Friday, October 31, 2014
Destined for Destination Dubai
Here's the post for this week - communicate with Destiny to find a bit more about Dubai and the Middle East (Dubayy as it is listed on the map). She will be checking in periodically - or at least once this week I'm hoping - to answer some of our questions we may have.
I won't evaluate this thread (i.e. close it) until thursday Nov. 7th.
This is probably the easiest thread you will have.
btw, zing for me on the thread title.
If you are later than this Thursday then your blog post will be to report on the U.A.E., Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and the oil states of the Middle East - possible topics: what are they? How did they come to be? What was the Arab Spring?
But remember that next week you will have another blog topic which I will open on Monday. So it may be best to stay on top of things.
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Destiny,
ReplyDeleteHow prevalent would you say the English language is there? What do you see on billboards and what do you hear on the streets? Is there much English push happening with the World Cup set to take stage there next.
The English Language is definitely a pretty dominant language in Dubai, every billboard or advertisement you see has either english, or both english and arabic. I personally have never come across anyone who cant communicate in English, it may not be the best english but from what I have seen in 12 years, everyone is familiar with the language. Walking around, arabic and hindu seem to be the most dominant languages though, as those cultures seem to carry the greatest population within Dubai.
DeleteHello Destiny, Hope you're having an awesome trip in Dubai!
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if there is a certain dress code for the tourist that visit Dubai ? And if not are you more cautious of what you wear because the citizens of Dubai mostly dress to their Islamic traditions? If there are any dress codes for tourist to follow what happens if you do not follow them?
Because Dubai is an islamic country, it is expected to dress with respect. Locals wear their traditional dresses, where as the rest of the population are SUPPOSED to dress with the knees and shoulders covered, especially women. I follow the dress code more as a safety aspect as there are some pretty rough laws about women being at fault of rape for being "too provocatively dressed". It is even possible to be fined for dressing inappropriately in public.
DeleteHey Destiny,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if any Canadian news or events were presented in Dubai, such as the Parliament Hill shooting? If so, was there a significant reaction to the events that took place over here? Do you feel comfortable wearing your normal clothing that you wear here in Canada? Or do you feel obligated to alter your wardrobe, being as it might cause you to receive extra attention from the locals in Dubai?
In all honesty, I never heard anything about it on the radio stations I listened to, then again, I rarely listened to the Radio therefore I could be wrong. Regardless, life went on as normal in the U.A.E. The only tragedies that ever phase the U.A.E are the deaths of sheiks, where the whole country just stops functioning for days. (Including radio stations) As for my wardrobe, the clothes I usually wear consist of athletic wear anyways so I never feel like I have to alter my wardrobe, however when I wear tight dresses to go out for dinner and such, I do feel like I receive extra unwanted attention. The local beaches are especially uncomfortable as that is where the most attention is drawn, but resorts and such filled with tourists feel normal.
DeleteThis is my weekly post
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered this question and since it plays in to our food and agriculture unit, what kinds of food can you buy? What do restaurants serve? Is it religious? Does Dubai have a McDonalds? In Middle Eastern countries I have heard about the idea of veganism and vegetarianism being more prominent there? Is this true? Being a guy who has never been out of Ontario I wonder, what other countries eat, while they are out?
The food in Dubai is so much more multicultural. In the grocery stores, you more often get exotic fruits such as mangostines, lychees, coconuts and so on, some of this you see in ontario, but much less frequently, much mroe expensive and not nearly as flavorful. Going out to eat, you have your typical Mc Donald's, KFC, Wendy's and everything, but you also have much more variety in Lebanese food, Thai Food, Indian Food, Chinese food and much much more. My personal favorite place to eat is called Tribes, a south african meat restaurant. I have never heard of veganism or vegetarianism being more prominent, but I have never exactly thought to ask about it. One thing restaurants can absolutely not serve is alcohol. Only licensed hotels are legally allowed to serve any. Every menu is also required to say whether meat is Halal or not.
DeleteI was curious about how prices varied for certain products. In general, is it less expensive, more expensive, or the same price to live in India with the same quality of life as you would get in Canada. More specifically, how expensive is food, clothes, shelter, transportation, and shelter in relation to Canadian prices.
ReplyDeletePretend I'm not illiterate and used question marks instead of periods.
DeleteWOAH MY BAD Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates, I'm on a roll today.
DeleteFirst of all, India? Interesting...So, depending on what you buy, living can be fairly expensive. Products your would get in Canada, such as foreign fruits, vegetables, or really anything imported from Europe or Asia, is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper in Dubai, however every day products that are cheap in Canada, such as peanut butter, cost an arm and a leg. It costs about 30 dhs for a small Jar, which is equivalent to about 8 dollars. Clothes are a bit more expensive, as Dubai mostly sells name brand labels, making it all super expensive, Boat house, Walmart, Target and cheap stores like that, dont exist there. For the most part my dad buys me lame cheap clothes when he fly's to China for work. Housing is Ridiculously expensive, even condos I hear are extremely pricey . But with all of this, it must be taken into consideration there are NO tax's in the UAE, and job salaries are often larger, and medical benefits/flying benefits are all taken care of by companies. Depending on how you choose to live your lifestyle, it can either be cheaper or more expensive.
DeleteI was wondering what sort of cultural differences you notice right away. That is to say, what kind of differences do you notice between the society and their culture? Do they have these cultural norms which they do noticeably differently than ours?
ReplyDeleteHello Destiny!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are having an amazing time being in Dubai again. I was curious as to the differences in media in India as compared to Canada/North American media. Do you find a lot more state sponsored opinions/biases/shows or are they more independent or controlled by companies as they are back in Canada? Also, are they aware of what pop-culture we have here and are they influenced by it or are they in a metaphorical different universe? What is your reception in India being a foreigner from Canada? Any answers would be wonderful and, again, I hope you have had an amazing time.
The biggest difference I have noticed within the UAE, is first of all, journalists dont have freedom of text, everything that you read in the UAE has been altered or edited by the government. On the radio, you more often hear about issues within closer countries in the middle east and Asia rather than north american news. One thing you never hear about is anything that makes the U.A.E look bad, it is very rare you hear anything about murder, sex trafficking and things that can potentially hurt the UAE's image to the rest of the world. Music is generally similar, but they play more hits from the UK rather than the US. There are also plenty of arabic and hindu stations, most tragically...no country stations.
DeleteHello Destiny, I had a question for you. I was doing some research on Dubai and noticed single men outnumber women by nearly seven to one in Duabi's workforce. I wanted to know if that was noticeable by just observing the area you're in? Also, I noticed that 90% of Dubai's work force is made up of foreign workers. Is that noticeable?
ReplyDeleteStat source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7894232/Single-men-outnumber-women-by-almost-seven-to-one-in-Dubai.html
In dubai, when you go to super markets or clothing stores, it is often males you see working. The only places females really stand out in the work force is at women only locations, or spas and salons as such. I live in a nice green compound, and in 12 years, I have not seen a single female working there. Dubai's workforce is definitely made up of foreign workers, anybody can see that. The most common nationality is Pakistani, as they share the same religious views as the arabs, there are also plenty of workers from India, Sri'lanka and the Philippines. This is because they are the cheapest labor.
DeleteHi Destiny! How is your trip going?
ReplyDeleteI was recently reading that in Dubai women can be sentenced for over 1 year in prison for reporting being raped as they see it as "engaging in extramarital acts". As you're there, do you feel a general hostility towards women? Do you feel women are looked down upon there? It seems for me that Dubai is not very progressive as far as women's rights go.
As the UAE is under sharia law, it is true about woman being at fault for rape as they are blamed for "provoking the male". However, the Sheiks have started lifting new laws to protect local children from this happening, which in my opinion, is a start to moving forward. It is not often I feel looked down upon as a women, most of the time I feel extremely respected as I am often addressed as "Madame", however this is partially because I am considered of a "higher status" than most, as of my skin color. Workers are extremely respectful in fear of losing their jobs. I only feel disrespected by a handful of young local arab men who feel they are above the law. Some are particularly good at making you feel uncomfortable, but not because they look down upon you, but because they are attracted to you. They will go as far as following your taxi home and yelling at you out the windows whilst doing so.
DeleteFrom Hannah,
ReplyDeleteHey Destiny I hope you're having a good time on your trip!
I was wondering if Dubai has a positive attitude towards visitors and tourists, are they open-minded about having all different kinds of people visiting? Or should tourists try to come prepared about the customs and such to avoid harassment?
Considering tourism is probably the biggest part of Dubai's income, they are very welcomed. One of the few tourist attractions I have done personally, such as a desert safari, the driver/tour guide was extremely easy going and fairly interested in what I had to say. Much of the workforce in Dubai has not traveled a lot, and take great interest in tourists and their stories from foreign places.
ReplyDelete