VictoriaM | ExpatWoman.com
 

VictoriaM

VictoriaM
562
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 10:28
Tessa, I don't think the Op is talking about a 55k annual salary. Salaries are quoted monthly here in Dubai In the title she is comparing MONTHLY take home pay (5.5k). Her post clarifies this. She says her husband will be earning 3.5k a month net of tax, and she reckons she could earn 2k net on op, so total of 5.5k a month, take home. It does take a bit of adjustment to this way of looking at pay. OP, Regarding cost of living, we lived on far less even in London compared to Dubai, even with private school fees! It's true, jeans and jumpers, no mani/pedis, weekly cleaner if lucky, no gardener, no car washer, less eating out, cheaper supermarkets - it's just a far more down-to-earth lifestle and much cheaper as a result. Having said which, housing is very expensive in London and th South East, and rentals are few are far between. Which part of the country is your husband's job, and do they provide housing? As a starting point it would be wise to look at some of the property rental sites in the area you would be going to. The rental cost of our tiny house in London would eat up a lot of that 3.5k a month! That's another point - houses are small in the Uk versus Dubai, so you might forego the luxury of space. That's one reason we love it here- we could not afford a bigger, but still very small house in London. We were lucky enough to have a spare room (many don't) but there was space for nothing but a sofa bed in there, and when it was in use, you could just about get round the bed ie the room was not much bigger than a small double bed!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 February 2016 - 18:13
You would have been better off entitling your thread 'KIngs Al Barsha' as that is th school you are seeking views on, not Gems Al Khail! Repost perhaps?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 January 2016 - 15:38
Same here Alismum. Let's dance and China girl marked my final year of university.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 January 2016 - 22:04
Why do you reckon newer properties are more likely to have issues than old Airfix? Doesn't seem logical to me. Apart from snagging type things I suppose. But I agree with you that they all tend to have issues given the general low build quality.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 January 2016 - 18:32
Did you go and look Loobylou?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 January 2016 - 18:30
What in particular did you like about it kkeene?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 January 2016 - 22:31
I have to admit our experience of DESC is limited to a term of year 7. However, I can say that it seems to be a very inclusive school that encourages a wide diversity of talents. Sport is excellent, but so is music, drama, debating..... I do recall the head talking a lot about computing when we went on the tour, so it does seem to be something of a focus. He spoke a lot about the new career paths that exist in today's world, which seems very healthy. Not everyone wants to be pushed down an academic route. its a great school if it allows kids to be what they want to be rather than mould them.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 December 2015 - 14:17
We have used A guy called Shah on 0555630260 or 0502766832 many times to pick up stuff bought on Dubizzle (though not for a while). Really good, and speaks excellent English.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 December 2015 - 16:23
Call RERA to confirm the position perhaps?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 December 2015 - 12:33
DESC/DESS are advertising for 11 positions on the jobs page here, and they are not-for-profit, so tend to have fairly low turnover.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 December 2015 - 12:31
For start of 2016 academic year in Aug/Sept Sheikhandbake? If so, sounds pretty normal. Teachers are usually on 2 year contracts, so lots will come to an end each year.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 December 2015 - 17:48
Also, did Lucy say anything about how the preview went yesterday and how many are already reserved?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 December 2015 - 17:47
Maybe I should come along on the 9th just to be sure. What time is it and do you just turn up do you know?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 December 2015 - 14:01
Great. PresumBly they still have availability then, which is good news. Agent gave the impression they would all be taken by the official launch date in Jan! I was very taken by the idea of it being a gated community, professionally managed (sure we're not the only ones with dreadful management/maintenance), as well as modern and Western in style, which is so rare here. But you pay the price in terms of space. Do you have kids? I felt that many of the 3 beds might be rented by couples without kids as the gardens really are so tiny.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 December 2015 - 18:13
Yes. Built by Habtoor, but called Oasis Villas I believe. There was something about them on British Mums Dubai recently. Shame you didn't ask yesterday as there was an open house thing this morning. I was meant to go but went up and had a look from the outside and decided it was too noisy and the villas/gardens are too small. However, they are apparently very modern inside (white gloss kitchens for eg), with great facilities (pool, gym, running track, kids playground). I think the 3 bed townhouses are 240?? And the 4 beds 290. Not big on terms of square metres, but must be top notch finish. Depends what you want.. Cluttons are dealing with them and will be managing the compound. Give Lucy at Cluttons a ring if interested (sorry I can't find the number).
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 December 2015 - 16:27
Do you mean the Habtoor ones at the top of Al Thanya by the roundabout leading to SZR Looby?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 December 2015 - 20:06
They do seem to use road and street interchangeably here eg Umm Suqeim St/Rd, as Alison says. Consistency is sorely lacking. So I would imagine it is just Al Khail Road.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 December 2015 - 17:00
Kings Dubai is very strict on security. You wont get in through the door without a pass of some type.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 05 December 2015 - 19:49
Yes, in Healthcare City. It's called the Antiaging Compounding Pharmacy (ACP). It's tricky it being the only place they can be obtained - at the moment it is closed for refurbishment, so I have had to be prescribed normal artificial HRT from the pharmacy. There is a huge difference in price between standard HRT and bio-identical HRT here. Last time 3 months supply of compounded hormones cost me over 1,000 dirhams, versus 31 dirhams for A pack (1 months supply) of artificial combined estrogen/progesterone at the pharmacy yesterday!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 November 2015 - 08:35
The Grand Mosque isn't very central and I don't think there's anywhere you could walk around there. There are hotels you could have lunch in nearby though. You would definitely need a taxi to get from there to the corniche. I'm not sure, but imagine there must be taxis outside the mosque. We have always driven and found it very spread out, so can't imagine it would be easy without a car or a tour. Is it possible to get a cab lol the way to AD from Dubai perhaps?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 November 2015 - 21:57
Blondie, if you are into architecture then you might enjoy Brussels: it is full of Art Deco and art nouveau buildings designed by famous architects like Victor Horta. I used to live there (and loved it) and was always spotting interesting little features on the buildings. Brussels is a compact city, and you can easily take a walk around one of the areas in which these buildings are concentrated eg Ixelles, or even visit the Horta museum. I believe there are guided walks too.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 November 2015 - 21:28
Our kids were really disappointed to find that most people in our compound had already done their trick or treating on the Friday night (30th), so on Halloween night itself only 5 out of 25 houses were participating. We have so many sweets left over as only 3 kids rang the doorbell! I think it was due to people going to Halloween Friday brunches or having Halloween parties on the Friday rather than the Saturday which was a school night. We were very surprised and disappointed for the children, though they finally had some success by spreading the net a bit wider in the neighbourhood. Anyone else encounter this date change?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 October 2015 - 12:52
Has anyone seen jerk sauce in Dubai? I'm sure I have, but couldn't find in Waitrose this morning. Doing a Caribbean jerk chicken with rice and peas recipe for some friends on Tues, but isn't going to work without the sauce!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 October 2015 - 18:51
I know CouchPotato, the night time/morning temps are really starting to drop- only 21 degrees and open car windows on the school run this morning. Lovely!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 October 2015 - 11:10
Kings isn't IB - it's English curriculum. They do do Spanish, but I can't remember if they start it in year 5 or 6. You'd have to ask the school. In secondary they can choose Spanish as their second (or technically speaking third after Arabic?) language.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 October 2015 - 09:17
Whoops, SATS haven't been abolished, they are just changing next year in line with changes to the British curriculum. Sorry for giving you the wrong info.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 October 2015 - 15:31
I may be wrong, but haven't SATS been abolished now anyway? I believe there is a new system for levelling/grading kids, but have no specific information as ours has finished primary now.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 October 2015 - 12:08
DeeDee I get what you're saying now and I think you're probably spot on! Perhaps we think our maids are brighter than they actually are. Or we think their English language skills are better than they actually are. We certainly have the lAtter issue with ours. When I employed her I thought her understanding of English was much better than it has proved to be judging by the frequent misunderstandings. It is misleading as she speaks pretty well. I am usually quite tolerant, but it has started to irritate me recently, like with you the Russian. Great to hear you've managed to improve things with a chat. I had better try that if all else fails. In The interim I will make a list of issues and focus on clarity in my instructions, perhaps getting her to repeat my instructions back to me to make sure we don't have a misunderstanding. I do have friends who don't have these issues with their maids, so I do think you can get lucky, but it also seems as though these issues are very common. Friends' maids are generally Filipino though, and I believe they tend to have a higher standard of education and better English.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 October 2015 - 09:07
Given the backgrounds they come from, I truly doubt many of them have the chance to become brain surgeons Deedee, no matter how bright! But point taken. Looks like it's all (sadly) fairly common, though not universal. I can imagine that working as a maid must be so dull that maids switch off and do everything on autopilot. I think ours is just a very distracted type who doesn't pay attention because her mind's elsewhere - no doubt somewhere much more pleasant than my toilet! It has been commented on that she's a bit off with the fairies. But her hearts in the right place, which is crucial.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 October 2015 - 21:25
Glad it's not just me Daza. I wasn't sure if I was being too demanding. It's hard to know what is acceptable or not when you have limited experience with maids. I suppose it doesnt matter how willing you are in your job, if you can't actually do what you're told for whatever reason then it's not good enough. She does have some redeeming features (very important ones t that!), so I've no problem keeping her for a while, but I may Terminate her contract early. And for the sake of my sanity I may just have to let it all wash over me in the meantime!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 October 2015 - 18:59
You're probably right Daza. If anything she seems worse and I am getting a bit fed up of repeating myself. It's a shame as she is incredibly willing and hard working, but doesn't seem so good at learning and changing. Perhaps too experienced or long in the tooth (LOL, she's younger than I am, but may have lost interest in being a maid as she's "retiring" next year). Perfect example just now. I brought in a new product for her to use and asked her if she'd read the instructions. She said there weren't any. I looked at the back of the pack and it said 'peel to see instructions'. So I said 'what does that say then' and she read it out to me. Oh I didn't see that she says!! Very, very typical.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 October 2015 - 17:59
She is in her third year with us already! Do maids get complacent after a while? I seem to be picking her up on things constantly at the moment. Is it unreasonable of me to expect her to read labels on new clothes and instructions on household products, goiven of course that she can read? I cant tell her everything. Surely she has to use her brain and read things herself too. She is not particularly good at changing her actions when corrected (seems to forget a lot), nor does she learn from observation ie she doesnt follow how we do things or where we put things. All normal, or am i being too demanding?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 October 2015 - 16:51
Big blue, thanks for the info. Coincidentally, I tried barre last week at another studio and wasn't keen. Somehow I'd been e petting something less frenetic and crowded and more controlled. But maybe barre style classes differ a lot by studio and instructor.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 October 2015 - 16:25
I'm sure it's totally normal, especially at senior levels. Just tough on families!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 October 2015 - 12:04
Elladubai, isn't the traffic awful in Jumeirah 1? We were there on Friday night and got stuck in traffic jams for ages on the Beach Road and Al Wasl Road. We were wondering if it was always like that (also looking at where to move to options). It seemed much mor congested than Umm Suqeim, where we currently are. Your experience suggests otherwise though!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 October 2015 - 15:30
Makes sense. Our pre-teen's her best bet normally! But this particular issue is super tricky and needs a professional.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2015 - 22:43
My husband's just remembered a place on SZR he took our PC to once and wasn't expensive, so we'll give that a go.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2015 - 17:32
OK, thanks Cowboy. I've no idea, but thought she might (she doesn't). I wonder what maids do when they have such problems? She doesn't have a clue other than asking her employer, and we can't be expected to be IT experts sadly! Do most maids ask their sponsors to help with these things?
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 October 2015 - 15:48
Could I ask to what extent you help your maids with their IT issues? We have been trying to install Skype on our maids new laptop but with no success, in fact we have made things worse! we had to upgrade the old operating system to make it compatible with Skype and something has gone wrong and we can't get on to the laptop at all now!! To what extent is it normal to assist with such things if you are not a computer wiz? We are happy to try and help, and always have done, but some things are beyond our limited expertise. Do some maids take their devices to the professionals for support? And what can we do now to fix the problem? I have told her we are not experts and it may be better to take it to an IT place in Satwa, and that we might make things worse, which we have done! Does anyone know of a good IT support place in Satwa she could approach? The operating system on her laptop is not one I'd heard of (she thought she was getting Windows!) and is apparently sold a lot in India, so I thought an Indian run IT place in Satwa might be a good bet. Our maid is going to call the online company she bought the laptop from, but I doubt she will get any joy from them!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 September 2015 - 20:58
Same here Mrs Cobb. Not the school's fault - KHDA orders apparently. Agree with you about what that means for the Tuesday at school- will be a bit farcical (though fun for the kids perhaps?). We've changed our plans anyway as it is only a staycation.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 September 2015 - 09:37
When we toured Nord Anglia last year I'm sure they didn't even go up to that age group! The secondary school had very few pupils at all.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 September 2015 - 20:59
I've just been prescribed this too, so will be watching this thread with interest. Know nothing about it and haven't researched it at all. Perhaps I'd better!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 31 August 2015 - 09:33
Sorry you are arguing Ruffles. And No, you are not the only one. I'm in the same boat (also long married though not as long as you!) and wondering why too! I thought I was the only one, so it is helpful to see that other women in Dubai may be going through something similar and it may be our situations here rather than our relationships themselves that are the issue. As a result, it has occurred to me is that this sort of conflict may be common after the long summer, when many couples and families have been separated for at least some of the time and now have to get used to living together again in a normal day-to-day routine. Add to that the fact that many women will have been operating independently in their home countries and feel strong and capable, then return to Dubai and a dependent role. Quite an adjustment! I too know what you mean about being at home, and think one thing that doesn't help is that those of us who are at home seem to be far more dependent on our husbands here than in our home countries, which is not good for self esteem or an equal relationship. Ive only been back in Dubai a week or so, but after an independent summer, my inability to do anything financial myself is getting to me. For instance, I use my credit card in a shop and my husband is immediately notified via text of the purchase. Or use my credit card to buy something online and the security mechanism sends a PIN to my husband's phone. I then have to call him to get the code to complete the transaction! This is very hard for Western woman like me and many others who may well have had good jobs and been financially independent in the past. As I understand it, this is the only way accounts and credit cards can be set up here if the wife has no job, but please correct me if I'm wrong. In my case I do actually work (though from home), which should help me feel like I make some financial contribution. But my earnings are so pitifully low compared to my husband's that I still feel totally unequal in the financial stakes, and it barely seems worth it!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 August 2015 - 19:25
I saw some Startrite school shoes in Shoe Mart in Oasis centre yesterday. Don't know if they have them in the other Shoe Mart branches though.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 August 2015 - 22:30
Well done DESS/DESC. Nice to hear about schools listening and taking action. We have to hit their uniform shop next week, so from a personal perspective this is very encouraging to hear.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 August 2015 - 22:25
Thanks for the suggestions ladies. Cowboy, that's exactly what I've been doing over my summer in the UK: getting tips from good friends/family with slightly older kids or discussing with others facing the same issues. It helps to know you are not alone and certainly very encouraging to see delightful grown up children of parents who've been through the same. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I've done some reading about this age/stage online too, and think a couple of books on parenting this age group would be a great next step US. In terms of classes, I haven't looked for anything yet (we will see if the above is sufficient first) but did send DD to mindfulness for children at Lifeworks, which certainly had a calming effect. She really enjoyed it too.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 July 2015 - 00:56
I know it's not what the service was designed for, but what the heck, if it works again great, will give it a go!
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 July 2015 - 00:29
If you are working by Dubai Mall and will not have transport then Downtown definitely. Work will be on your doorstep, as will all the facilities of the Downtown area. The Marina is great too, but much further away from your work and you would have to get taxis everywhere.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 July 2015 - 13:13
I really noticed it too today - had to take my sunglasses off! It's not like that all year round but is common over the summer. You've just hit the start of hit unfortunately.
VictoriaM
562
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 July 2015 - 16:08
Update: the lovely owner got back to me with an apology and a free full body massage. Oh go on then!
 
 
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