10. The Call to Prayer scared you half to death the first time you heard it over a loudspeaker in a public setting | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

14 Struggles You Experience As A New Abu Dhabi Expat

"Inshallah" = "Not today, man."

281
14 Struggles You Experience As A New Abu Dhabi Expat
Ella Pitman

People move locations every day and experience culture shock, but coming from a small town in Alabama, moving to one of the most rapidly growing cities in the world came with both its joys and hardships. One of the ways my family and I coped with the newness of Middle Eastern city life was to find the humor in every "unique" situation. To this day, we enjoy sitting around and laughing together about all the wonderful mishaps and wrong turns we took during our transition period.

1. You thought you might crash and die your first time on Sheikh Zayed BridgeĀ 

Really, a fear factor is involved in most Abu Dhabi driving situations. You can make your own lane, stop signs are just suggestions, and you better not sit at a traffic light for more than 0.4 seconds or you'll get the honk of shame.

2. The person sitting beside you in class could be from Lebanon or Michigan, and sometimes, it's hard to tellĀ 

Because Abu Dhabi is such a vast melting pot of races and ethnicities, definitive cultural lines are often blurry which is a great thing until the 15 year-old boy with the dark skin, full beard, and SWEDISH accent throws you off mid-conversation.

3. You didn't know serious soccer was until someone nearly smacked you for not knowing who Omar Abdulrahman isĀ 

Jerseys, jerseys everywhere. I don't know the last thing about sports, but these people don't play when it comes to soccer, both recreationally and professionally. It's a passion you've got to admire.

4. Having a bidet in your bathroom really freaked you out for the first couple of weeksĀ 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, just Google it. You'll understand.

5. The sights and sounds of the city can be overwhelming at firstĀ 

Huge buildings + bright lights + many different languages being spoken at the same time + crazy traffic = the occasional meltdown

6. Navigating your first concert there was like being in a loud, colorful sauna with 5,000 of your friendsĀ 

So many cool people in one place! So......many.....people!

7. "Giving directions" really means "naming every landmark from point A to point B"Ā 

This is how directions are communicated to everyone, including taxi drivers, friends, strangers, and emergency services. This is partly because a lot of Western expats can't pronounce the street names anyway.

8. People back home told you to watch out for all the "weapons" you might encounterĀ 

With the way adults (who had never been to Abu Dhabi) talked to me about Abu Dhabi, I thought bazookas were going to be a much bigger problem than they were. Many people, but especially Americans, hear "Middle East" and get very anxious. But Abu Dhabi is actually one of the safest cities in the world! I could take a taxi alone at 1AM across town and not feel the least bit anxious about it!

9. You almost needed an intervention for your shawarma addictionĀ 

It didn't help that there was a shawarma place within walking distance of everywhere.

10. The Call to Prayer scared you half to death the first time you heard it over a loudspeaker in a public settingĀ 

"Is this the rapture? Is this a pop song? Should I follow all these people?"

11. When people hear you're moving to Abu Dhabi, they assume you're ridiculously wealthyĀ Ā 

Most expats don't have the gold toilets, sports cars and huge parties that people imagine when they think of Abu Dhabi or Dubai. We do come in contact with those things though, and it's hard not to feel totally out of place when it happens. But, at the end of the day, what you have or what you don't isn't what's important; it's enjoying the culturally diverse experience.

12. 110 degrees is too hot to do anythingĀ 

This is especially true if you have thick or curly hair. You're basically walking around with a wool blanket on your head, and it's not comfortable. This is when all those summer scarves you bought at the souk come in handy. While it may seem counterintuitive, multiple thin layers can actually help protect your skin from intense sun exposure which is important if you burn easily.

13. You quickly learn that "Inshallah" means "it probably won't happen, but if it does, it won't be any time soon.Ā 

"Inshallah" is an Arabic phrase meaning "God willing", but many people use it as a "maybe, maybe not" response to plans. Abu Dhabi runs on its own schedule, and all well-educated residents know that nothing almost nothing will happen on time.

14. You couldn't shake the feeling of being in a movie for at least the first few monthsĀ 

"How would Vin Diesel react in this situation?"

I hope this encourages anyone about to embark on a new journey. Don't worry, even if things don't go as planned, it will still enhance your world view and you can laugh about it later.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
smiling girl in pink and white stripe shirt

I'll never forget the day that someone told me these words: "Madison, I think you're a good friend to everyone but yourself." I stood there completely in awe of that statement. Before that day, I never really thought about being a friend to myself, and at the time, I didn't really know what it meant. Now, I realize that you can't fully be there for other people unless you're there for yourself, too. You can't show up for others until you're willing to show up for yourself.

Here are five things everyone should learn in order to be a better friend to themselves. These steps are hard, but they're so worth it.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas decorations
YouTube

Finals, exams and papers - oh my! The only thing keeping you sane at the moment is the thought that Christmas break is near. Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Here are some simple things you can do to stay motivated and get into the Christmas spirit.

1. Play Christmas Music

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

21 Things We All Love About Winter

Despite the cold, you might find that there is a lot to love about winter.

245
pine cone winter
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

We all have a love hate relationship with winter, lets be real here. The snow makes people forget how to drive, its cold, the roads are bad, and chances are, you will be spending a lot more money than you do during the other months of the year. If youā€™re from the Midwest, it seems to be that winter lasts for what feels like forever. But despite the struggles that winter brings, there are so many things to love about it.

Keep Reading...Show less
christmas shopping bags

Shopping for your family and friends can be expensive. So why not make something small and cute while not emptying your bank account?

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The Post Thanksgiving Panic And Anxiety

It happens to all of us, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas the catch up with you.

1567
studying

Thanksgiving Break is most likely everyoneā€™s favorite break during the fall semester. You get to go home and reminisce with all your high school friends. That diet youā€™ve been on for the past month goes out the window, and you get to eat until you put yourself into a food coma. Thereā€™s no rush on homework and you can just lie in bed and Netflix to your heartā€™s content. To me that sounds like an ideally wonderful break, and totally stress-free.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments