When you are new to a city or country, you initially see only the "surface" or tourists places, but then it becomes time to dive in, adjust and start living a normal life . You cannot be afraid just because it is not what you are used to, it will probably be different, but who knows, maybe it will be even better than expected. Believe me , I am speaking from experience. To live a normal life in the UAE, you need to make everything legal. There seems to be an over abundance of paperwork, documentation, you feel like throwing your arms in the air and giving up, but you don't, you know you need to get it done.
Today is the day and I am going to got it all done, completed...
I applied and received my UAE drivers license, went to a doctor for the first time, applied and received an Emirate ID card and got my new debit card.
Running around is not the problem, the first issue is trying to understand what people are saying. Bless their hearts, everyone will try and speak English, it is not them, it is me. Sometimes I cannot understand, even when they are speaking English. At the "Golden Falcon Laundry " close to my hotel apartment, I walked in and dropped off six of Jeff's dress shirts to be dry cleaned. How hard can this be? The man behind the counter said something to me three times and when I turned to the woman behind me (hoping she understood what he was trying to say), she shrugged her shoulders and said, "don't know ". When I picked up the shirts the next day, the owner said, "how come you did not want Mr. Jeff's shirts cleaned, they were dirty? But I did want them cleaned. He proceeded to tell me that the counter help asked me three times if I wanted the shirts cleaned and he could not understand what I wanted, so they only ironed the shirts. Oh no, they ironed dirty shirts. Chalk that up as a learning experience. The owner said, if you cannot understand the help just say "clean and press". Got it. I paid for the ironing and left the shirts to be "cleaned' and "pressed" again.
The picture below is of the Golden Falcon Laundry - The men that work here are experts at ironing shirts like none other.
Understanding people will get better over time and by the time my three years is up and I return to Utah, I should be able to understand people perfectly. But one thing is certain, I need to take an Arabic language class sometime in the future. Then I could understand, what people are saying about me. That would be fun !
The second issue is thinking that you have all the reguired documentation as so stated. You have gathered and compiled what is on the list, but when you go back it is always different, something else is needed or you have to pay addtional monies. No problem...
The UAE loves paperwork and everything needs to be verified, over verified, stamped, approved and verified one last time. It is absolute craziness, but it works for them, is very fast and wow, are they efficient. Everyone living in the UAE, needs an email address and cell number, there is no way around it. There is no door to door postal delivery in this country. Email and text messaging appears to be incorporated into the official notification process, doctors appointments, bank communications, along with in person delivery.
Everyone living in the UAE, longer than 30 days on a visit visa, is required to have and carry on them at all times an official Emirate ID card. After being finger printed, a picture taken with out the slightest smile being allowed, a letter from Jeff stating that he is okay with being my official sponsor and other mounds of paperwork, I received my official Emirate ID card. One big paperwork obstacle done. Later in the day, Jeff received a text, telling him the location he needed to come to pick up and officially sign for my Emirate ID. I was not allowed to pick up my own card, my sponsor needed to sign for it. But I did not care, all that matters to me is that it is done, the card is in my wallet.
Off to the doctor... Managed health care is done in the UAE. I was nervous for the appointment, especially because I did not know what to expect, but I was put at ease the minute I arrived. The hospitals and doctors seem to be top notch, the buildings are clean, fairly new and extremely efficient. The waiting rooms - empty and under control. I had to wait five minutes and the receptionists and nurses kept apologizing. To my surprise, not a lot of paperwork. Maybe the US should take a look at what the UAE has done and incorporate a few of these things.
Everyone living in the UAE will soon be required to have health care and it will be available to all employees and their families via their employer or if you are an Emirate National or goverment employee it is covered by the government plan . I can only speak for Jeff and I, but we have a plan through a well know insurance company and pay monthly, a very minimal premium. The cost is less than 1/2 of what Jeff paid for an entire month in the States. It is so worth it and I have my own medical card.
We can see any doctor of our choice and never pay a co pay or any monies towards the cost of the pharmaceuticals or other medical expenses. How sweet is that for managed care.
When you make an appointment, the doctor is blocked out for a period time for only you. Need I say that again? Only me!! No overlapping appointments are scheduled. It was very casual and great to speak with Doctor Ottmar from Germany, that wore old converse sneakers. How cool is that ? He scheduled me to go get an x-ray while we were discussing my issue, then said " go get an x-ray, radiology knows you are coming over, come back after and we will discuss, I will be waiting". The whole process was quick and I felt like the doctor was not distracted by other waiting patients. Sure enough, by the time I had walked back to his office, he had already looked at my x-ray and was ready to talk and discuss. Wow - was I impressed or what?!
If you need any medication, or other services, such as physical therapy, etc, you can get your medicines at the pharmacy on site and the other services are scheduled before you leave. It is like one stop shopping and you get everything you need in one appointment, at one location and it the total time was @ one hour.
Could medical care really be that easy, uncomplicated and no additional money out of pocket? Okay, I am sold.
The drivers license process was just a little different but still fun to experience...
The drivers license division has some very special rules and for expats it depends on what country you are from as to whether or not your previous driver training and drivers license will be acceptable documentation to get a license in the UAE. They are OK with US drivers training and licenses that have not expired. For other countries, IE, India or the Philippines the drivers training and their licenses are not accepted and they are required to take and complete UAE driving school before you can apply for a drivers license, which is fairly expensive. All sponsors, in my case, Jeff, needs to submit a letter stating that he approves me to drive and accepts responsibility for my driving actions or should I say mishaps. I felt like a teenager all over again. I can be naughty and Jeff will take the fall.
It costs me 510 ( $127.50 US dollars) dirhams to get my drivers license today. 100 ($25.00 US dollars) dirhams for the eye test and 410 ($102.50 US dollars) dirhams for the drivers license itself. To find the eye test room, you almost needed a map. It was outside the main building, way out back with plastic hanging in place of the door. The very small building was over crowded, including a woman yelling in Arabic to an officer. I was asked what I needed and was motioned to sit down by a woman dressed head to toe in black. At that point our lack of communication started and I could not understand a word she said, nor she me. A random man sitting in front of her with an even harder accent to understand, kept butting in, trying to translate for the two of us. Too bad I didn't have a video camera, the whole exchange was pretty entertaining. The woman eye examiner shoved an old, worn book in front of me, flipping the pages very fast and said, "what numbers you see". She was flipping the pages so fast I started guessing what I had seen, 3, 5, 8, maybe 6 - but she did not seem to care if I missed any or not, but I did get a thumbs up sign from the man trying to translate for the two of us. Yeah, I must have passed the first test... next ...then she put a few rows of numbers on the wall with a projector and held a piece of torn cardboard over each eye and I think she said, " what do you see". The random translator man kept whispering loudly the number being projected. The woman examiner paid no attention, asked for the 100 dirhams I owed for the eye exam and officially stamped the paper in triplicate. Thanks to the friendly pretend translator- I passed! I don't know how, but all I cared this that I passed. Does that mean he has to to ride around with me ?
After the eye exam, it is back to the main lobby, while one of the driver license examiners reviewed with a fine tooth comb the documentation. I was sent to the copy machine to make one more copy, even though there was the same copy in my stack of documents. No arguing, just do it. Unfortunately, I did not have two coins needed to make a copy, but the under paid Indian national working in the lobby, pulled out his tattered wallet and handed me two coins. I said, no, no I will wait for my husband, but he put his hand over his heart and said " no problem ma'am". When Jeff came into the room, I had Jeff give him a 5 dirham note ( $1.25 Us dollars). The employee was very appreciative and really did not want to take our money, but we insisted. Kindness goes a long way !
Yippee, I was finally approved, no more documentation needed, paid my 410 dirhams ($102.50 US dollars) and was sent me the final office for a picture. A happy Emirate man, said,"lets take glamour shot". Within 5 minutes I had my drivers license in hand and the happy Emirate said, "I am good at picture, you agree ?". Best drivers license picture ever taken - I agree !
Check that off the list ! All I need now is my debit card and life is good.
The bankers come to you - they offer personalized service and you never go to them. Even while we were buying our car, we never visited the bank. They came to us. The bank sent me a text asking my location and was it convenient to deliver my new debit card. Certainly come on over. Check that off the list - done ! A lot has been accomplished today, no more documentation needed, I am legal in all aspects to be in Dubai, UAE and it did turn out better than expected.
This experience has made me think of the refugees and migrants from other countries that end up in the United States, Utah in particular, years and years ago when I worked with many of them. There was so much red tape, paperwork and of all the things we asked and required them to do. I am certain is was overwhelming and probably not as easy as it was for me in Dubai.
Wow - I finally get it and can maybe in a small way can relate and understand so much better than I did years ago. Lesson learned - a day worth experiencing, if anything just to learn that.
Today is the day and I am going to got it all done, completed...
I applied and received my UAE drivers license, went to a doctor for the first time, applied and received an Emirate ID card and got my new debit card.
Running around is not the problem, the first issue is trying to understand what people are saying. Bless their hearts, everyone will try and speak English, it is not them, it is me. Sometimes I cannot understand, even when they are speaking English. At the "Golden Falcon Laundry " close to my hotel apartment, I walked in and dropped off six of Jeff's dress shirts to be dry cleaned. How hard can this be? The man behind the counter said something to me three times and when I turned to the woman behind me (hoping she understood what he was trying to say), she shrugged her shoulders and said, "don't know ". When I picked up the shirts the next day, the owner said, "how come you did not want Mr. Jeff's shirts cleaned, they were dirty? But I did want them cleaned. He proceeded to tell me that the counter help asked me three times if I wanted the shirts cleaned and he could not understand what I wanted, so they only ironed the shirts. Oh no, they ironed dirty shirts. Chalk that up as a learning experience. The owner said, if you cannot understand the help just say "clean and press". Got it. I paid for the ironing and left the shirts to be "cleaned' and "pressed" again.
The picture below is of the Golden Falcon Laundry - The men that work here are experts at ironing shirts like none other.
Understanding people will get better over time and by the time my three years is up and I return to Utah, I should be able to understand people perfectly. But one thing is certain, I need to take an Arabic language class sometime in the future. Then I could understand, what people are saying about me. That would be fun !
The second issue is thinking that you have all the reguired documentation as so stated. You have gathered and compiled what is on the list, but when you go back it is always different, something else is needed or you have to pay addtional monies. No problem...
The UAE loves paperwork and everything needs to be verified, over verified, stamped, approved and verified one last time. It is absolute craziness, but it works for them, is very fast and wow, are they efficient. Everyone living in the UAE, needs an email address and cell number, there is no way around it. There is no door to door postal delivery in this country. Email and text messaging appears to be incorporated into the official notification process, doctors appointments, bank communications, along with in person delivery.
Everyone living in the UAE, longer than 30 days on a visit visa, is required to have and carry on them at all times an official Emirate ID card. After being finger printed, a picture taken with out the slightest smile being allowed, a letter from Jeff stating that he is okay with being my official sponsor and other mounds of paperwork, I received my official Emirate ID card. One big paperwork obstacle done. Later in the day, Jeff received a text, telling him the location he needed to come to pick up and officially sign for my Emirate ID. I was not allowed to pick up my own card, my sponsor needed to sign for it. But I did not care, all that matters to me is that it is done, the card is in my wallet.
Off to the doctor... Managed health care is done in the UAE. I was nervous for the appointment, especially because I did not know what to expect, but I was put at ease the minute I arrived. The hospitals and doctors seem to be top notch, the buildings are clean, fairly new and extremely efficient. The waiting rooms - empty and under control. I had to wait five minutes and the receptionists and nurses kept apologizing. To my surprise, not a lot of paperwork. Maybe the US should take a look at what the UAE has done and incorporate a few of these things.
Everyone living in the UAE will soon be required to have health care and it will be available to all employees and their families via their employer or if you are an Emirate National or goverment employee it is covered by the government plan . I can only speak for Jeff and I, but we have a plan through a well know insurance company and pay monthly, a very minimal premium. The cost is less than 1/2 of what Jeff paid for an entire month in the States. It is so worth it and I have my own medical card.
We can see any doctor of our choice and never pay a co pay or any monies towards the cost of the pharmaceuticals or other medical expenses. How sweet is that for managed care.
When you make an appointment, the doctor is blocked out for a period time for only you. Need I say that again? Only me!! No overlapping appointments are scheduled. It was very casual and great to speak with Doctor Ottmar from Germany, that wore old converse sneakers. How cool is that ? He scheduled me to go get an x-ray while we were discussing my issue, then said " go get an x-ray, radiology knows you are coming over, come back after and we will discuss, I will be waiting". The whole process was quick and I felt like the doctor was not distracted by other waiting patients. Sure enough, by the time I had walked back to his office, he had already looked at my x-ray and was ready to talk and discuss. Wow - was I impressed or what?!
If you need any medication, or other services, such as physical therapy, etc, you can get your medicines at the pharmacy on site and the other services are scheduled before you leave. It is like one stop shopping and you get everything you need in one appointment, at one location and it the total time was @ one hour.
Could medical care really be that easy, uncomplicated and no additional money out of pocket? Okay, I am sold.
The drivers license process was just a little different but still fun to experience...
The drivers license division has some very special rules and for expats it depends on what country you are from as to whether or not your previous driver training and drivers license will be acceptable documentation to get a license in the UAE. They are OK with US drivers training and licenses that have not expired. For other countries, IE, India or the Philippines the drivers training and their licenses are not accepted and they are required to take and complete UAE driving school before you can apply for a drivers license, which is fairly expensive. All sponsors, in my case, Jeff, needs to submit a letter stating that he approves me to drive and accepts responsibility for my driving actions or should I say mishaps. I felt like a teenager all over again. I can be naughty and Jeff will take the fall.
It costs me 510 ( $127.50 US dollars) dirhams to get my drivers license today. 100 ($25.00 US dollars) dirhams for the eye test and 410 ($102.50 US dollars) dirhams for the drivers license itself. To find the eye test room, you almost needed a map. It was outside the main building, way out back with plastic hanging in place of the door. The very small building was over crowded, including a woman yelling in Arabic to an officer. I was asked what I needed and was motioned to sit down by a woman dressed head to toe in black. At that point our lack of communication started and I could not understand a word she said, nor she me. A random man sitting in front of her with an even harder accent to understand, kept butting in, trying to translate for the two of us. Too bad I didn't have a video camera, the whole exchange was pretty entertaining. The woman eye examiner shoved an old, worn book in front of me, flipping the pages very fast and said, "what numbers you see". She was flipping the pages so fast I started guessing what I had seen, 3, 5, 8, maybe 6 - but she did not seem to care if I missed any or not, but I did get a thumbs up sign from the man trying to translate for the two of us. Yeah, I must have passed the first test... next ...then she put a few rows of numbers on the wall with a projector and held a piece of torn cardboard over each eye and I think she said, " what do you see". The random translator man kept whispering loudly the number being projected. The woman examiner paid no attention, asked for the 100 dirhams I owed for the eye exam and officially stamped the paper in triplicate. Thanks to the friendly pretend translator- I passed! I don't know how, but all I cared this that I passed. Does that mean he has to to ride around with me ?
After the eye exam, it is back to the main lobby, while one of the driver license examiners reviewed with a fine tooth comb the documentation. I was sent to the copy machine to make one more copy, even though there was the same copy in my stack of documents. No arguing, just do it. Unfortunately, I did not have two coins needed to make a copy, but the under paid Indian national working in the lobby, pulled out his tattered wallet and handed me two coins. I said, no, no I will wait for my husband, but he put his hand over his heart and said " no problem ma'am". When Jeff came into the room, I had Jeff give him a 5 dirham note ( $1.25 Us dollars). The employee was very appreciative and really did not want to take our money, but we insisted. Kindness goes a long way !
Yippee, I was finally approved, no more documentation needed, paid my 410 dirhams ($102.50 US dollars) and was sent me the final office for a picture. A happy Emirate man, said,"lets take glamour shot". Within 5 minutes I had my drivers license in hand and the happy Emirate said, "I am good at picture, you agree ?". Best drivers license picture ever taken - I agree !
Check that off the list ! All I need now is my debit card and life is good.
The bankers come to you - they offer personalized service and you never go to them. Even while we were buying our car, we never visited the bank. They came to us. The bank sent me a text asking my location and was it convenient to deliver my new debit card. Certainly come on over. Check that off the list - done ! A lot has been accomplished today, no more documentation needed, I am legal in all aspects to be in Dubai, UAE and it did turn out better than expected.
This experience has made me think of the refugees and migrants from other countries that end up in the United States, Utah in particular, years and years ago when I worked with many of them. There was so much red tape, paperwork and of all the things we asked and required them to do. I am certain is was overwhelming and probably not as easy as it was for me in Dubai.
Wow - I finally get it and can maybe in a small way can relate and understand so much better than I did years ago. Lesson learned - a day worth experiencing, if anything just to learn that.
I was just thinking, as I was reading this post, about all the people and refugees seeking assistance from DWS had to jump throught way too many hoops... just like you had to do. Something to think about...
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