Living In A Safe Zone
If you’ve never traveled to the Mideast, it can certainly be an eye-opening experience. Some of the countries are more tolerant to western life styles and the way of life differs at each location. For example, Saudi Arabia is very restrictive when it comes to interpretation of the Islamic texts. Men and women wear the typical cultural and religious dress, and women must cover their head and bodies while in public. Additionally, men and women are not allowed to mix while in public.
Some of the other countries are more liberal, and to some degree, cater to westerners who are either visiting or working on a local project or contract.
Dubai
Perhaps the most liberal country in the Mideast is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tourism of the Emirate is welcome and much of the massive development is in support of this lucrative industry. UAE is composed of seven emirates and is located in the eastern Arabian Peninsula. Dubai is the name of one of the emirates, as well as the name of the main city, sometimes called, “Dubai City,” to distinguish it from the emirate itself.
You may have heard of Dubai or seen a special on the Discovery Channel about the Palm Islands. These artificial islands were created for commercial and residential living and are considered the largest land reclamation projects in the world.
Hotel Burj Al Arab
Similarly, another project called “The World” is a man-made cluster of islands constructed in the shape of the planet also located off the cost of Dubai. These are created primarily using sand dredged from the sea.
One of the biggest projects in particular was the creation of Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. Strangely enough, my wife and I walked pass this resort by accident. We were visiting the Mall of the Emirates and realized that this resort was actually part of the mall itself, as we walked by the entrance. From a large glass window, we watched the bundled skiers going down the man made slopes.
Dubai is certainly an exciting place with a diverse population who enjoy the unrivaled quality of life that the Emirate has to offer. Reportedly, Dubai has recorded that fastest population growth in the world. More and more people immigrate to the city for quality of life, outstanding employment prospects and to experience the very best in the world of work and lifestyle.
Doha
A while back, I traveled to Doha, Qatar, to attend a conference. Qatar is located in the Persian Gulf and occupies a small peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and otherwise surrounded by the Persian Gulf.
Doha is located on the eastern side of Qatar with a growth rate of 15% over the past 5 years. Throughout the city, one can view massive growth with skyscrapers under construction all over. Although not to the extent of Dubai, Doha is certainly moving forward.
I stayed at a fairly new hotel, the Movenpick Tower which provided excellent accommodations. Rather than rent a car, I decided to take Taxi’s which turned out to be the cheaper option and provided the best method to quickly get around town. Typically Taxis are inexpensive in the Mideast and (from my experience) I’ve discovered that it’s the best way to go for short stays.
Dubai Street
Like most Mideast cities, the common language is English. Surprised? I certainly was on my initial visits to the region. Because most of the laborers come from surrounding countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, etc., each with their own language, they’ve adapted English as the common language. It seemed funny to me, to be in the heart of the Mideast and see almost every street sign, commercial signs or store front in Arabic and English.
My taxi driver was from Bangladesh and spoke English very well in addition to several other languages. I told him that he should be an interpreter which he thought was very funny. His name was Amin and provided prompt and courteous service.
One evening after a long day of meetings, I asked Amin if he knew of any reputable locations to smoke “Shisha” also known as Hookahs and has nothing to do with drug paraphernalia. In fact, it’s basically a tall pipe where you can select your favorite flavor of tobacco and smoke it filtered through water. I prefer grape myself and Amin took me to a very old establishment along the water. We each smoked and drank what Amin called “red tea”. We sat outside to avoid the crowded interior full of a haze of smoke. It was chilly outside but pleasant nonetheless.
Another evening I traveled to the City Center, a local mall near the hotel. The mall itself was huge (six floors) and I ended up shopping at a large department/grocery store. It reminded me of a supercenter that you would see in the States. The store covered one floor of one end of the mall.
Bahrain
Bahrain is an island located in the southern part of the Persian Gulf and directly west of Qatar. Its total land area is slightly greater than that of Singapore. Saudi Arabia lies to the west across the Gulf of Bahrain and is connected via the King Fahd Causeway, 15 miles (24 km) long.
Bahrain Mosque
Bahrain currently hosts a US Naval installation and was initially recognized as the US Middle East Force in 1948. Both the Royal Navy and US Navy have occupied a 10 acre parcel supporting Naval Operations throughout the region.
I’ve attended a few meetings in Bahrain and visited with friends afterwards. Many of the local residences include maid service as part of the lease payment.
Climate
In general, many characterize the climate in the Mideast as hot and dry, although the winters are mild with some rain. The exceptions are the northern regions or mountains such as northern Iraq, Iran, eastern Turkey and Afghanistan. While in Baghdad, the temperatures throughout the winter and spring are actually very cold. This year they even experienced snow flurries, which is very unusual. The rest of the regions, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, etc., experience mild winters and are quite nice during this period. The summers are brutally hot with extreme temperatures and high humidity. If you are fortunate enough to work inside most hibernate throughout the summer to escape the extreme heat.
During my summer months in Baghdad, the temperature often soared above 120 F. Typically in this region it’s a very dry heat and very different from what I’m accustomed to living in Florida. In fact, I know it’s strange, but I even found the Baghdad heat preferable to the Florida humidity. Of course, that’s the only thing I find preferable!
Hours
Working hours in the Mideast may differ than those stateside and are dependent on your particular contract and for whom you are working. For example, I know a couple of guys that work on a contract supporting US operations in Bahrain but work directly for the Bahraini Government and are paid by the Bahraini’s. Therefore, they work the same hours as their Bahraini bosses. Their days off are Friday and Saturday which matches the standard Mideast weekend and may even include local holidays.
For Government contracts (US or otherwise) your hours again are reflective of your particular agreement. I have friends that live and work in Qatar. They work seven days a week on a military installation and at the end of each shift, go home to a nice Villa provided by the company.
I have other friends that contract in Kuwait and work a typical 40-hour week. That’s just what their contract calls for which gives them more time off to enjoy the local lifestyle.
Medical
Many companies offer an international health plan for expatriates and are provided a list of health care providers located in their region. Employees may also have the advantage of utilizing the local military care, if working on a military contract. Providing health care to civilians in a hospitable area where you would normally already have health care provided by your company is usually hit or miss on the military base. So, you’ll have to find out what the local procedures are and where the other contractors usually go.
