Differences within countries

Oh gosh where do I even start.. Besides the obvious of cultural differences there are so many that I have noticed since living here in the UAE. I am orginally from America and moving here a little over 9 months ago I have noticed so many things. I have to say, most of them are better. So, within this post I will go over a few of them that I noticed and my perspective on the differences.

The first thing that I noticed was obviously the food. I am a very picky eater so this was the biggest change and difference for me. The options we have in America are not available here. Preservatives and artificial flavoring are not allowed or even a thing here. Is that better for you, absolutely. However, I kind of miss the additives. Here in the UAE there are several (not all that I am familiar with) that are banned, such as titanium dioxide which is a white food coloring and is found in things such as chewing gun, frosting, and added to food to give it a more appealing look. Titanium dioxide can also be added to beer, wine, and some soups (many other things as well) to enhance the flavor. Studies have shown that titanium dioxide can be harmful to humans so the UAE has banned it. Another specific additive I personally have noticed is tartrazine. Tartrazine also known as yellow #5, is also banned in the UAE. Tartrazine is a primary agent in Mt. Dew, which use to be my favorite thing to drink besides coffee. Yellow #5 is banned from UAE because without it being in its natural form, not added to any food or drinks, it is mixed with a gelatin. Gelatin is formed in a way that I wish I never researched, but in a nut shell it is made of pork products. So in a Muslim country that is not allowed. Personally I feel like the UAE (this is strictly my opinion) has the best interest of their people and the expats that reside within. They don’t want them to put harmful materials in their bodies and keep them as pure as possible. I wish America was a little more concerned with he wellbeing of their citizens. But with America its all about the money for them. So, if something is more appealing to their target audience, then there will be more sales, resulting in more money for the them. I know for instance if I were to go to the grocery store and purchase meats, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, or dairy products I have a very small window to prepare these products before they go bad (usually within 2 days). Without sounding like a broken record, but it is nice that the food is healthier for you, but it is also an inconvence to grocery shop unless you plan to prepare that meal that day. So, I just order food every day that way I don’t have to worry about waist.

Another difference I noticed here is utility bills. In America your electricity bill and cooling (A/C) is all the same bill. Well not here! I have a separate cooling bill and electric bill. Because I am an expat I also have municipality fees. Municipality fees are added to the bill and most the time in my case they are higher than my actual electricity bill. They calculate it based off of 5% of the value of the property that you have. The money goes back to the government here and then is given back to the families of the locals. I like how their government cares about their people, but I hate having to pay extra on a personal level. Again, I wish my country cared for us more. But I live in a brand new building so the value of it is a little higher, however, even if I didn’t the minimum amount to pay is 450 per month. That to me seems a little steep.

Public transportation is a big thing here, and very clean and safe. You can take a cab, bus, train, or hire a driver and it is very affordable. Bus stops here are air conditioned and cleaned all day every day. There is even public restrooms and they are clean. I have to lease a vehicle here because of my job and public transportation is not allowed on the Military installations, but when I go out to any event that I will consume alcohol, I hire a driver. I refuse to take the cabs because they are all driven by Indians or Pakistani drivers and they drive very fast and to me recklace. Nothing about them personally I just have very bad anxiety when it comes to vehicles and that just makes it worse. They are all very very safe and clean either means of public transportation that you choose. Just a personal preference of mine is to hire a driver and then I know they are there when I am ready to leave or go to another location. In my country public transportation is not always safe and it is never clean. There is so much crime in the USA that Uber or taxi or any of the other forms of public transportation is not a safe feeling to be in, so I avoid it when I am home.

The safety here in the UAE is remarkable. No one steals from anyone, no one wants to harm anyone, and if you’re out at a concert or show or anywhere you never have to worry about someone wanting to shoot at you. I leave my key to my apartment under my mat all the time just in case I lock myself out, but mostly for my maide to be able to get in if I am not home. If my door didn’t automatically lock when you closed it, I wouldn’t ever have to lock it and worry that someone would come in or steal anything from me. Back home I lock the door every single time I go in the house, I check the windows, I lock my car doors even in my own driveway. Not here. Any deliveries they leave at my door and no one touches them, no one goes through it like it is their personal property. I never have to worry about things like that. A few weekends ago I went to the Michael Kors store and bought a new bag and the Dolce and Gabana store for a few things, I left the bags in my car and went back in the mall to continue shopping. The bags were visible to anyone that walked past my car, but no one bothered with them. Shoot, if that was in America, the car windows would be busted and the bags would be taken. That makes me so sad to think that people can do that to someone else. Someone else’s hard earned money and their property just taken so freely by someone with no care of others. It is just heartbreaking to think that we all live in a world where there is so much hate for others and so much disrespect, but then you come to another country and notice that there are actually good moral people out there. America should do better, they need to do better.

Crosswalks! Let’s talk about these for a moment. So here in the UAE if anyone is walking at the crosswalks, you have to stop. You have to stop until they are completely across the street. That to me is so considerate of pedestrians. There are cameras here everywhere, which we will talk about in just a few, so if you don’t stop you will get a massive ticket. You could even earn black points against your license and have your car impounded for up to a month. There are a few crosswalks that are operated by lights and pedestrians can only walk across when they have a green light, but majority of them are at free will. This also could tie into the safety of this country, but I like how they have so many rules that are here to help and they don’t only help some, but they help everyone.

Now on to the cameras. OH MY GOSH there are cameras everywhere. They detect when you speed, when you run red lights, everything. Like I stated above they have them at all intersections, so if you don’t allow pedestrians to completely cross at crosswalks you will get an alert on your phone with the ticket. The ticket shows where you were, a picture of your vehicle, date and time, and the cost. Lord I became very familiar with many 214.50 fines per month for speeding. The speed limit is 140km, but even if you go 141 you will get a ticket. I have learned very quickly to use my Waze for detection of cameras, but most importantly, setting cruise control. The only problem with cruise control is that everyone here speeds up so quickly and then when they see there is a camera, they slam on their brakes until they pass the camera. So using cruise control isn’t always the smart move.

Oh the list could continue on and on, I could write a book. Please message me if you want any other information or if you would like me to compare or explain anything else. If you have anything you would like me to discuss let me know. I look forward to hearing your feedback, questions, or comments.

See ya next time.

Xoxo

Heather