Getting settled in my life in the UAE

A big part of feeling like finally I live here and am not just on an extended holiday is that firstly everything I needed in terms of admin has happened now, and secondly I have started to learn more about the culture here.

ID Cards, Admin and Bank Account

To be able to work in the UAE I needed to have a work visa.  Once I got this I needed to get medical clearance and then a health card.  Once I got this I was able to get a residents card.  Once I had the resident’s card I was able to get a local mobile number and once I had this mobile number I was able to set-up a bank account.  I was also then able to get my UK diving license translated and then get an Arabic driving license.  Everything has an order and a process to go through and anyone that has worked here or who is an expat here has had to go through the same process and so is very supportive because they know and remember just how frustrating it can feel to not have everything you need on day one!

Finally when I had everything I felt a great sense of achievement, which is silly really, because I hadn’t done anything other than fill in some forms, jump through some hoops and complete the various processes.  But it still felt like a huge achievement and like I had passed the test of being able to stay here and call it home for the next 9 months.

What is incredible and yet slightly scary at the same time is the information and data that is now held on me by the country.  To obtain my residents card I had to provide my fingerprints and handprints and this is now stored and linked to everything I do while I am here.  My fingerprint is linked to my bank account, as is my residents’ card and my mobile phone.  I can go into a bank and pay money in or take money out just using my fingerprint, or if I have forgotten my bankcard I can also use my residents card in an ATM.  Even more fun is that every time a deposit or a withdrawal is made out of my bank account I am sent a text message to tell me and it confirms what my new balance is.  For someone who likes to shop as much as I do this can get a little annoying and most of the time I think I am better off not knowing what my balance is!  Although I should just be grateful that Scott is not here because if it is a joint bank account then he also would get the text messages and be able to keep tabs not only on what I am spending but also where I am spending it!

Eid

Eid on the beach

I have now also experienced my first religious holiday in the UAE.  Eid happened at the beginning of October and meant there were a few days holiday from work and a chance for me to relax and enjoy what the country has to offer by way of beaches.

Emirati Culture

I decided that it would be important for me to understand more about the culture and the religion of the country I am living in.  Partly because I thought it would help me to do my job given I am working for a local company but also because I am a guest in this country and so learning more about it is something that is important to me. 

Eid on the beach in Dubai

One of the officials based in Dubai, Phylippe, and his wife Heidi, have been really kind to me and rather than see me drive home after a late game in Dubai they offered for me to stay at their house whenever I needed to.  So I took them up on their kind offer after the first Dubai game and now they are stuck with me every game!  The morning after the game when I first stayed with them they took me to Jumeriah Mosque for a tour that also involved a cultural talk and a chance to ask questions about the culture and faith here in the UAE.

The tour of the mosque was great and it was nice to see the inside of the mosque but what I found really valuable and interesting was the talk given by our guide. 

Our guide was a British lady who had met her husband (an Emirati) in London, moved back to the UAE with him and converted to Islam.  I found this hugely fascinating in itself because I was listening to a lady who had grown up in the same place as me but now had a very different life not just in the sense of where she lived but also in the way she was choosing to live it.  She was wearing a Hijab and spoke so passionately about her faith and her children and their perspective on the world.  She spoke about the outfits they wear and the very practical reasons behind covering up in the sun and protecting their eyes from sandstorms.  She was very open and shared so much with the group. 

Jumeriah Mosque

We were invited to watch one of the locals run through the movements of a prayer and also hear her stories of how much the UAE has changed since she had first moved back.  She spoke about there not being any buildings on the road where the mosque was and also how the roads were not real roads and they didn’t have traffic lights.  She explained that actually the country has developed so quickly that she has seen huge changes and actually watched as the locals have had to adapt and keep up with the infrastructure and technology and consumer world that has arrived with a bang into the country.

Being from a western country generally when you hear the word Islam it is generally on the news in a negative context and associated with some new terror organisation.  It was nice to hear what Islam is all about and the beliefs behind the religion.  I learnt there are five pillars of Islam:

1. Shahadah: declaring there is no god except God, and Muhammad is God's Messenger
2. Salat: ritual prayer five times a day
3. Zakat: giving 2.5% of one’s savings to the poor and needy
4. Sawm: fasting and self-control during the holy month of Ramadan
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if one is able

I also learnt a great deal about how the faith views women.  I had noticed that everywhere I went there were ladies only provisions.  There are ladies only beaches, ladies only lines in shops and ladies only taxis.  In-fact there is also a ladies only day at the ice rink which means none of the male hockey coaches can come into the office which is based in the ice rink in Abu Dhabi.  Many people who hear about this or don’t take the time to understand the culture wrongly assume that this is because they see women as not important or second-class citizens.  The reality is the complete opposite.  I learnt that actually everything that is set-up for ladies only is done so to make women feel safe and protected and to give them an environment where they do not feel exposed to men.  Everything that is done for women is done out of respect for them.  Many Emiratis will not shake a woman’s hand because it is a sign of disrespect and this is something I have had to get used to on the ice as an official after the games when players come to shake the officials hands but can’t shake my hand because of their belief.

I was really grateful to Phylippe and Heidi for suggesting to me to go on the tour and for taking me along to learn more about the culture I am living in.  It was a great experience and one I would recommend to anyone visiting the UAE if they really want to get an understanding of the country.

A little bit of home in my office

My office wall

The office is located in the Abu Dhabi ice rink, which is great because it means all of my days are spent in the ice rink.  Ice rinks all around the world tend to feel like home but I decided to make my office space feel a bit more like home by putting up some pictures that remind me of home and of how far I have come from the young girl who started refereeing games at Romford ice rink with her dad.  Sometimes when I am wondering if I will achieve anything here I look up at the pictures to remind myself anything is possible if you just have the faith to believe in yourself and the courage to try!