LouiseJane | ExpatWoman.com
 

LouiseJane

LouiseJane
27
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Latest post on 08 May 2017 - 13:50
Sorry Rhea93...everyone has been so lovely, I'm going to try and give you my experience as a bit of 'tough love'...and it is intended as love! Like you, I moved here alone from the UK six years ago, and knew just one person here who was busy with her own family. Like you the first few months were all about setting up my home, and I like the advice above from leonee about making your home feel like home. After I was set up at home, I felt like you - really lonely. And then I had to try to get out and make friends, I went to gyms, group exercise classes, golf lessons, joined groups of other girls for ladies nights (meetup.com) and went to college in the evening to learn a new skill and meet other people. It's difficult and sometimes you can't be bothered but you won't make friends staying at home (that's the tough love part) I honestly know it's difficult - but push yourself if you can, say yes to every invitation! Like the other ladies have said, all expats have had those difficult few months, and as people come and go here a lot, even after six years you have to force yourself to get out there and meet new people and enjoy the exciting mix of cultures. Find something you love or a skill you've always wanted to learn, once you have something in common, be brave and strike up a conversation. Wishing you the best of luck LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 March 2017 - 13:36
I had a similar query when I got married and was informed of the following as a British Citizen. https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad [i'>Contact the local authorities in the country where you want to get married or enter into a civil partnership to find out what you need to do. Your marriage or civil partnership should be recognised in the UK if you follow the correct process according to local law - you won’t need to register it in the UK.[/i'>[/i'> Therefore, as Sarahlou (she always gives good advice) says make sure your certificate is attested :)
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 January 2017 - 09:34
They don't do weddings at the British Embassy, only in exceptional circumstances.
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 January 2017 - 16:22
In my humble opinion there are no bad seats at Dubai Opera. Obviously this is a new build so there are no concerns about pillars and obscured views compared to the West End in London as an example.. If you're a die hard fan then I'm sure you would prefer the front few rows, but this depends obviously on how much you're willing to pay. The acoustics are amazing, yes further back you don't see the expression on the artist's face. I've sat in Box 1 which is one of the most expensive and also sat right at the back and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the performance. Enjoy bye:
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 June 2016 - 15:06
Congratulations on the final round for the interview! Yes five years ago I moved as a single woman to Dubai. It can be lonely, but so can moving to lots of cities across the world. You have to come with a mentality to 'get out there and see what happens'. There are lots of social groups, gyms, hobby and interest groups you can join. Sometimes, it feels a bit hard work, but the reality is you'll be lonely if you don't do it. Dubai is a great place to meet many new friends from different nationalities, and people are much more open here than they would be in other cities, as Dubai is a transient place and people come and go and therefore it's easy to make friends if you put in the effort. Anyway, five years on I have many friends here and who have now moved on to new cities across the world. Good Luck with your decision
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2016 - 17:31
Ahh ACE630 I really hope you do like it, there are plenty of parents with children your age out and about every day! There was a really cute kids party in the soft play area in the next cluster at the weekend and it looked so great! Best of luck with your move next week!
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2016 - 13:32
Hi Supernoodle Your post made me reminisce about my teenage years shopping with my Mum! Hope some of these suggestions help... New Look is a good suggestion, also try Forever 21...not expensive and they would have some good options with shirts, basic tees and a few choice accessories. I'd suggest trying to build a 'capsule wardrobe' picking a few complimentary colours, few layering pieces, and trying to bring some outfits together. Think this is all about building confidence and re-inforcing 'this looks great on you' etc etc Good Luck! Really wishing my Mum was in DXB for a shopping day! Have fun and enjoy it x
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 February 2016 - 13:23
Hi Greenfingers Location is great because of traffic if you approach from Al Sufouh / Skydive Dubai side, Murjan cluster for me is the easiest cluster to get in and out of. When you come out of the parking you turn right in front of Al Shorfa / Trident and then left in front of Park Island, easy to get to SZR but sometimes a little tricky with the timings of the tram. I thought it was going to be a nightmare but it's been fine. There is a small mosque in the plaza area that does get busy on a Friday at prayer time. In terms of noise, we are on a low floor with a community view. This is quite quiet to say the area is so busy. I'm not sure if you faced towards JBR / The Walk as there is lots of traffic on that road on Friday and Saturdays, car hooting etc. Also you can hear the parties at Zero Gravity / SkyDive Dubai if the wind is in the right direction! Location for me is great, the grocery stores are convenient along with a few salons, love being able to walk to the cinema. There seems to be quite a community feeling, as there are plenty of children that play out in the plaza area in the early evenings. Hope this helps
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 November 2015 - 14:05
Hi Angela Bay Why not have a look at http://natalie-robinson.com/ See if you like her images. LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 November 2015 - 13:57
Hi Ladies We went to see Dr McEwan after recommendations on here, this was a couple of weeks ago. We found him impossible to get hold of after we had made an appointment and we needed some more advice. So yes he is still here, but two weeks ago he seemed to disappear and not answer the phone or emails. Good Luck getting in touch with him
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 11:11
Hi Rosh12 Why not contact Livia Anzaldo? https://www.fitnesslink.me/professionals/166/livia-anzaldo She had a baby herself last year and has been helping lots of new mums and runs yoga classes for new mums with babies, http://yogaretreats.ae/w/affiliates/ If she is unable to help she has excellent connections that she can recommend someone to come to you home. Good Luck LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 13:25
This is all great info for Samoura1...aren't we nice people in the greens?! :lol:
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 May 2015 - 11:50
Hiya Samoura1 To be honest there are some variety and some agents will call the greens 'old greens' and 'new greens' but I have never worked out why. In my personal opinion the blocks nearer to the shops Sidir / Ghaf / Nakheel / Jaz are better than the ones on the otherside of Street 7 - Samar / Arta etc. Again personal opinion so I expect to be challenged by other posters on this. These are all the smaller blocks of 6 storeys high. The newer buildings (high rise) are Golf Tower / Links and rents will be higher here as some of them are actually classified as 'the views' as from some you get views of the golf course. I don't know about your budget but there is a new development on the edge of the greens called Panorama, I haven't been in one of their units but they look lovely. Hope all of this helps you LJ x
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2015 - 14:04
Agree - although the greens is great, it is a long walk to the metro (and across a dangerous road) JBR / Marina is much easier to walk around and to get the the supermarket / cafes / lunch dates / beach
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2015 - 14:01
I would say it depends on the ages of your kids and how confident they are with the water and rides. My nephew was 5 and not tall enough for all of the rides at Aquaventure. Wild Wadi and Yas have more 'white knuckle' rides suitable for older, confident swimming kids. Aquaventure is more suited to younger children as my niece (8) and nephew (5) enjoyed the kids area and the lazy river bit the most. HTH
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2015 - 13:57
Hi Samoura1 Good Luck in your move to Dubai. Like Sarahlou123 I live in the greens in a first floor apartment and must say the ground floor apartments with a large terrace rather than the Ground floor balcony that look onto the pool / community area do look like a good option. Some things to consider that I have observed: * Check out the neighbours! Some of my neighbours have lots of cats and a previous tenant in one of the ground floor with terrace unit spent lots of time installing wire fencing at the bottom of the fence to stop the cats coming in and using the gravel area as a large kitty litter bin. They also had concerns about privacy and spent lots of time trying to screen the areas near the bedrooms as they were concerned about people peeking in. * Have a look around, some of my neighbours use the terrace / garden as a bit of a dumping ground, others have made really lovely outdoor spaces which make me jealous when they are outside dining and entertaining. * Like Sarahlou123 says they don't come up that often, in my 4 years I have only seen one change of tenant in one of the four units I can see from my balcony. Although I do think they are a good alternative to a villa (no water needed to water the grass!) there are some issues around privacy and other peoples' pets you need to consider. If these are no issues and a unit comes up then go for it. LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 March 2015 - 14:40
Hi Mimitins Would love to...leave me a message here and I will leave my email and then remove after you have seen LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 February 2015 - 14:37
I have just renewed my British Passport and hope these dates are helpful. 30/12/2014 Sent old passport and forms via FedEx to Liverpool UK 02/01/2015 Passport arrived in Liverpool 12/01/2015 New Passport arrived in Dubai 14/01/2015 Old Passport returned (they return originals via separate post) However, the Passport Agency website stated 6 weeks so either I was lucky or the back-log that was so widely documented has reduced a little. I know things are more complicated if you are applying for a new passport etc. Hope this is helpful LJ
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 January 2015 - 14:27
Hi Good luck on your fitness plan! Flywheel Dubai have just opened a new studio in the gold and diamond park if you like to spin and they usually have classes after 7pm. http://dubai.flywheelsports.com/reserve/gld-%2526-dmd-park Your first class is free when you sign up! Before anyone says it...I don't work for them but have been a client for over a year and I really admire the team and they are very welcoming! LouiseJane
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 February 2014 - 12:43
Hey Yeah when I called there were no problems - it was processed after I submitted the booking. I paid by debit card and there were no extra charges. I searched a site about edreams concerning the honoring the price thing. It seems they quote a price and then (behind the scenes) they decide whether it is worth their while to honour the quote. I wouldn't want to give you any advice about cancellation, I would just check the small print. They don't charge your card until they confirm the price and send you a booking confirmation with the airline. I did chase them as my travel dates were really close to the time of booking. To be honest, I'm not sure I would use them again. It seemed a stressful process to let them have your passport, copy of card etc and I'm not sure they would be as helpful if you needed to cancel or change the flight due to the premium rate number. Just read the small print - I didn't and had a few days of stress! Enjoy your vacation,
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 February 2014 - 08:35
Dear Corinnad I used them in January to book a one way ticket from UK to DXB prices were 1000AED cheaper so I was wary. When you book, they don't send you a confirmation directly, they email you back to see if they can honour the price quoted, which was inconvenient as I was watching all of the other flights go up in price even more. I received confirmation and then they asked for a scanned copy of passport to verify identity and a copy of the credit card with the last 4 digits hidden. Again an inconvenience. Nothing happened for 24 hours and I was travelling 48 hours later so I had to call them (premium rate number of course) and spoke to some one who quite quickly processed the flight. To be honest the whole booking process of them verifying the price and then my ID was quite stressful. It depends whether you have the time and patience and are willing to chase them. Hope this helps LouiseJane
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2013 - 09:50
http://natalie-robinson.com Amazing work and really captures the family spirit and the beauty of Dubai
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 August 2013 - 09:47
A friend is a family photographer here in Dubai http://natalie-robinson.com/
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2013 - 10:26
http://www.hqhair.com/health-beauty/brands/korres.list Free International Delivery - takes them about 7-10 days and they usually send 10% off discount emails etc
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 September 2012 - 10:42
Hi There I'd recommend the Addo Elephant park - great for a one day safari - we saw all elephants, giraffes, lions, wilderbeast, warthog...so great for your child. We did also stop off in Storms River Village and did the Canopy Tour - I do remember it being suitable for children although not much else to do in this area. Whale watching is a must do - they were land based off Hermanus which was amazing. Cape Town itself is great - beaches are good - we went in November and did manage to chill on the beach too. Boulders Beach is lots of fun too, Cape point is a good hike. These are all great suggestions below. I stayed in B&B's all the way along the garden route, lots were child friendly and I really believe I had a great experience choosing to stay in local places and get the best recommendations from the people who ran it. Enjoy - best vacation ever!
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 11:11
Thank you everyone.... Greenish - I only mentioned what he likes doing...not what he only does!
LouiseJane
27
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 December 2011 - 22:47
Hi There I did the Garden Route 2 years ago and I would really recommend it... My top tips were: Cape Town - do two days and really pack it all in, then move on to Stellenbosch or Franschoek to the winelands, have a cheese and wine (or not wine) lunch at one of the vineyards. Hermanus, you really do see the whales close to the shore - amazing! Shark Cage diving is not to be missed either! Chill out in Kynsna for a night, then head back. I also did a safari in Addo elephant park which was well worth it! Hope this helps... Lou
 
 
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