Visiting the embassy

It started with an attempt to open a bank account at one of the banks in Abu Dhabi, they couldn't do it because my passport was about to expire, so I thought; how hard would it be to renew my passport from here?

So I drove all the way to the Jordanian embassy in AD, only to find out that I need to register my marriage and family first, so I went with my husband to the court house to stamp the marriage contract since it was issued in the UAE, the building was fascinating! People were standing in the front just to help you know the steps you need to do and where to do them, so this guy told us exactly what to do and where to do it and made our lives really easier, took us around five minutes to get the copy of the marriage contract stamped.
Next step was to stamp it from the ministry of foreign affairs of the UAE, someone told us that there's a company called: infinity services located in Marina Mall that has a branch there specialized in such purposes, so we headed there, took a number, and also within less than 5 minutes everything was done! All what was left is going back to the embassy to finalize stuff.

When we reached there we discovered that we had a lot of missing documents and information we weren't informed of before from a guy who literally was mad at us for a reason only god knows! So we went back home to get those papers and info, take pictures, make some calls to gather information, and hoped that the next day everything will be ok.

So I went the next day to the embassy, holding each and every document that I could possibly have, hoping for them not to ask for my high school certificate.
How did it go?! Will the good part was that I didn't need my high school certificate, the bad news was it would take over two months to get things done, with an empty wallet, and disappointed face, I asked the guy to give me my papers back, and I said: I can't wait that long, I'm going back to Jordan.

Isn't it sad to know that I can easily do stuff and finish papers within seconds at any local governmental or non governmental entity in this place where I would need to struggle to get things done from my own country's embassy?!

My first UAE failure

I didn't see it coming at all, I failed the assessment driving test I was given by the driving center. It's almost impossible for someone who's been driving for more than 4 years to fail in a driving test, did I really deserve it? I don't really know.. Considering the "mistakes" I did...

Why? Everybody told me it's all about business.. I have been assigned to take 6 more classes, and pay extra 460 dhms, well I don't know about that either.

But what I do know is that I certainly didn't deserve that quality of treatment, the woman who tested me was all over the phone arranging a "wasta"! -wasta means: giving priority for things to happen for people you know-.

I was the only one who understood what was going on because I was the only Arabic girl there. Having said that, it was obvious she wasn't paying attention to our driving, and a lot of mistakes were made and she never mentioned them their reports, I'm assuming because she was busy with other stuff... Her phone maybe!

The way she was talking to us, giving us orders, and the way she gave us the results was disrespectful! I was more upset because of that than the actual failing, I believe no one deserves being treated like that.

My only question is: if we are to be tested for road driving to ensure we all drive perfectly safe, who tests them to do their work perfectly? and who ensures the quality of it?

Location:Dubai

My first UAE virus!

I've been away for a while, my mind was turned off for a reason, I was sick. I got cold after walking in the parking of Ibn Batuta mall and watching a movie inside in the cold closed room.

The jump between temperatures once you leave a building or enter one in the UAE is very dangerous if you weren't used to it.

Now I make sure to carry a small jacket with me everywhere I go to wear it indoors because i personally really hate the transitions between heat and coldness, not to mention that the heat is unbelievably high!

The humidity makes it worse as well, because even though you managed to walk into a building without sweating, your skin will be wet because of the humidity and this is exactly when you catch cold.

So now I make sure to carry a small jacket with me everywhere I go to wear it indoors! So make sure before visiting or moving to the UAE or any other Gulf country to take this note into consideration and prepare your selves for it.

Learning how to drive

So i went to take my first driving lesson today, and may I say it was B.O.R.I.N.G!!!
Why did I have to go in one circle around the other cars? I felt dizzy, angry, and depressed, and all I could think of was: shouldn't there be an evaluation test first, then determine from where to start taking the lessons? I mean, if you learned English at school and you wanted to take advanced courses, you don't start with the alphabet, right?

So I ended up wasting 2 hours of my life going in one circle, it was obvious for the trainer that I already knew how to drive, but after all you can't hang the messenger, they are only doing their jobs.

As much as I hated it, I should admit it is a good thing, Because even though you hated these lessons, eventually you will drive knowing that everyone in a car around you took such lessons, something that gives you a peace of mind and trust when you are on the road.

Location:Dubai, UAE

Getting a Driving License

 I have mentioned in my last post how you need to open your wallet every time you leave the house, I just never realized how much people would need to have in their pockets in order to get things done, and well as a start… you will need a lot to issue a driving license.

 Having said that, I should remind you that I have a Jordanian driving license, but I cannot switch it to a UAE one unless I take some mandatory lessons first and apparently pay a ton of cash in the process.

When I first applied for it I wanted to get a manual shift license, I changed my mind about that not because I realized I had to pay extra for the lessons, but because I had to pay extra to sign an approval in order for a male instructor to give me the lessons, - Note that I am not underestimating the idea, but I am only wondering why did I have to pay for that?- I mean does it cost that much to sign a paper?

I also am wondering what difference does it make if I paid cash or with a credit card?! Why do I have to pay 2.5% of the whole value if I was paying with credit card? Anyway, it was weird, and honestly money is not always an issue, but it is when you feel like you’re being ripped off. I really think it is enough that you would have to pay more than 100% of the real cost over fees and charges even though you already know how to drive.

These things could get frustrating on the long run, people work really hard in order to have better lives, and the fact that they have to put so much of their earnings over many things that they NEED to have is really hard.

 But you’ve got to wonder, all these people have a chance of letting go and going back to their countries, but they don’t! Why do they prefer to live like this? And why are they willing to spend more of their savings in order to stay here? Is it the lifestyle or is it that they have better chances here?

Dubai and the Open Wallet

It starts with the idea of getting out, if you didn’t have a car, you’d have to open your wallet for a taxi, even if you were using the subway, you won’t be able to survive walking in such weather even for 10 meters!

So you make your way to your destination, a mall, a restaurant, a friend’s place, a tower, or the beach. You will always find reasons to open that wallet, by walking near a shop that has something you might need, or a hypermarket for groceries you do need, paying the bills, or renting a movie to watch with a friend, or ordering lunch or dinner from a restaurant, pay entrance fees, or even paying the people who delivered a very heavy thing to your house. The thing is, you will always have reasons that will keep your wallets open. Family visits maybe the only time when you won’t have to, but sometimes you would also need to. And of course a walk on the beach in the summer is out of the picture.

My life in Jordan wasn’t so different as well. Considering the salaries there and how expensive life is, I am telling you Jordanians are very strong to keep up with that. 

So I could guess this is how things are in general, but hey, you gotta be careful, it’s not easy when you live in Dubai, unless you get a reasonable number on that paycheck every month, don’t bother going out much!

But the only thing that compensates to all of this is that you pay for things that deserve their prices, you get the services you want, at the time you need, and you will be happy about it.

Going to the Mall

Being new in town, I only was able to recognize some of the main roads and a few malls. Yeah, well.., I know what you would say, but no! I didn’t go for the sake of shopping!!

So I took a taxi.. went to Ibn Batuta Mall, Some people wouldn’t call that an experience! But there’s more to the story if you knew the details.

Fisrt, I opened the iPad to make a new shopping list, as I typed the items I needed, it gave me suggestions to the product’s brands, prices, and where to find it! That was so cool, because it actually helped me find the best products I needed in such a little time.

So, I was imagining that getting a taxi in this kind of hot weather will be like a mission impossible! But I was wrong.  I visited the  RTA’s website (RTA is the Roads & Transports Authority in the UAE: which is probably the BEST governmental online service in the Middle East), so I grabbed the phone, called a taxi, and it took them less than 5 minutes to be right on my doorstep! YEAH! That’s something! When compared to what I used to go through before, where getting a taxi meant standing at the pavement waiting desperately and receiving “compliments” from the guys around.

The shops are organized in general, you feel like your thoughts are right in place in your head where they should be  as you make your way to get what you want. But of course... what I say is based on my own experience combined with my own persona, maybe some people would disagree.

It didn’t end up well when I tried going back home, the taxi driver didn’t have a clue of how to get to the area where I live. He was going around and around the place until I managed to recognize the roads and show him the way... that consumed a lot of time and money!

But the first thing that was obvious for me to learn from this small experience is that; life is easier around here, and you really don’t have to struggle to get your things done everyday...  or exhaust yourself  worrying about how to get through the day.