Living in the UAE

Gulf News

Residents living in the United Arab Emirates tell us what they think is unique about the country. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

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00:00We're a city unlike any other city in the world, especially Dubai, if we just take Dubai

00:09as an iconic city. I don't believe that there's a city quite like this, where we have such

00:15an infusion and a blend and a mix of different cultures, different languages, different tastes,

00:22different colours, different looks, that there isn't one thing that I can say that is really

00:30outstanding about Dubai, because everything is outstanding about UAE. Predominantly, Dubai

00:36or the UAE in general I see as a hub for different cultures, different civilisations. Working

00:44in an industry like my own, the media sector, which generally dictates that you need people

00:49from all walks and cultures of life, I think Dubai certainly offers that. There's mystery

00:56in its diversity. You meet a lot of people and it's like you're exposed to the whole

01:01world. The fact that the majority of the population is composed of expats or representatives from

01:08different nationalities, makes it really, really unique. It's probably one of the most

01:13entrepreneurial places I've been to, and the fact that everyone moved here, well apart

01:18from a relatively small local community. Most people here are very open to changes, open

01:25to meeting new people. I really like Dubai, it's a very exciting place, it's always busy,

01:32there's always something happening. It was a bit hard for me to adapt because everything

01:36was so big, so busy, so great, but in the end I settled fine. It's a bit different being

01:43a desert-based country, but they've really built some nice places and there's different

01:50areas and whilst a lot of it is separate, they've started joining a lot up and they've

01:54started building away from the ocean and the beach a lot. So the place is getting bigger

01:59constantly, but it's generally a really nice place to live in, it's really safe. Security

02:05here is the reason why I wanted to come here in the first place, it's because I wanted

02:10my kids to feel safe, and myself. I think it's a mixture of cultures, Arabic and European,

02:20it's a unique country because you can find here anything and every person can feel here

02:26comfortable. For me it's different cultures as I've never seen before, and beautiful architecture

02:34that I also haven't seen before, and a lot of beautiful stuff as fountains, as tallest

02:42buildings, as longest metros, so it's cool. There's no other city in the world like this

02:48that can blend and infuse so many people and make it so vibrant, where everybody wants

02:54to call it home, and everybody feels at home. Dubai offers me everything basically that

03:00I didn't get back home. Coming from somewhere, well I lived in London for 10 years before

03:05I moved over here, where you have great career opportunities and so on, but let's face it

03:11who doesn't want to live in the sun and not pay tax, which is one of the biggest factors

03:17of why I moved over. I love the feeling that the government is really taking care of its

03:23people regardless of their nationality, regardless if you've been here for a long time or you're

03:28just here for a year or two. It makes you feel like this is home, this is home. The

03:36locals over here are more welcoming, it's not like they have an aura about themselves.

03:41They have their own culture and they have their own way of respecting other people,

03:46that's why UAE stands out if you compare with other Gulf countries. They are very friendly,

03:52they are very humble, and Western here, especially European, they feel like they are at home.

03:59I'm not scared to go at night, to come back home late, because I know the streets are

04:05very safe, which is actually pretty pleasant, especially when you are a woman. I like this

04:12country because it's very safe, and people can be comfortable in the streets, especially

04:18women. Emirati people are very friendly, kind to other people, and they are very welcoming

04:26and accommodating. For me, as a Muslim, I feel safe, but I feel like I can still be

04:33a Muslim as I like to be, and I can pray when I want, I don't feel embarrassed in front

04:40of people, and for me, this is very important. I think the world in general could learn a

04:48lot from the way of life of the Emiratis, who are very, very family orientated.

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