So, another adventure comes to an end - this is getting to be a bit of a habit!
I am now in my final month in Al Ain and, as it turns out, the Middle East. I shall be moving to Budapest in August so I thought I'd have some brief reflection about my time here.
What I'll miss about the UAE:
1. Has to be the weather for much of the year - glorious sunshine almost every day means I not put on a second layer of clothing virtually since i arrived. Of course - high 40s at the moment can be overwhelming and keeps you indoors!
2. Some really lovely people, particularly at work - very warm and welcoming and friendly. Most of my colleagues are not Emirati but Egyptians, Palestinians and Arabs of many nations. The Emiratis can be really friendly but are generally quite aloof and reserved. Not so the children who are a joy and constantly delight with their innocence and open honesty.
3. The desert never stops surprising you with its changing colours
4. Friday morning cinema, very often with a whole cinema to myself - bliss!
5. Some really cheap things alongside much that which is outrageously priced - Cheap: Petrol, laundry - now I think about it, that's it! Expensive: nearly everything else particularly beer and sausages!
6. The call to prayer - I have a lovely mosque near my appartment with a very musical call!
7. Food conversations - Arabs talk about food like we Brits talk about the weather - they are experts and truly passioante about every aspect of food.
What I won't miss about the UAE:
1. Rude and thoughtless drivers!
2. Not that comfortable with the domestic servant situation - definitely not an equal society in anyway!
3. Summer heat - just too much - too hot to go to the pool - unbelievable!
4. Ramadan - I think it's wonderful that the whole country fasts during daylight hours, but to the untrained it can be a bit too much!
5. No rugby on the telly!
That's it - on balance a really good experience and on the whole - very happy memories - happy to move on though!
Next stop.................... Budapest!!!
