My wife and I lived in the United Arab Emirates from 2011 through 2017. We know that what we witnessed was mostly just a snapshot of life there during a specific time in history and that things have changed since we left. Yet our experiences — both pro and con — gave us new perspectives on the world, the Middle East, the US, and ourselves. They were expansive.
The UAE is a country of about 9.7 million people about the size of Colorado, with a unique history and culture. The citizens understandably have a lot of pride in what has been accomplished since the country’s founding in 1971. Comparison of UAE and US from MyLifeElsewhere.com.
First of all, some background:
Sheikh Mo’s Vision Attracted Global Migrants to Help Build Emirati Nation
In Abu Dhabi, Feeling Like a Global Citizen
Eating out in Abu Dhabi in the summer involved waiting until the sun went down and the city cooled.
Consuming International Cuisine While Living Abroad And At Home
UAE TV Series Shatters Stereotypes of Subservient Women
11 Questions and Answers About My Time Teaching in the UAE. On Global Awareness, Educational Investments, Censorship, Democracy's Decline, Differences Between Urban and Rural Emirates.
While the UAE is unique, I could make larger observations about it, the region and the world in my series on
Global Studies: Traveling, living, studying, teaching abroad: An Overview. The upsides and downsides of globalization. Nationalism and trans-nationalism: Forces for good or evil? Culture Shock! 9 Posts On Coping With Uncomfortable Cultural Changes. (28 posts total)
including
Middle Eastern Men and Women Are Group-oriented Rather Than Individually Oriented. But What Does the Veil Mean?
‘Downton Abbey’ Illustrates Similarities to Lives of Gulf Aristocrats Today. So does ‘The Help.”
Offensive Questions from Both Sides of the Global Divide
and in my series on
Autocracy, Authoritarianism and Surveillance Societies As Inevitable Global Threat (30 posts)
as well as in individual articles on
Travel As An Act of Religious and Political Bridge-Building
Remembrance Day, For All Who’ve Died in War
Lost Fear of Muslim Extremism During 8 Years Living in the Middle East, Through Interfaith Dialogue