# Looking for total immersion



## rayrton (Aug 22, 2015)

Most of the information online seems to focus on how to bring your Western life with you to UAE. I am looking for the opposite. I want to live somewhere where I can sit with locals in cafes and speak conversational Arabic (with the goal of learning to become fluent), I want to attend Friday prayer with locals, and send my kids to the same schools as them. This is something that my family is really thinking hard about. I am looking for guidance on where the ideal place to live would be with this goal, of total immersion, in mind. And if you think I am totally crazy please tell me, as any feedback would be beneficial.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Lawrence of Arabia fetish? Dreams of sitting around in a kandora and chewing the fat while smoking shisha and consuming vast quantities of sweet tea? 

Are you converting? Why else would you go to Friday prayers?

The "locals" have a very high quality of life. They are rich. They are generally not open to outsiders who want to imitate their way of life, especially as to do so is to buy a Range Rover and live in a large villa and regularly harass your maids and spend your free time drinking coffee at overpriced malls. Is that what you're looking for?

The best way to get to know the locals is to join one of the specialist auto clubs, like a 4x4 club. Beyond that, it ain't going to happen. But even so I suspect this isn't what you're looking for.

You can "immerse" yourself in other Arab cultures and with other Arabs. Yemenis and Omanis come to mind. But no matter how tempted you might be even I would stop short of sending my kids to any Arab speaking school, as they have terrible academic reputation. Besides, I'm not even sure if it's possible for an expat to go to a local school. 

The quality of life for the poorer Arabs is fairly poor and not something one wants to emulate unless you're genuinely crazy. And even for the average middle class Arabs (the more traditional ones) their life seems to be devoted to smoking vast quantities of cigarettes in all male company. I don't see anything special in that. 



rayrton said:


> Most of the information online seems to focus on how to bring your Western life with you to UAE. I am looking for the opposite. I want to live somewhere where I can sit with locals in cafes and speak conversational Arabic (with the goal of learning to become fluent), I want to attend Friday prayer with locals, and send my kids to the same schools as them. This is something that my family is really thinking hard about. I am looking for guidance on where the ideal place to live would be with this goal, of total immersion, in mind. And if you think I am totally crazy please tell me, as any feedback would be beneficial.


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## rayrton (Aug 22, 2015)

My family is Muslim. We think a few years in a cultural exchange type of situation can be an attractive thing. As long as it's in a safe manner. This seems to be a difficult subject to get to the bottom of.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

The UAE isn't a particularly devout country if you're looking for that. Saudi is much more of what you might be looking for.

Well off and middling income Muslims of all origins largely have a very Americanized/suburbanized lifestyle. Affluenza, if you want to call it that. Big cars, malls, shopping, gluttony, that's pretty much life in the UAE.





rayrton said:


> My family is Muslim. We think a few years in a cultural exchange type of situation can be an attractive thing. As long as it's in a safe manner. This seems to be a difficult subject to get to the bottom of.


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## urfankhaliq (Oct 23, 2014)

rayrton said:


> My family is Muslim. We think a few years in a cultural exchange type of situation can be an attractive thing. As long as it's in a safe manner. This seems to be a difficult subject to get to the bottom of.


Being muslim myself and looking to make the move im looking to be able to visit mosques whilst in AD...

Are there any mosques in the expat areas like Al Reem?


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## Jordanbasset (Jun 11, 2014)

urfankhaliq said:


> Being muslim myself and looking to make the move im looking to be able to visit mosques whilst in AD...
> 
> Are there any mosques in the expat areas like Al Reem?


Lots of mosques to visit, the Sheik Zayed one is particular impressive and worth a visit whatever your Nationality. There is also atleast one Mosque on Al Reem they are dottted across all of Abu Dhabi with the possible exception of Yas Island (might be one there just can't remember seeing one)


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## iggles (Jan 4, 2015)

urfankhaliq said:


> Being muslim myself and looking to make the move im looking to be able to visit mosques whilst in AD...
> 
> Are there any mosques in the expat areas like Al Reem?


they built one quite recently, its very new by Marina Heights. Well I think its a mosque, its has a pointy thing. 

Just not petrol stations which is a bummer.


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