ValGal. | ExpatWoman.com
 

ValGal.

ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 April 2017 - 15:13
Hi EW, Does anyone have a child at Nations Academy? Any thoughts on the merger between Nations / DAA? Do you know what the new school will be like? ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 April 2017 - 14:46
You may want to check out mumsatwork.ae ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 July 2016 - 02:50
Try - http://www.coursetakers.ae/search/courses-in/cooking/. Hope that helps as a good start. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 July 2016 - 02:45
Where are you relocating from? ValGal?
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 June 2016 - 15:53
Is there a KHDA rating for Sharjah? ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 May 2016 - 08:48
Depends on what you want to do in NY. Central Park is definitely amazing in October and my favorite part of the city. It is a singular experience. Hence, getting a hotel near there would be a good idea. The ones near the park are the Mandarin Oriental, the Pierre, Essex House to name a few. All expensive - however, look between 57th to 52nd. from Madison to 8th Avenue for other hotels. If you want something cheaper and still near the park and in a great neighborhood (Upper West Side), look at the Lucerne around 79th and Amsterdam. A couple of blocks west of the Park and near the Museum of Natural History. DO NOT stay anywhere near Times Square 42nd street - 10 blocks up or down of it. No New Yorker goes there and it is not New York in any form at all. If you want something funky and hip - then stay in the Meatpacking district like the Standard Hotel. Easy walk to the West Village and Highline. Hope that helps. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 May 2016 - 12:00
Just purchased one on Amazon.com and shipping to Dubai. Even with the cost of shipping, still cheaper than buying locally. As to Soul Cycle, sorry I meant Fly Wheel. Used to soul cycle back home but Fly Wheel is much better. I love the ability to track the output and even more so the board which also makes me spin faster :) :) ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 April 2016 - 07:17
Hi All, Looking to buy a spinning bike for home (saving money on my Soul Cycle sessions). Any advice on retailers who sell the better brands. Thanks ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 April 2016 - 20:19
Not sure on the other side of JBR but I believe if you spend more than AED 50, you can get your ticket validated... can be at a movie or a clothing outlet as well
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2016 - 05:51
Would recommend staying around the JBR area. Lots to do within walking distance. Also close enough to do a day trip to Abu Dhabi (do not need to overnight there). I would focus my visit on the Grand Mosque. However, Dubai is a driving community so you will need a car to get anywhere. Normally would recommend you renting a car but there are just too many dangerous drivers here to make this a worthwhile option. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2016 - 05:42
I would check out the American schools. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 April 2016 - 05:39
I would recommend Mirdif. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 March 2016 - 08:26
Thanks Whiskers and Silvstet for responding. Canal Residence West sounds lovely. Can you advise: a. What the rental cost of a 3 bedroom would be? b. Also, as we are moving the kids to the new Clarion School near Business Bay, would that be a tough traffic run for drop off and pickup? Thanks ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2016 - 21:24
I can safely state that you can get anything in NY at a better quality and cheaper price than Dubai. And if you find the local stores expensive, you can get anything and everything delivered through online e-commerce. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2016 - 01:40
Thanks SarahLou and LadyLavender. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 March 2016 - 03:47
I have a similar question about a relative. The difference is that she is coming from the US. I know there is a 30 day visa you can get automatically on entry. However, do not want to have the hassle of doing a visa run. I assume that getting a ninety day visit visa to the UAE is not an issue? Not very clear on the relevant governmental website. Thanks ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 March 2016 - 20:46
If the hotel has a proper address, they would deliver to it. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 February 2016 - 10:28
I am sure you can donate to a number of charities. I would assume that many of the worker camps would appreciate books as well. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 February 2016 - 08:43
1. All go to Jeddah and hope girls settle and see their high school days out there. Pros: You are all together. [u'>Cons; Everything else. Have not heard anything great about living in Saudi. [/u'> 2. We go to Dubai and hubby works 11 day fortnight with 3 days off in Dubai and see high school out there. 3. We stay in Australia where we have a life but only see dad every 3 months for 1 week. 4. Return to UK where at least I have family and settle down to UK education system and still only see dad every 3 months.[u'> Better to stay in Australia then go to the UK,[/u'> I would recommend Dubai versus staying in Australia. At least your husband will have a greater presence in your children's life. You can always move back to Australia (or the UK) if it does not work out. However, not sure if the company would appreciate you asking for the Dubai option later on if you decided to stay in Australia for now. ValGal throwing out her 3 cents...
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 February 2016 - 22:48
I agree 100% with Rawla. However, do not see them putting income tax into play for quite a while. Besides all the logistical issues and the fact that tax would be universal (i..e. even the Emiratis), there is little reason to kill the number one reason why expats move to Dubai in the first place. However, there is a massive concern with the drop in oil prices (which one cannot see changing for a long time), the slowdown in the Russian and Chinese economy and the tighter control of cross-border capital. Pretty much, there is growing govt. debt and little solutions in sight. At my husband's office, he mentioned all these new business expenses for government approvals and road usage that were not there before which are running into the millions. In some ways, Dubai is like a dot.com. It works as long as you believe. Hopefully, we will all believe long enough until it becomes a reality. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 12:04
I really like Reemraam from the outside. Never bothered checking the apts. as it was way too far away. Been doing a lot of house hunting as we are looking to buy a place. Very hard as most of the affordable developments (for us) seem to have no master planning. We are thinking of Motor City. Any opinions on that. Think I will start a new thread.. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 11:57
Another American thread :) ASD is the defacto school leader. (Most American schools are really not American). If you can get in, then I would recommend it. I have friends who go there and they are all happy. I wanted to put our kid in as well but we did not have enough of an education allowance. If you want another "American School" which also includes ethos and values, I would look at the new school Clarion. Apparently they are working with the Bank Street College of Education which is a gold standard in the US (and based in my hometown). I found this link off their website: https://www.bankstreet.edu/graduate-school/international-initiatives-partnerships/affiliate-school/dubai/. For something more international, I would definitely look at DAA. They are definitely more academic focused than ASD and are very good. During my search, I did look at the colleges that the students go to and it was impressive. Finally, there is Nations which also looks very good and maybe positioned like a DAA premium school. They have a reputed head in Tom Farquhar. He used to be the Head at Sidwell Friends which is also well known. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/education/us-educationalist-to-lead-new-gems-academy-in-dubai. However, they do seem to have broken the fee ceiling with what they are charging. I have not visited Bradenton since I first started looking. I liked the feel and I now believe they have been taken over by GEMS. I did not realize about the sewage part. ValGal.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 21:22
Definitely agree that there is a large difference between jobs and internships but many companies use internships as a way to access cheap labor. I definitely feel that AED 500 is fairly exploitative given that the lodging and food are probably fixed costs for the hotel. A good hotel or any organization would offer a training program where there is an understanding that this would lead to a future job. Without that being offered, I do feel that is somewhat exploitative. ValGal. p.s. most internships I know have a fairly decent allowance.
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 01:30
What are you selling. That would be helpful to know. Is it a digital service or a physical product If it was all digital, you could potentially set it up overseas (such as Delaware). Less cost to set up and less regulations but more tax (though UAE has their own version of tax). ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 01:24
Going through this myself but will be choosing an American School (I am from NY). I did look at some UK curriculum schools and I liked JPS if that is helpful. I do not think you will have an issue getting into any of the newer schools though. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 January 2016 - 01:18
I have heard some companies are decreasing rental and other expat allowances... anyone else seeing that. On another note, I also hear rentals will fall later this year. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 January 2016 - 06:41
Try http://www.deserthash.org/. I used to do this back home in NY and these groups are all over the world. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 January 2016 - 06:38
I am quite sure you are not required as they are under a different category as per UAE Labor Law. Also, I agree that you have paid her better than most and you are under no obligation. I would do what I can without creating an internal strain. ValGal
ValGal.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 January 2016 - 20:05
Do you have a housing allowance you are working within? Val
 
 
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