Tips for visiting the Middle East?

[groza528]

In a few weeks I will be traveling to the United Arab Emirates for some more advanced job training. I've never been to the Middle East before. I know a few things, like don't show anyone the bottom of your feet, don't offer to shake with your left hand, don't plan on doing much drinking... can anyone offer me other advice for the trip?

[Zag]

Zahariel spent 9 months in Qatar. I'll prod him to stick his head in here.

[The Ragin' South Asian]

My cousin lived there for a while, I remember her saying you should never go to an Emirati doctor, all the good doctors are foreigners.

[Antrax]

This is probably not the best idea you've had, groza. You (and your employers) do know what happens on September 20, right?
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[Zahariel]

It's a foreign country. It's the same as here, only different. UAE in general, and Dubai in particular, are pretty thoroughly westernized (much more so than Qatar, where I was), so the culture shock shouldn't be completely impossible.

Almost everyone will more-or-less speak English, so you're ok there. RSA is right; find a foreign doctor if you can. I heard the same thing when I was there. Don't badmouth any of the emirs (UAE has 7), it's a bad idea. Don't badmouth Islam, even when some of its more blinkered ideas drive you crazy; you won't really get a lot of sympathy. UAE as a whole is not as devoutly Muslim as Qatar, so it shouldn't intrude into your daily life too often.

Don't say the word "muslim" with a voiced /z/ in the middle; this would change its root triliteral to Z-L-M, which refers to a kind of demon, and Muslimun will find it insulting. It should be the same /s/ that you would say in "Islam," since they're simply different forms of the same word.

The left hand thing is true; also, don't offer to shake hands with women, even if they aren't wearing an abaya. Try to avoid native citizens in non-business situations; you are literally a second-class inhabitant compared to them under the law, and you have almost no legal rights, so you really don't want to get into any kind of legal dispute against a native. Natives make up only 15-20% of the "population" of UAE, so you probably won't run across them very often anyway. Other than that, as long as you make a reasonable effort to be generally polite, you shouldn't have any trouble.

You probably won't actually have that much trouble finding alcohol in Dubai, if that's your thing. Actually, clandestine alcoholism is a significant problem in the Arab world; natives aren't allowed to drink in public, so they only drink by themselves, and they don't have a bartender telling them when to stop. But most hotels at least will have bars that serve booze.

Be nice to any servants, maids, gate guards, construction workers, &c that you come across. They're all foreigners (mostly Pakistani in UAE), and they're basically indentured servants; their employers hold their passports, wages, and most other aspects of their life. So they don't really see a lot of kindness, especially from natives, and they'll really appreciate it from you.

Incidentally, your employer may attempt to hold your passport while you're there (mine did); it's up to you whether you trust your employer enough put up with this. Demanding employees' passports is not supposed to be legal in UAE (unlike Qatar), but that doesn't stop a lot of people. In any case, of course, make a photocopy and carry it with you at all times, just as you would going to any other country.

This is becoming less true, but Arabs in general still have a somewhat medieval approach to the importance of exact timekeeping. So don't expect local business partners, especially natives, to be on time to meetings, or dinners, or really anything.

The best way I've ever been able to explain Arab culture is that most Arabs, as well as the culture as a whole, are solipsists. On some fundamental level, they don't really believe in the existence of anyone else. So it doesn't matter if they're late to meetings, because the other attendees are imaginary anyway. Their driving is generally aggressive to the point of insanity; it's your fault, as an imaginary person, for being in a native's way. But as I said, only a small fraction of the population are natives, and many of them don't very often leave their "compounds" (read: palaces), so you'll run into them rarely.

Ramadan has just ended a few days ago, so you won't have to worry about fasting or any such thing (in any case, you would certainly not have been expected to observe the fast). Expect everyone to say "inshallah" (if Allah wills) after pretty much any statement that involves even the slightest prediction of future events; you'll find yourself saying it within a couple of months unless you have an extremely strong grasp on your own culture.

Don't bring your winter clothes. They will not see use, unless you go to the Mall of the Emirates and check out their indoor ski slope (and even then, I suspect they'll be happy to rent you any gear you may need). I actually had my down-filled winter coat with me (somewhat by accident) when I was there, and my students expressed confusion and disbelief that anyone would intentionally design such a garment, let alone wear it. If you're sensitive to heat (like me), make sure you stay hydrated. Every building you ever walk inside will have air conditioning, and it's generally a very dry place anyway.

That's all I can think of right now. If I come up with more advice, I'll add it on. Good luck with your training!

[Zag]

[groza528]

[Antrax]

Oh wow, I was sure this is common knowledge. The Palestinians plan to declare independence on September 20th. It's very difficult to predict what will happen as a result.
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After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[groza528]

Huh. Apparently it's *so* common that Google doesn't feel the need to mention Palestine on the first (at least) five pages when I search 'September 20 2011,' or even '20 September 2011 middle east'.

[Zahariel]

[Antrax]

Hey, who said only Americans can be ethnocentric?

But seriously, think it over.
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After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[Lepton*]

I was in Dubai and Doha a year and a half ago. Stay hydrated if you go outside, defer the right of way to women and children, try not to stare, and be aware that some shopping malls and parks have certain times/days when single men are not permitted.

I understand that public drunkenness and trespassing are major offenses. Really, though, it's not like you'll be the first American to visit -- keep your polite hat on, and you won't have trouble.

Pashmina scarves make good souvenirs, and can be had fairly cheaply at the Souq (market).

[groza528]

[Antrax]

Finally found a source from a non-Israeli newspaper, without the 20th being mentioned specifically:
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/world/middleeast/03mideast.html?pagewanted=all

Just Google "Palestinian state september", apparently Arafat already declared independence sometime in 1985
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[Antrax]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/10/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
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[Antrax]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/14/israel.jordan.embassy/index.html
_________________
After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!