Thursday, February 28, 2008

Where Thursday is the new Friday


Dubai is a fascinating city. It fascinated me the first time i was here in 2006 and it continues to intrigue me the second time around that iam here. It is a city that is built on imagination and continues to grow with the imagination of its leaders.

Each day there is a newsgrabbing headline about a new real estate development and some new initiative to grow one industry or another. The energy and enthusiasm of the businessmen here seems to be boundless and their zest for growth seems unparalled in this part of the world.

While integrating with the larger world, Emiratis and particularly the people of Dubai have made all efforts to ensure that the city remains a true global destination. Both in terms of business regulations as well as personal lifestyle choices that Dubai offers are in tune with what any expat would expect. It does not dictate or force anything and one feels a sense of freedom while working and living in Dubai. WHile it is not a democracy, the constitutional monarchy headed by Sheikh Mo. as Sheikh Mohammed is popularly known continues to do a great job.

What Dubai has done is create a healthy environment, a competitive playing ground for the world players and let the place be known the world over as a world-class destination for business and living. Dubai is really a city built on PR. The word of mouth publicity that it gets is astonishing. Speak with anyone who has been to Dubai and he/she will say at least ten good things about the city before saying one / two bad features.

Living in the city has its own challenges though. Firstly, it is an expensive city. A master bedroom room for one in a big apartment ( with a shared kitchen) may cost upto 1000 USD, which by even European and American standards is expensive. It is definitely not a place for someone who is poor. But for someone who has a decent package and prospects of growth, the city offers great variety in terms of both work as well as living.

One has to make a few adjustments though - for starters the weekend is skewed. It is on Fridays and Saturdays..( recently changed from Thursday and Friday). So, that makes Thursday the new Friday. It does take a while to get used to this new change. And yes, I did work last Sunday.