Life in Dubai
Adjusting to Life in Dubai
Dubai welcomes foreigners with open arms. The emirate’s population consists mostly of expatriates, nearly 90%, so the atmosphere is quite liberal, multicultural and surprisingly multifaceted. You will find many shopping and entertainment opportunities to keep you occupied and the variety of lifestyle venues will give you plenty of things to do. Tourists in Dubai are usually encouraged to try a desert safari, jet skiing, scuba diving, yacht sailing, sand dune bashing, Dubai shopping tours and the popular Big Bus Tour. But there’s nothing to stop from residents taking a thrill out of joining these activities and tours too.
Most items and events can be hard on the average person’s pocket, but for someone with the means to splash, there’s everything to buy and enjoy. Wherever you turn, you will find a big shopping mall selling everything from clothes and accessories to electronics and designer fragrances.
The emirate plays host to a variety of musical events, festivals, exhibitions, trade shows and promotional outdoor activities every year and there’s no better way to enjoy Dubai than to attend every one of them. As mentioned earlier, Dubai can be expensive for the ordinary salaried person, so for them these are not always the first choice. If heavy spending is not an option, there are plenty of public parks and beaches. Mall game arcades are quite cheap too and children will enjoy the fun activities.
Aside from the ways to spend your leisure time in Dubai, there are several aspects of living in Dubai that need to be considered once you move to the emirate.
Alcohol is prohibited in public, but you may consume alcohol within designated hotel bars or in the privacy of your home. A person needs to hold a liquor licence to buy alcohol in Dubai. Rude behaviour towards women and authoritative persons is not tolerated and can be punishable crimes. The saying ‘ladies first’ is in actual practice in Dubai, where you will find queues in offices and seating in public transport reserved just for women. You may be dressed in any type of comfortable clothing. But, if you are too skimpily dressed, you will definitely get lots of stares from the people around.
