xhamster
While I did have a snigger and agree with some of your frustrations, I have to ask what lit the fuse? What a rant 'buddy' and somewhat telling of your own ignorance.
Did you not realise, before you signed on the dotted line that Dubai was a Muslim Country (Mosques and Ramadan), located in the Middle East (hot temperatures & high humidity) that employs many migrant workers on low wages? Did you not realise that the UAE is a desert and arid land before you came or were you expecting the Lake district of rolling hills, dense forest and lakes?
Hour waiting for fuel? Don't run it on empty and be forced join the rush hour morons in the known garages that get busy. (... a 2 for Situational Awareness!)
Education allowance that covers most prestigious school in UK? The allowance is 72,000 dhs....not dollars! Research on your UK prestigious schools might surprise you.
Crap teachers? DC college have some of the best GCSE and A level results compared to the majority of UK schools. JESS Arabian Ranches ranks in the top percentage of schools achieving outstanding IB results.
Chemically treated seawater from bottles? Masafi water comes from Masafi, not from the sea. It's as clean as anything else in the World, probably more so than the highly chlorinated tap water in the US.
Address system? Who cares, mail arrives to my employers address and I'm advised by email whenever something needs collecting. Saves on tons of flyers dropping through my letter box every day like my friends back in UK.
Maid issues? Don't have one. Never have, never will.
Woken up by Mosque? I guess that's a problem if you live near one but you could always fork out 5% to a useless agent to move.
Stench of 300 sweating feet as you drive past the above mentioned Mosque? Well, do what I do and leave the windows up on the BMW X6 with the recirc fan on. The wife will not tolerate having her Chanel dress and Hermes handbag being impregnated with the smell of manual labour on the way to afternoon tea...at the Ritz!
Sure, this place has it's problems, plenty of them and some are getting worse, no doubt about it. You've highlighted several and I don't disagree. However, a lot of what frustrated you is avoidable. While you castigate the Dubai elite and its establishment, you yourself joined it. You're disgusted at the treatment afforded to it's lower class of citizens yet looked down on them yourself with your demeaning comments of smelling like rubbish and calling you mam/sir. How many times did you respond back with a 'good morning?' How often did you offer the engineer a bottle of water and sit down when he came in the flight deck? How often did you offer to pay for the phone card for the labourer in the check out que? How many times did you offer the J class toilet back to the smelly taxi driver that hasn't seen his family in over a year and works 6, 12 hour days a week?
Personally, I'd take that any day over a 'f**k off' from a group of teenagers outside a UK shopping precinct, or a 'give me your wallet' as you walk through Brooklyn at night or maybe just a shot in the head for a few Rand or Real in South Africa or Brasil.
I too can go on and on but I've chosen to stay. Because I'm happy here. Horses for courses and all that......
Harry