it slide. Maybe it is custom in their country to let elderly people use the restroom before you?
I would love to know if this happened to any of you in the past or if you have any insight as to why this happened. I love learning about different cultures and customs so please leave a comment!
6. Sadly, there is a lot more poverty than luxury in Dubai
If you have been to Dubai before, you’ll notice a very efficient Metro system connecting you to all the major parts of the city. When I first arrived in UAE, I though everyone here lived like Kings. Craving into all the fashion trends, driving luxurious cars, living on the Palm… I was very wrong.
Tourism in the U.A.E. is super important for the local economy. So the government wants you (a tourist) to see the unique shiny buildings, freshly cut grass on the freeways, and clean beaches. They want you to focus on the good, so that you have your blinders on and do not notice what’s going on behind the scenes.
Let’s take a peak behind the scenes shall we:
Most of the restaurant, hotel, taxi drivers, and construction workers that you will see throughout your trip earn really low wages, have poor living conditions, and even have their passports confiscated upon arrival. This prevents them from leaving the U.A.E and forces them to complete their job in unbearable conditions.
7. I urge you to look past the façade
While Dubai is a relatively new country (about 50 years old) there is plenty of room to grow. From the outside, Dubai looks pristine, the freeways look perfect with cut grass and palm trees, however if you look beyond the clean cookie cutter façade, you’ll notice sewage treatment plants and people living in poverty just behind the tourist areas. Other things the country tries to hide from tourists. And they do a great job!
8. You will hear many languages and meet people from around the world
If you couldn’t have guessed with Dubai being international and having a bunch of expats…. here’s your hint. When I visited Dubai for the first time, I was not aware of how big a hub this country was for tourists and expats.
It is almost like a safe haven for many different countries to seek refuge during hard times. When I was there in 2022, there were a lot of Ukrainians and Russians escaping the war.
I was surprised at how many tourist places offered tours in Arabic, English, and Russian. I knew there was a large Russian community living in Dubai (I don’t blame them for escaping the harsh winter) but I didn’t know it was that big to offer tours, open restaurants and clothing stores all in Russian. Cool! I was even mistaken for a Russian a few times.
Nightlife:
When my friend and I went to check out a beach club party on Palm Island, we were greeted by people from Ethiopia, Ireland, and Cameroon. The diversity of people here is so unique and something I’m not used to seeing where I live in California.
9. Ladies this is for you- There is a female-only section on the Metro
Something I really appreciated while riding the metro in Dubai, was that there was a female and children-only section. No men allowed. This was a relief at times because I could get away from the staring men for a bit. In the female-only cart, there is also less pushing and shoving during rush hour when everyone is coming home from work.
During the 2 weeks I was in the U.A.E., my mind was stimulated everyday. Dubai is a city I recommend everyone to go and see in their lifetime. There was always something new to discover whether it be a new language, type of fashion/traditional Emirati clothes, or noticing the different architectural styles. If you are a curious soul you will be amazed as to what Dubai has to offer!
That being said, I have traveled to Dubai twice now, and feel like I have explored most of what the the city has to offer. I can’t say I will make and effort to go back for a third time, unless I have a long layover there.
And I certainly do not agree with the working conditions of many of the taxi, hospitality, and construction workers. So going to Dubai again makes me feel like I am supporting these things… Nevertheless, if you do decide to visit Dubai, what you can do is tip the taxi drivers that work 14-hour days, tip the restaurant staff, and most importantly be kind to those around you.
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