New Toy on the 4th! what a way to celebrate!
07-05-2006, 09:55 PM
#17
RL Community Team
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Nice looking car. Not only do you have the 2.7, but also a sunroof delete, which is something pretty special in this neck of the woods anyway.
07-06-2006, 12:36 AM
#18
Racer
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Thanks guys. I will try to see if I can't get some 'poster' style shots with something nice in the background instead of the parking lot at work sometime soon. 
07-06-2006, 02:15 AM
#19
Brian, how do you like Dubai?? Buddy of mine is moving there at the end of August and I have another friend who has been there about a year. Sorry for the OT post!!
Nice car! I hear they do like there fine autos there, but I understand you need to check the vin closely!!
Cheers
Nice car! I hear they do like there fine autos there, but I understand you need to check the vin closely!!
Cheers
07-06-2006, 03:35 AM
#20
Racer
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Ok long post be warned..... OT
Dubai is nice. There are certainly worse places to live..
Weather: I grew up in Dallas and then spent 8 years in Houston before coming over here, so I was semi prepared for the heat. In some ways I think Houston was worse than the heat here, but then again I hate humidity. Here it may get to 110 or more, but it is drier heat so you sweat a little, but it evaporates so you cool off, In humid Houston you sweat and just get drenched because the humidity keeps it from evaporating.... Going outside in summer in Houston was like stepping into a sauna.... Here I currently walk to work and walk home at lunch time in the middle of the heat of the day for 10 minutes each way and while it is hot, I don't feel miserable, the same 10 minute walk in houston I would likely feel miserable, and likely need a shower. There are only 2 season here, very hot summer, and a pleasant 6 months what I call 'cool summer'. There is no fall/winter/or spring. (at least to my definitions of those seasons.)
City: Dubai is very modern, and very tolerant of cultural differences. In the slightly over a year I have been here only once have I felt like I was being put down, and then it was an off hand remark that really likely didn't mean anything. However it is very different from the US in many small ways, some of which can bug the crap out of you if you let them. here is an example. The people here do not understand the concept of a line. So you are at McD's (which by the way is exactly like McD's in the states, PLus the addition of a "local" menu item) and there is 1 register open. So you dutifully step up behind the person currently being helped, forming a line. Well the next person into the restaurant will just step up to the counter next to the register. Depending on how with it the clerk is I may or may not get served next. Now you can imagine how this turns into a zoo when it is a lot of people trying to do something. There are a bunch of little things like this, that if you let them get to you drive you nuts.
Everyone speaks english for the most part, but comprehension of it is sometimes lacking. If you are single there is a busy nightlife, though drinking is expensive here, and it can only be done in Hotels, so all the clubs and such are located in Hotels. If you are married and have kids like me there is a fair amount of stuff to keep you and the family busy, but during the summer it really is too hot to spend much time outside, so we end up at the same places over and over again, which gets a little old. My kids are 1.5 and 3 years old, so we are limited too by what they can do at these ages, if you had older kids there are a lot more options...
Costs - It is getting very expensive to live here. Rents have been spiraling out of control. We are paying $29,000 a year to live in a 3 bedroom high rise apartment right now (2000 sq feet). The rent when it is being renewed in Oct is going to be $43,000 a year. (they do rent here annually not monthly.) Yes that is outrageous and no I am NOT exagerating. Food is more expensive (don't even think about buying american brands which are 3x their cost in the states), you learn to find substitutes, but most things we want can be found. My wife will buy out a store of something when she finds it sometimes. Right now she can't find mac'n'cheese anywhere except the real kraft brand at safestway (take off on safeway with the same S logo and all) and they want $4.00 a box for it, uhmm no thank you.... She has found another brand in the past that was a reasonable price, but she can't find it right now. While my company does pay me extra to help offset these costs, it is still an adjustment, and technically my company did not keep up with inflation here this year when we got cost of living increases. If my company wasn't footing the bill for my apartment I could not afford to live here.
Traffic here is crazy, they have a "creek" (inlet from the ocean not really a creek)that seperates the old city from the new, and it is a huge bottle neck to traffic as they have only 2 bridges and a tunnel to cross it, so rush hour all stems from the backups caused by not enough ways to cross this natural divider. Traffic can be stopped for hours(5-9 is about normal in the evening). Other times the roads are completely open. They also do not understand the concept of going with the flow. Like 90-95% of the people in the states I would say go within say 15-20 mph or so of one another on a freeway. The fast people may be going 80, but the slow people are still going 60. Well not here. you have people driving on the freeway going 20 mph slower than the speed limit... are you crazy.... AND then you get the people going 20 mph faster than the speed limit, flashing their lights and honking for everyone to get out of their way..... Ohh and don't get me started on traffic circles.... They love them, but 80% of the people don't know how to drive them... They love to tailgate too... just last week there was an 8 car pile up right below my office window....
My company pays for my aparement, and a vehicle (a ford escape. haha) but requires me to work 6 days a week 10 hours a day. Because I am not having to pay for those items being here is allowing me to save some money. Every company working here has different deals it offeres to foreign workers, some donot offer any benefits, we have some friends in this boat and honestly I have no idea how they are affording to live here. For us it is transitional, but we know many people who are making this their home. Me I want to get back to more seasons and mountains and such as we are going to move to Denver when we return to the states.
Dubai is nice. There are certainly worse places to live..
Weather: I grew up in Dallas and then spent 8 years in Houston before coming over here, so I was semi prepared for the heat. In some ways I think Houston was worse than the heat here, but then again I hate humidity. Here it may get to 110 or more, but it is drier heat so you sweat a little, but it evaporates so you cool off, In humid Houston you sweat and just get drenched because the humidity keeps it from evaporating.... Going outside in summer in Houston was like stepping into a sauna.... Here I currently walk to work and walk home at lunch time in the middle of the heat of the day for 10 minutes each way and while it is hot, I don't feel miserable, the same 10 minute walk in houston I would likely feel miserable, and likely need a shower. There are only 2 season here, very hot summer, and a pleasant 6 months what I call 'cool summer'. There is no fall/winter/or spring. (at least to my definitions of those seasons.)
City: Dubai is very modern, and very tolerant of cultural differences. In the slightly over a year I have been here only once have I felt like I was being put down, and then it was an off hand remark that really likely didn't mean anything. However it is very different from the US in many small ways, some of which can bug the crap out of you if you let them. here is an example. The people here do not understand the concept of a line. So you are at McD's (which by the way is exactly like McD's in the states, PLus the addition of a "local" menu item) and there is 1 register open. So you dutifully step up behind the person currently being helped, forming a line. Well the next person into the restaurant will just step up to the counter next to the register. Depending on how with it the clerk is I may or may not get served next. Now you can imagine how this turns into a zoo when it is a lot of people trying to do something. There are a bunch of little things like this, that if you let them get to you drive you nuts.
Everyone speaks english for the most part, but comprehension of it is sometimes lacking. If you are single there is a busy nightlife, though drinking is expensive here, and it can only be done in Hotels, so all the clubs and such are located in Hotels. If you are married and have kids like me there is a fair amount of stuff to keep you and the family busy, but during the summer it really is too hot to spend much time outside, so we end up at the same places over and over again, which gets a little old. My kids are 1.5 and 3 years old, so we are limited too by what they can do at these ages, if you had older kids there are a lot more options...
Costs - It is getting very expensive to live here. Rents have been spiraling out of control. We are paying $29,000 a year to live in a 3 bedroom high rise apartment right now (2000 sq feet). The rent when it is being renewed in Oct is going to be $43,000 a year. (they do rent here annually not monthly.) Yes that is outrageous and no I am NOT exagerating. Food is more expensive (don't even think about buying american brands which are 3x their cost in the states), you learn to find substitutes, but most things we want can be found. My wife will buy out a store of something when she finds it sometimes. Right now she can't find mac'n'cheese anywhere except the real kraft brand at safestway (take off on safeway with the same S logo and all) and they want $4.00 a box for it, uhmm no thank you.... She has found another brand in the past that was a reasonable price, but she can't find it right now. While my company does pay me extra to help offset these costs, it is still an adjustment, and technically my company did not keep up with inflation here this year when we got cost of living increases. If my company wasn't footing the bill for my apartment I could not afford to live here.
Traffic here is crazy, they have a "creek" (inlet from the ocean not really a creek)that seperates the old city from the new, and it is a huge bottle neck to traffic as they have only 2 bridges and a tunnel to cross it, so rush hour all stems from the backups caused by not enough ways to cross this natural divider. Traffic can be stopped for hours(5-9 is about normal in the evening). Other times the roads are completely open. They also do not understand the concept of going with the flow. Like 90-95% of the people in the states I would say go within say 15-20 mph or so of one another on a freeway. The fast people may be going 80, but the slow people are still going 60. Well not here. you have people driving on the freeway going 20 mph slower than the speed limit... are you crazy.... AND then you get the people going 20 mph faster than the speed limit, flashing their lights and honking for everyone to get out of their way..... Ohh and don't get me started on traffic circles.... They love them, but 80% of the people don't know how to drive them... They love to tailgate too... just last week there was an 8 car pile up right below my office window....
My company pays for my aparement, and a vehicle (a ford escape. haha) but requires me to work 6 days a week 10 hours a day. Because I am not having to pay for those items being here is allowing me to save some money. Every company working here has different deals it offeres to foreign workers, some donot offer any benefits, we have some friends in this boat and honestly I have no idea how they are affording to live here. For us it is transitional, but we know many people who are making this their home. Me I want to get back to more seasons and mountains and such as we are going to move to Denver when we return to the states.
