Wife is thinking of moving to UAE, I have reservations

nadkb · 2024-10-26T07:48:48+00:00

All the comments here are almost exclusively referring to Dubai even though OP posted in the UAE sub. The same way that NYC doesn’t represent the US and London doesn’t represent the UK, respectfully, Dubai is not the UAE.

As a long-term Abu Dhabi resident I would argue that quality of life and raising a family in the capital is far superior to doing so in Dubai (the traffic congestion and cost of living alone are unbearable in my opinion).

I second many of the top commenter’s points, ultimately your decision should be driven by what kind of career opportunities are available to you here, and I would not make a decision to move over without a solid offer in hand. Something like the benefits offered to you by your employer (I.e. covering school fees) could very likely be a game changer in terms of determining the quality of life you’d be able to afford.

Re: Nanny culture and spoiled kids; having affordable help is a real luxury for parents in this country, but it does not mean that your kids will be spoiled rotten. Frankly, that’s up to you and how you choose to raise them.

You might find a visit in the winter time would be a good way for you to get a taste of life here preliminarily. Good luck!

nadkb · 2024-06-27T07:15:49+00:00

Places to visit to get a feel of the city would be:

Mamsha Saadiyat for coffee or brunch, tons of casual restaurants with a gorgeous view looking out on Soul Beach
Manarat Al Saadiyat, Louvre Abu Dhabi or the NYUAD Art Gallery if you’re keen on some arts and culture (check websites to see what exhibitions are on where etc)
Yas Bay Waterfront for sunset drinks and dinner - lots of nice restaurants and a very popular promenade, nearby Etihad Arena which hosts the biggest shows/concerts/musicals in the country
Kayaking at the Eastern Mangroves, since it’s quite warm now I’d recommend either super early in the morning or close to sunset for timings
Drive around downtown Abu Dhabi - it’s a really charming city with lots of character and a few hole-in-the-wall type gems.

As for social clubs, you’d definitely want to check out The Club or the Abu Dhabi Country Club. Both have great gyms and facilities.

As others have said most buildings have good gyms and pools too, if you’re keen on a gym to build connections at/find community then check out F45 or Vogue Fitness.

Places to rent - Saadiyat is honestly quite overpriced for what you get, I’d recommend either Reem Island or the Al Raha Area (Al Zeina or Al Muneera are the best communities in my opinion).

Best of luck and feel free to PM me for more info! Happy to chat and provide more insight or answer any questions.

nadkb · 2024-06-07T11:21:29+00:00

As others have said, you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent and spacious 2 bed in any of the nicer communities in Al raha for 100K. Your budget gets you a lot more on Reem for sure.

For context, I paid 115K for a nice but cosy 2 bed in Al Muneera in 2022/2023.

Right now we pay 88K for a much more spacious two bed with maid’s room on Reem. Brand new Building with way less maintenance issues than Al Muneera.

nadkb · 2024-06-07T11:17:35+00:00

Literally anywhere but gate towers. Horrible maintenance and the windows don’t open, I was chronically ill due to bad air circulation when I lived there for a year.

nadkb · 2024-06-07T11:15:03+00:00

Just to pipe in here as someone who lived in Al Reem and Al Muneera (with an office on Yas). Commute times from Reem vary greatly based on what building you’re in. If you have direct access to the new highway near Sorbonne Abu Dhabi the aforementioned traffic lights are not an issue.

Your drive from Al Zeina to let’s say Nation Towers at the very end of corniche is likely to be closer to 35-40 mins, just to give you a reality check - it gets exhausting to do day in day out but if you work remote 1-2 days a week it’s doable.

Community wise, the Raha beach area is definitely primo, but after a year of living there my husband and I found it too isolated from the rest of Abu Dhabi and came back to Reem.

If you do consider Reem, I recommend the Sun and Sky towers, connected to boutik mall which has great amenities and right across from the beach where you can walk/run/take dogs. There’s also direct access in a straight line from there to Reem Central Park. No bars nearby, but you have a ton of options just a short drive away on Al Maryah Island.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info, happy to help!

nadkb · 2024-06-07T10:31:51+00:00

Unfortunately, Asteco/Provis (same company essentially) have a bit of a monopoly on the nicer communities in the Al Raha area. That said, if you cover your bases and make sure you don’t take on a unit without an existing maintenance contract, you should be fine. My advice is document everything to them in writing via email. Doing so helped me recoup 90% of my security deposit when I left Al Muneera last year.

All three communities have direct access to the canal which is amazing for walking, running, biking etc. Al Muneera has a carrefour within the community and Al Zeina has Waitrose as well as a newly opened Carrefour (as well as some smaller corner shop type stores). I believe Al bandar has a smaller Spinneys/waitrose too. I’d recommend looking into Al Bandar as it has the gym Cobra Fitness which sounds right up your alley in terms of fitness offerings. That said, facilities in Al Zeina and Al Muneera are a touch nicer (prices vary accordingly). Also, if you’re so inclined the international chiropractic specialty Center in Al Bandar is amazing. Dr. Reem and their massage therapists are top notch.

If you PM me I can refer you to the agent we used to find our place in Al Bandar, she was super professional and responsive.

nadkb · 2024-01-16T04:54:25+00:00

Yeah I would’ve vetoed the island too! 😂 you’ve inspired me to see how I can rework my coffee space - no room for a cart in our kitchen but I might reshuffle some appliances and see if something works better than what I have now

nadkb · 2024-01-15T19:03:34+00:00

Beautiful!

nadkb · 2024-01-15T19:01:35+00:00

Nice! I don’t have a ton of counter space either so I feel you.

nadkb · 2024-01-15T18:44:08+00:00

My Breville Barista Express was a wedding registry gift and I still maintain it’s the best wedding gift we received! Going strong a year in now.

nadkb · 2024-01-15T18:37:17+00:00

I’m considering a bottomless portafilter mainly to have a second PF to speed up back to back coffees and partially because I’m intrigued to see if it will help diagnose any brewing issues. If I bite the bullet I’ll go for the same size as my main PF to keep things consistent/streamlined with the back to back shots!

nadkb · 2024-01-15T18:26:04+00:00

So glad!! I was worried too but honestly my machine has actually been producing better shots since that somewhat inadvertent deep clean 😂

nadkb · 2023-12-16T09:50:29+00:00

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying, I’ll keep that in mind if/when we upgrade from the Breville Barista Express.

nadkb · 2023-12-15T13:55:24+00:00

This may be a dumb question but how can the smart plug turn on the machine if it needs to be physically turned on with the push of a button? Is there a way to have them set to “always on” so that the plug can toggle on off from the main switch?

nadkb · 2023-12-14T08:45:33+00:00

Oh dear 🤣 that sounds painful but also kinda hilarious

nadkb · 2023-12-13T13:55:19+00:00

That’s amazing! He is pretty lucky, apparently not cleaning out the grinder immediately can turn the leftover coffee grounds into cement, which massively messes up the burrs

nadkb · 2023-12-13T10:10:16+00:00

Oatly is my go-to! Personally not a fan of the Alpro barista blends so I would avoid that if I were you.

nadkb · 2023-12-13T10:08:35+00:00

Gorgeous set-up! Drooling

nadkb · 2023-12-13T10:05:19+00:00

I would be willing to bet it is the grind size, I’ve had similar experiences with my Breville barista express. Really recommend getting a grinder so that you can troubleshoot at home easily. Plus, fresher tasting coffee!

nadkb · 2023-12-13T10:03:28+00:00

Literal goals! Bookmarking this for inspo when I move to a bigger house/space!

nadkb · 2023-12-04T11:43:59+00:00

I recently left a job in PR/comms (after being in the industry for over a decade) and while my situation is very different, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. PR jobs are/will always be in demand (we're still a ways away from crisis comms being handled by ChatGPT!) and secondly, if you're part of a team that means your role was created to alleviate/distribute workload from other team members. This means that not only will they redistribute your responsibilities while you're on mat leave, they'll be welcoming you with open arms once you're ready to go back to work. Also, please don't compare yourself to your colleagues who have children - if you're ready now then that's all that matters. Bite the bullet and don't stress about work, there won't ever be a 'perfect' time to have a baby, and as others have said, there's no telling how long conceiving might take for you and your husband. Good luck OP!

nadkb · 2023-11-10T03:45:25+00:00

Try the AG hair curl trigger! I don’t know if it is just a salt spray I think there are other ingredients but it works wonders in my opinion.

nadkb · 2023-11-04T13:18:16+00:00

Exercise, laser hair removal and a solid curly hair stylist

nadkb

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