Glenda


When Glenda moved to Dubai 18 months ago it was hard to leave her 2 children in Australia even though they are both in university.  She also gave up her career but says “After 30 years of teaching I felt I could have a bit of retirement.”

She had never been to Dubai before, although she had visited the Middle East with her husband who is of Palestinian origin.  He had sent her a few photos, as he arrived before her, but she still found that the city was much bigger than she expected.  Their apartment is located in heart of Bur Dubai, just a couple of streets from the Creek and within walking distance of the soon-to-be completed Metro station at BurJuman Centre.  “We’ve never lived in a city before, we’ve always been in the outer suburbs” she says “so it’s a lovely spot to be in as there’s nothing we can’t get to on foot.” 
 
They find it so convenient that, although they have considered it, they have not bought a car.  Her husband takes a company bus or taxi the short distance to and from work and they do their grocery shopping on foot in the evenings.  Although she does admit “I’m longing for the Metro to be finished.”
 
She loves the freedom of being able to safely walk alone.  “I arrived in February and I didn’t know anyone at that stage, so I decided to go walking and see what I could find out” she says.  “It’s fascinating, even though I get lost all the time.”  Some of her favourite haunts are the souqs on either side of the Creek and the many little market areas off “Bank Street” (Khalid bin Waleed St) near her home.  She will often stop for freshly baked bread or a falafel from her favourite stalls.

“The first time you go down there, particularly if you’re by yourself, you do feel a bit outnumbered.  You feel people are looking at you, but then I’m looking at them too.  Once you’ve been there enough they realize you’re a local and they don’t treat you like a tourist.  I find most people are very happy to talk to me” she says.
 
One thing she hasn’t used as much as she expected is her Arabic, which she studied at university.  “I’m a tremendous eavesdropper” she says “but can’t answer back very well” however almost everyone speaks English.

She visits Karama to buy linens and beautiful silk rugs to hang on the walls of her home in Australia and says she usually pays no more than 40% of the initial asking price.  To get the best deals she recommends shopping on hot days when there are few tourists about, or in the evenings just before the stores close.
 
Outside of Dubai she loves Al Ain, particularly the Zoo and the Camel Market.  “The Zoo is beautiful, I was there 6 hours and could have happily stayed longer” she says.  “I went in the morning – nobody goes to the Zoo in morning – so I had the whole place to myself.  It’s really pretty, right at the foot of the mountain.”  An interest in both photography and camels took her to the local camel market.  “So long as you don’t mind getting out of your comfort zone, the Al Ain camel market is so much fun” she says. 
 
Even through the summer Glenda and her husband continue to walk along the Creek as well as further afield.  “We like to watch the men playing cricket and the little Indian girls in their saris” she says.  “When you walk out the door you think it’s horribly hot, but after 5 minutes you forget about it.  You just have to make the effort.”