# Expats friends with local Emiratis



## simondubai (May 12, 2011)

Just got to Dubai and was wondering if you have made friends with any local Emiratis? Or do expats usually stick with expats and the two groups don't usually mix? Thanks


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Enter the Jynx!


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## junkymoe (May 10, 2011)

Some expats take it upon themselves to go out of their way and mingle with locals. In Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, I've seen that happen a lot. In Dubai, not so much.

One way to get to know them is to head down to a local shisha place on a football game night. That will get you local friends and FAST.


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

.. i don't play football, or smoke (shisha or any other "natural" drug), i guess i'm out then


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## simondubai (May 12, 2011)

Thanks junkymoe will check out some of the shisha places, do you know any good ones or are they all the same? Should also be going to Abu Dhabi for a bit in a few weeks - will be interesting to see the difference from Dubai.

Cami did you ever make friends with any Emirati or just expats?


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

simondubai said:


> Thanks junkymoe will check out some of the shisha places, do you know any good ones or are they all the same? Should also be going to Abu Dhabi for a bit in a few weeks - will be interesting to see the difference from Dubai.
> 
> Cami did you ever make friends with any Emirati or just expats?


when i came to dubai 5 years ago, i started making friends with various nationalities in dubai alphabetically. it's going to be a long process as i'm not yet done with australia


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## simondubai (May 12, 2011)

haha  sounds like a plan!



cami said:


> when i came to dubai 5 years ago, i started making friends with various nationalities in dubai alphabetically. it's going to be a long process as i'm not yet done with australia


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Bigjimbo said:


> Enter the Jynx!


There has to be other people who have local friends ?? Can not just be me. 

Female looking for female locals isnt quite so easy but if you join groups, or you become 'friends' with a local in some sort of hobby (which is how I have met a few locals), then you will eventually meet the wife. The wives though I havent become friends as they live a very different lifestyle overall and uae customs tend to keep them closed knit to their family. If you are a male, then you will not meet a local lady most likely. If you are a female, the male uae locals will just find you if you are out and about on your own. Sometimes this is a good thing but many times they are not having good intentions. You will figure that out soon enough if you are a female. If you are blonde, seems you will draw more attention as it is 'exotic' here. I would not suggest going to a shisha shop as a female unless you know it is allowed/proper for females to go to that shisha shop. When I come along, we go to a different coffe place then the group would normally go to. 

If you are a guy is easier. You will meet local guys at shisha shops watching soccer/football as junkymoe suggested almost any given night. They follow local matches very closely. As well, many locals will go to the local live matches. The Al Ain stadium is very nice! If you pray, then of course you will meet them at prayer. Many are very willing even to just sit and talk if you happen to be around the mosque and want to learn a bit. You can try group sports as well. You will find some locals in the bars and clubs but hard to tell as they will not be in a kandora. Personally, I have found the bar going locals to not be my cup of tea. Keep in mind Fridays are prayer day and tend to be completely devoted to family days for many locals.

Not all guys you see in white 'kandora's' are uae locals. The other gcc's are different style and as one of local lady wife told me, "There are many imposters who wear the kandora." It is simple to learn the different styles though and soon enough you can pick out what country many people are from. That said, have met sudanes, egyptian, omani, yemen, pakistani, bahrain and a few other who wear the white outfits and most have been very nice  Omani people tend to be very nice


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## xchaos777 (Dec 15, 2010)

I have Omani friends...very nice people and always respectful and willing to educate on their culture.

I was once stuck in the sand on a drive through the mountains around Muscat...I was in a suit and driving a friends huge BMW. Stopped a work truck driving by and before you knew it had numerous helping hands to pull the car out. Tried to offer money for their time, but they would have none of it.

I too find the locals in the bars, everywhere I've met them around the GCC, have one thing on their mind...constantly. But, most guys think the same way in bars...


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

xchaos777 said:


> I too find the locals in the bars, everywhere I've met them around the GCC, have one thing on their mind...constantly. But, most guys think the same way in bars...


call it collective (male) consciousness, and no matter what social theory says, in dubai more than anywhere it's not culturally defined


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## simondubai (May 12, 2011)

Are Emirati men allowed to do stuff with non-Emirati women?



cami said:


> call it collective (male) consciousness, and no matter what social theory says, in dubai more than anywhere it's not culturally defined


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

simondubai said:


> Are Emirati men allowed to do stuff with non-Emirati women?


tradition says no, religion says no, authorities say no, mum and dad say no, the wives say no, but you'll have to ask some emirati men what they say


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

simondubai said:


> Thanks junkymoe will check out some of the shisha places, do you know any good ones or are they all the same?


Maxine Cafe behind Dubai Zoo is very popular with Emiratis. Quite a nice place too, but I'm boycotting it now after they tried to charge me 25 Dhs for complimentary nuts that I didn't ask for or touch.


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## Bon Bon (Dec 18, 2010)

Gavtek said:


> Maxine Cafe behind Dubai Zoo is very popular with Emiratis. Quite a nice place too, but I'm boycotting it now after they tried to charge me 25 Dhs for complimentary nuts that I didn't ask for or touch.


Probably they might have thought that u are a friend of one of their regular guests (EMirati)
))


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## junkymoe (May 10, 2011)

simondubai said:


> Are Emirati men allowed to do stuff with non-Emirati women?


Define...stuff


hehehehe


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## Guest (May 12, 2011)

Yes, why not?
I am getting to know Emiratis... :heh:


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## Bon Bon (Dec 18, 2010)

SO,how do u see it from your own experience?


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## sherjeelawan (May 13, 2011)

Well I recently moved to Dubai, looking to mingle around with people here, Thanks God I know English otherwise it was impossible for me to survive here, I wonder how much time will I take before I can start understanding Arabic Language


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## remaaz (Apr 5, 2011)

It seems that the topic is about me 

Oh, you forgot to say that you can find some sharing your issues in the forum kkk

Even local guyz are different from each other, most of them are as you mentioned they are Collective. But so many but not mostly are very active, outgoing, looking for adventures and well educated. ( Don't consider me it seems I'm Made in PRC) MAD about fishinggggg

Local girlz are so different from local guyz, they still feel like they are living in wonderland and they must be obeyed. For them you are a listening machine and they would tell every single boring issue happened in their life but surely not all of them it's just 99% (Sorry Girlz)

About emarati men stuff with non emarati ? Hosently, then would like to specialy if they are married to avoid the risk of being caught while talking to their babe.

Your comments are welcomed


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## Sunset (Jan 24, 2011)

remaaz said:


> It seems that the topic is about me
> 
> Oh, you forgot to say that you can find some sharing your issues in the forum kkk
> 
> ...


Point one: So many well educated? If that were the case, more of them would be actively employed. (Key word: actively) 

Points 2 and 3:


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## junkymoe (May 10, 2011)

Gavtek said:


> Maxine Cafe behind Dubai Zoo is very popular with Emiratis. Quite a nice place too, but I'm boycotting it now after they tried to charge me 25 Dhs for complimentary nuts that I didn't ask for or touch.


A place that offers 'complimentary nuts' is not considered a local shisha place hehe. I'm talking about places where the shisha is for 10, 15 or 20 dirhams (MAXIMUM) and where only football is being shown on TV. These places never serve nuts.


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## junkymoe (May 10, 2011)

Sunset said:


> Point one: So many well educated? If that were the case, more of them would be actively employed. (Key word: actively)
> 
> Points 2 and 3:


Quite a bit of them are well educated, you may not know if they are employed or not but many do hold jobs and even more have their own businesses. They don't "need" to work to be considered "whole"; this isn't the US.


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## suzy (Apr 27, 2011)

simondubai said:


> Just got to Dubai and was wondering if you have made friends with any local Emiratis? Or do expats usually stick with expats and the two groups don't usually mix? Thanks


the two groups do mix, just not that much. As the saying goes, "birds of the same feather flock together". People tend to be more comfortable amid people of their own kind, i guess.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

junkymoe said:


> A place that offers 'complimentary nuts' is not considered a local shisha place hehe. I'm talking about places where the shisha is for 10, 15 or 20 dirhams (MAXIMUM) and where only football is being shown on TV. These places never serve nuts.


It's local, it sells Shisha, it's popular with locals and it always has UFL on the TV. It wasn't cheapo nuts you'd get in a bar, it was almond-y things in a bowl of water and pistachios.


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

I have one very good emirati mate who I've know years. Ive met some if his local friends and got on with about half. The rest fit the stereotype. My mate was educated in the US which I think has helped him understand both worlds.


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## ReggieDXB007 (Mar 10, 2011)

Very interesting comments in here; I have found it difficult to meet Emiratis here in Dubai, at least socially, and even my long-term (i.e. 20 years odd) friends don't seem to either.

I believe that a lot of it is down to the fact that I don't speak Arabic and don't really understand the local customs. For example I know that I was able to socialise so well with Cypriots when we lived there was because I spoke their language even though they mostly speak excellent English and, as a European country, their customs are not too dissimilar to ours.

When I lived in an area which was mainly inhabited by Emiratis I did meet two or three of them but it became quite difficult to continue our friendship as their social habits were completely different to mine - the hours for one thing and also the fact that their family lives were kept totally separate whereas I found it difficult to go off with the lads and leave the wife at home.

I still hold out hope that I will learn the language one day. I also note that in countries where the foreigners are not so many, Saudi Arabia for example, it seems a lot easier to make friends with the Nationals and I do have a couple of Saudi friends (not that I've seen much of them lately).

I guess bottom line, people are people. Share their interests and be able to commucate with them and they will be your friends.


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## DubaiCharmer (Jul 8, 2010)

cami said:


> tradition says no, religion says no, authorities say no, mum and dad say no, the wives say no, but you'll have to ask some emirati men what they say


*Yes:eyebrows:*


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

DubaiCharmer said:


> *Yes:eyebrows:*


... which is why i say *no* too. a local man who disrespects his family, tradition, and culture would surely place little value on friendship with an expat, and a female for that matter.


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## DubaiCharmer (Jul 8, 2010)

cami said:


> ... which is why i say *no* too. a local man who disrespects his family, tradition, and culture would surely place little value on friendship with an expat, and a female for that matter.


Its never "*Disrespecting*" of familes, Neither it is to tradition or culture

its more of a lifestyle my friend 

So i understand from you that locals should never have expat friends ? 
*hello 1980 *:tongue1:

75% of my friends are expats by the way , sorry to prove you wrong


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

DubaiCharmer said:


> Its never "*Disrespecting*" of familes, Neither it is to tradition or culture
> 
> its more of a lifestyle my friend
> 
> ...


not sure if you follow the argument or not, you replied to my remark whether local men befriend expat women, and you said yes.

now you're generalizing towards whether locals should have expat friends or not.

make up your mind what you mean.


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## DubaiCharmer (Jul 8, 2010)

cami said:


> not sure if you follow the argument or not, you replied to my remark whether local men befriend expat women, and you said yes.
> 
> now you're generalizing towards whether locals should have expat friends or not.
> 
> make up your mind what you mean.


:focus:i meant friends(female friends) ..


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

DubaiCharmer said:


> :focus:i meant friends(female friends) ..


fantastic. i'm immensely relieved to find that out. also, it's remarkable that 75% of your friends are expat females, and i hope you treat them like you would like to be treated. 

i have yet to meet a local lady who's happy about the males in her family having expat female friends. if you start them talking about expat women, i believe the term that comes up 5 times in a 9-word sentence is _sharmoota_ (maybe you could translate for those less familiar with arabic).

as you said, it could be a matter of personal lifestyle and choice for local males, in which case, i'll stick to my lifestyle and friendship choices. 

case closed for me. too much energy spent to state what's obvious.


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## DubaiCharmer (Jul 8, 2010)

cami said:


> fantastic. i'm immensely relieved to find that out. also, it's remarkable that 75% of your friends are expat females, and i hope you treat them like you would like to be treated.
> 
> i have yet to meet a local lady who's happy about the males in her family having expat female friends. if you start them talking about expat women, i believe the term that comes up 5 times in a 9-word sentence is _sharmoota_ (maybe you could translate for those less familiar with arabic).
> 
> ...


Cant generalize on all families, some families are more open than others, some are more educated ..

and it depends what family he comes from , some families never mention that word and would never do ,, all about respect 

in the end, your free to choose whatever you want, but obviously you had a bad expierience with one. and if so, doesnt mean that all families are like this..

Was a nice chit chat with you :ranger:


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## Kawasutra (May 2, 2011)

DubaiCharmer said:


> *Yes:eyebrows:*


And I assume you are proud of it....:clap2:


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## Bon Bon (Dec 18, 2010)

Kawasutra said:


> And I assume you are proud of it....:clap2:


ha..ha..ha


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## DubaiCharmer (Jul 8, 2010)

Kawasutra said:


> And I assume you are proud of it....:clap2:


Yes , am proud that am responsible of choosing my friends  :rockon:

After all, theres an arabic metaphor says "Tell me whose your friends, i tell you who are you" ..

:focus: sometimes expats have certain thoughts about locals, am not trying to prove anything ; but u can never generlize when it comes to people 


:yo: :yo: :yo:


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## ReggieDXB007 (Mar 10, 2011)

On a point of order m'laud, is it OK to refer to Emirati Nationals collectively as "locals" or is it preferrable to use "Nationals"?


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## remaaz (Apr 5, 2011)

I feel it become personal a bit guyz,

Inhale a deep breath hold it for seconds, you can start again

Anyway, each one has a path he follows but let's not be so serious about opinions. they are just opinions and it's up to the reader to decide which one is correct for him.

We don't deny that some locals are collective & some are looking for new toys to play with but some are very serious. Honestly, I believe that most of your friendships in UAE won't be true friendships.

To conclude, if you find few true friends anywhere in the world you are so lucky because I didn't find a one until now.

lane: going somewhere I can find a true friend.


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## KatherineDubai78 (May 16, 2011)

We are friends with couple of Emiratis, lovely people


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## anwarm.aziz (Sep 11, 2008)

OK..I would like to ask why you just caring about locals..UAE generally and Dubai specially is a place where you can meet different nationalities.
Arab themselves and gynx said are very different and you can find good people every where.
Attached to you guys our Sudanese local dress


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## imansmama (Jul 24, 2010)

I had many Emirati friends both male and female during my 13 years in UAE.
I only had one British friend and the rest were Emirati. I also got to live with a local family for over a year and they treated me as a daughter.

Some are still in contact today despite having left UAE for 7 years (we are coming back to UAE next year).
I got to live a life that is quite unusual for an expat while there and enjoyed every second.
They taught me to hunt with falcons, find mushrooms hidden under the sand in the desert, how to camp like a bedu (used to go off camping with a well known Emirati family during the winter in the desert of UAQ, about 40 men women and children) and taught me that behind closed doors they are just like any normal family living their life as families do all over the world.
I was lucky that my late Emirati Business Partner introduced me to their life and I got to meet so many wonderful people and share the life and culture.


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## Kawasutra (May 2, 2011)

remaaz said:


> We don't deny that some locals are collective & some are looking for new toys to play with but some are very serious. Honestly, I believe that most of your friendships in UAE won't be true friendships.


That´s true...:thumb:


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## remaaz (Apr 5, 2011)

> They taught me to hunt with falcons, find mushrooms hidden under the sand in the desert,


I very glad to hear that but I will add few comments:

- Falcons were trained to hunt by themselves so you just removed the eye cover and released them. The real fun is to train them yourself.

- those hidden mushrooms I believe they are called traffles ( fruits of the thunder) and so rare to find nowadays because the properties boom destroyed most of their spots like: the area after J/A, Arabian ranches, Al barsha, some spots in UAQ, wadi al safa.

I hope you don't misunderstand me.


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