Abu Dhabi (and UAE) FAQs

What do my mom, several colleagues, many members of my stepmom's church and my doctor all have in common?

None of them could find the United Arab Emirates on a map when they first learned where I was going.

But now you can! Impress your friends with fun facts about everyone's favorite Gulf state.

Q. Isn't the UAE home to that huge palm tree island and the hotel Tiger Woods hit golf balls off of?

A. Yes! The UAE is growing at an incredible rate (thanks, in part, to ridiculously high oil prices). It's estimated that over half the building cranes on the planet are located in the UAE. Not bad for a country roughly the size of Kansas. The Palm Jumierah and two other frond-shaped developments, along with a series of islands shaped like a map of the world, are just a few of the ways the UAE is investing in its future, even if it does mean landfilling the Persian Gulf. They know the oil won't last forever. The biggest developments (including the ones listed above) are happening in Dubai, the largest city in the UAE. Abu Dhabi (where I'll be living) is a different scene.

Q. Wait! Aren't Abu Dhabi and Dubai the same place?

A. No. Think Vegas (Dubai) vs. San Francisco (Abu Dhabi). Abu Dhabi is the capital of the country. It's just as rich, but it has set itself up as the anti-Dubai (what else can you do when Dubai is 90 minutes down the road?). Instead of building palmy islands and the tallest skyscraper ever, Abu Dhabi has attracted a branch of the Guggenheim AND the first branch of the Louvre outside Paris (set to open in a couple years). Dubai is the glittery, just-when-you-thought-conspicuous-consumption-was-passe hot spot of the Middle East. Abu Dhabi is planning a residential community with a zero carbon footprint (hey, when you got the sun, use it!). Abu Dhabi is less Vegas, more San Francisco, but with mosques, malls and searing summer temperatures.

Q. Speaking of the temperature...

A. Yeah. Summers are hot and humid with temps averaging in the 100s every day. Don't get me started on the heat index. I looked up Abu Dhabi on weather.com at the beginning of July, and it was "90 but feels like 114." At 11 p.m.

From Novemeber to April, it's very pleasant with temps even dipping into the 50s and 60s in December and January. It hardly ever rains.

Q. What is there to do in Abu Dhabi?

A. Lots. Abu Dhabi has all the amenities of any major European or American city--even an Ikea. There are museums, malls, gyms, cultural events, concerts, clubs, parks, restaurants, beaches, etc. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the UAE is one of the most developed countries in the world.
Outside the cities, the UAE is desert. I'm looking forward to camping near the Liwa Oasis about three hours from Abu Dhabi. It's supposed to be gorgeous, with apricot-colored dunes stretching as far as the eye can see.


Q. Is the UAE safe?

A. Yes. In a country this wealthy a lot of people are literally and figuratively invested in maintaining the status quo (for better or worse...). So far, Abu Dhabi is as safe as any major city in terms of terrorism and safer in terms of petty crime.

Q. Is it OK that you're not Muslim?

A. Totally. In fact, 80% of the people in Abu Dhabi come from outside the Emirates, and many aren't Muslims. Unfortunately, though, non-Muslims cannot enter mosques in the UAE, with the exception of guided tours of the Jumierah Mosque in Dubai.

Because there are so many expats and a high level of religious tolerance, expats are not required adhere to Muslim cultural practices. Expats of either gender can drive, buy alcohol (with a special permit), and eat pork (special section of the grocery store) etc.

Q. Will you have to wear a burka/cover your head?

A. This is one of the most commonly asked questions! Let me assure you: I will not have to wear a burka. In fact, few women in the UAE wear burkas (a robe that covers the whole body with just a mesh peephole around the eyes so a woman can see where she's going). Emerati women wear abeyyas, long black robes with a head scarf and sometimes a veil that covers the face below the eyes. Western women are asked (but not required by law) to cover their shoulders and knees in public. My school, reasonably, does require this of both female teachers and students. Though it's hardly onerous, it has been tricky to find clothes that are short-of-sleeve (but not sleeveless), long-of-hem--and appropriate for incredibly hot weather.

Q. Will you have to learn Arabic?

A. I will try to learn some Arabic (the offical language of the country), but it's not a necessity. Because people of so many different nationalities and cultures are found in Abu Dhabi, English is often the primary form of communication, and most people speak it.

Q. Where will you be working?

A. I'll be teaching 6th grade English and social studies at an established American/international school in Abu Dhabi. The instruction is in English. About 50% of my students will be from the States and Canada, and 50% will be from 42 different countries. My colleagues will come from all over the Anglophone world as well as the Middle East. My partner teacher (also teaching 6th grade humanities) is from Melbourne, Australia.

Q. Where will you live?

A. The school provides apartments for teachers. I will have my own two-bedroom apartment in the same building as several other colleagues, including K! It's quite near the school, a grocery store, a mall, a public park--and not too far from the Gulf!

Q. I have other questions--what should I do?

A. Email me or write a comment here!