In these uncertain economic times it’s probably a good idea to be cautious and careful. So with that in mind we decided that it might be prudent for me to change from a husband-sponsored to a company-sponsored visa, that way if anything (G*d forbid) should happen to Stu’s job, then we aren’t both visa-less, and can hopefully avoid the drama being visa-less would unleash, especially with the bank (but we won’t go into that again).
Being a South African I am very aware of the fact that we complain a lot, about everything. This is true whether we are still in SA, or living somewhere else. I know this because I personally spent many hours complaining about the SA banks, amongst other things, when living in Johannesburg. Essentially there are 4 main banks that operate in the country, and sometimes it feels a bit like Hobson’s choice when deciding between them. However, since moving to Dubai, I have realised the banks back home are FANTASTIC, not to mention rather technologically advanced, when compared with the choices here.
If people are honest, and by people I mean myself as I cannot speak for anyone else, they would admit that the main draw card for living in this region is the fact that it’s tax-free. Now of course there are those that will tell you that whilst it may be tax-free there are so many hidden costs, and fees for EVERYTHING, that when living here it can sometimes feel like you ARE paying a kind of tax. I am not sure that I agree with that, well not entirely anyway. Perhaps if you are coming from Europe or the US it may seem this way, but for me, coming from Africa, that part (the paying a fee for everything part) is normal. In South Africa, not only is there a fee for everything, and double it if you want something quickly, but you also pay hefty amounts in tax; both personal and VAT, as well as capital gains tax, estate duty, transfer duty, etc, etc, ad nauseum. For us, then, the fact that the UAE is still a tax-free place was a big plus when making our decision to come here.
In my day-to-day life here I do sometimes “forget” that I am living in the Middle East. OK, granted, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to get right, what with the dust and heat, especially at this time of year, but when you are busy with living your life there are things you begin to take for granted and you stop noticing them. And this week (weekend at least) I have once again been reminded that the things I may once have taken for granted at home, are neither normal or commonplace in certain parts of the region. I wanted to share with you two (unrelated) stories about Saudi Arabia today.
As unexpected as this wet, cloudy weather is I have to say that I am really enjoying it. Well for the most part anyway. Travelling around on the flooded streets is no fun at all, especially when people don’t slow down. Everyone knows that having your hazard lights on will instantly halve your stopping time so you don’t need to slow down, right?? Getting to work this week has been challenging, I always had an idea that desert sand was like beach sand, and so wouldn’t be muddy. Yeah right! The sand here seems to turn into something resembling soft porridge. Very sticky and sloppy. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive. On the plus side though I am definitely getting braver, the large lake of water that stopped me just a week ago was no big deal on Wednesday, especially as I was already late and could not be bothered with turning back and finding another way. So I drove through it, despite the fact it seemed bigger and deeper this time, or maybe that was just when I was half-way through and beginning to have second thoughts. Anyway I made it. Although my car is now making a very strange noise at high revs and has no power, it almost sounds like something is stuck, so now I have the added joy of having to take it in to the dealership this week and have it checked out. Needless to say I haven’t bothered to wash it again, I will wait until the rain is completely over I think. More news on the recent weather can be read here, including pictures of hail! My picture of mud below is rather mundane in comparison :-).
