Welcome back to the Indian Expat life series! I’m reaching out to Indian expats with families from across the world, to understand how they are leading their lives, in different countries. This week we are getting to know from Karuna Singh, what living in Dubai is like!
I moved!
I moved to Dubai…
To a city of cars? Or a city of million (billion) lights?
I came to U.A.E with two suitcases and left six years later with two toddlers and a container load of memories!
This is my story.
My name is Karuna Singh. I’m an aviation master planner and build airports for a living. Before UAE, I worked in India setting up amazing buildings that transport travellers across the world.
Dubai? I was head-hunted and flown in to be the first employee of the Abu Dhabi branch of a USA based airport consulting firm in 2014. I was also the last employee of the company, when it closed down in 2020 due to COVID-19.
When I moved to Dubai from Bombay in 2014, I told myself this was a short-term assignment. Longtime Dubai residents and cab drivers introduced me to the adage- those who come here to stay only for a while are the ones who stay long!
The Delhi girl in me had fell in love with Bombay (Mumbai), its non-stop life and its refreshing freedom from Delhi’s caustic male gaze. Dubai was even better. So much better I drove to Abu Dhabi for work and back every day to sample the many bits of life experiences Dubai had to offer!
Surprisingly, the city is such that it never made me feel homesick.
Apartment in Dubai
Initially we moved into a 1BHK at Lake View Towers, JLT for a year. My mother and sister gave me company for the better part of the first year. Hubby kept shuttling between Bombay / Dubai before he moved to Dubai as Head of Product for a HealthTech startup in 2016.
We first moved to a studio on Street 5, Discovery Gardens. Subsequently we moved to a quiet 1 BHK apartment on Street 11, Discovery Gardens, where we ended up staying for three years and after the two of us became four.
House hunting tips:
Build a list and stick to it. We wanted a well-lit apartment close to a swimming pool, ample parking with a spacious kitchen, maintenance and chiller included.
If you see any signs of seepage in the apartment, while villa / apartment hunting, turn right and another right and then run- it’s just not worth it.
Always go for the apartment with maintenance and chiller included. If possible, install a smart thermostat or at-least a thermostat with an automatic fan speed regulator / cut off. That’s how we cut our electricity bills by more than half.
The thermostat paid itself off within three months. We ran the AC 24×7 with a set temperature, so the AC turned itself on / off only when required.
Check the lamps and change over to LED. You would be surprised to find 6 x 100W incandescent bulbs in one room. We definitely were!
Transport
Contrary to popular belief you can live car-less in Dubai. Do ensure however, that your apartment has a store in the premises or is a hop away for the quick last-minute purchases.
Hubby used the 85 bus for his 15-20 min commute to his knowledge village office. Bombay guys like (love) public transport. He has often told me about his bus friends and train friends.
He got his license done only when I was expecting. And when he did, he couldn’t stop raving how awesome the Udrive / eKar rental service is. It really is. He would literally walk an extra 100m to find a car and then take a cab!!
Dubai roads, just keep getting better. GPS navigation helps one to get the best of the roads. Get a car with Apple CarPlay / Android Auto built in. Its just awesome. Our VW CC Apple Car Play integration made driving to anywhere in Dubai / Abu Dhabi and absolute pleasure.
Its pretty good at finding places for cheat meals. Hubby used it extensively to find McDonald’s burgers on his commute to work and gym when he was not using the bus. Or when we’re out with the kids, we used it to look for the nearest restroom for that unexpected diaper change for the baby.
Groceries
The summer heat is unreal here. While everything can be home delivered, things do take time to arrive. We recommend using Carrefour’s valet trolley for home delivery of your cart.
Cycle over to Spinneys for the freshest farm produce. The hard to find vegan or specialty food items, meat / salmon is good at Carrefour but generally better at Spinneys.
Of course, we can’t recommend Kibsons enough. They are just awesome and deliver the best avocados, vegan food and the most diverse range of hypoallergenic milk products (do try their Oatly ice-cream) in eco-friendly packaging.
Have a car? Head over to the Deira Waterfront fish / vegetable market for just off the ship / aircraft produce.
Waterfront Vegetable / Fish market and the West Zone stores are cheap but low in flavour while Carrefour and Spinneys though expensive are great for their quality of products.
PS: Counterintuitively Meat / Fish products at smaller Carrefour are cheaper compared to their larger counterparts.
Pro tip- if you can speak Bengali use it. Hubby spoke one word of Bengali and the fruit / vegetable vendors literally embraced him as their long-lost brother.
Hubby is from India; most shopkeepers are from Bangladesh but apparently there is an odd kinship off those who are separate by a border.
Despite the marked difference in their dialects, they seemed like oddballs in between a busy market, amusing everyone around them!
Have you experienced this too?
Food, oh where do I start?
I love street food. My husband knew the waiting staff by name at nearly every other restaurant, he happened to pass by. Between us we agree that Dubai offers one of the most diverse gastronomical treats possible.
While one can have a filling days meal in AED 20, I have seen hubby polishing of a king’s feast under AED 200 and he does have discerning appetite. Legend has it that if he stops patronizing a restaurant or food service, it closes!
For biryani, we loved the Haji Saheb for their quick service (dine in & home delivery). For some reason the taste changes during Ramadan. We noticed this happen between 2016-20.
Order extra garlic sauce when ordering at My Shawarma (any outlet). It just tastes awesome. Choose the roll combo because you can’t just have one of those. Burger King’s Hershey Pie is heavenly. Humming Bird at MoE is famous for their red velvet cake. The Dunkin’ Donuts at JLT and Dubai mall are just awesome!
Le Burger at Mall of the Emirates is amazing in every sense of the word. I had to go vegan in response to my son’s multiple food allergies. They made me the most awesome Burger (vegan) I have ever had. Hubby attests that his Le burger (non-vegan) will take something really awesome to top up his taste.
Indian food
Did we miss Indian food? Hell no!
Chandni Chowk (JLT) made this Delhi girl’s taste buds feel right at home. Frankly we never felt away from home, food wise. All food cravings were fulfilled via home delivery if not a short drive away!
Street food culture
Well, Dubai has a thriving street food culture too. Bur Dubai, Deira are not just old parts of the old city but a melting pot of flavours from around the world.
Here you will find shawarmas, biryani, mandi and innumerable food items to cater to different tastes and most importantly to every budget. From migrant workers, backpackers to the well-heeled, the old city has everyone covered.
Having said that, Dubai is not Punjab where bad food is just not served. We did have our share of bad to obnoxious food and serving staff experiences.
However, such establishments don’t survive long in Dubai, thanks to strict hygiene standards and very low tolerance levels of Dubai’s foodie residents.
So if the restaurant closed down as soon as it opened, well you didn’t miss anything. Looks can be deceptive, empty chairs doesn’t necessarily translate to the obvious. Some have legions of patrons who like it home delivered.
Having said that If you see cabs / large SUVs playing Tetris for parking space in front of the restaurant, rest assured you have stumbled upon on a rare gastronomical gem.
However, if you happen to see Italian sports cars do think twice; unless you want to earn a few thousand points on your AMEX card.
Oh and AMEX? It’s not accepted everywhere but Apple Pay is. You can even top-up your NOL (Dubai Metro card) with Apple Pay.
Dubai makes you feel safe
You can safely forget your wallet at home. And if you ever forget your wallet in the cab it will most likely be returned to you as a rule; pretty much as soon it’s noticed by the cab driver.
It’s a safe city. In our experience a very safe city.
Emergency services are quick and very responsive. We once witnessed an automobile accident at our car park in Discovery Gardens. The emergency services arrived immediately to attend to the injured. Thankfully there was an emergency response team on standby nearby, for the EXPO 2020 metro line construction.
Health services
While Dubai has a multitude of health care providers, it’s advisable to use the recreational spaces / opportunities the city offers to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Instagram stories tell you the truth. This is a nation obsessed with healthy living. Dubai as a city encourages fitness and offers a host of fitness related programs like Dubai marathon, and Dubai Fitness Challenge 30×30.
There are always some fitness events happening in the city round the year but during the winter months of Oct-Feb, Dubai becomes a central point for such events. I bet you can find people running on some sidewalk even at 2 in the morning. I have!
If you have to visit a healthcare provider do ensure you have a good understanding of what your insurance covers and doesn’t, as out of pocket expense do add up very quickly.
Should your insurance cover it, American Hospital could be your one stop destination for everything that ails. For emergencies we chose Saudi German Hospital due its proximity to Discovery Gardens.
I preferred Dr.Suleiman Habib Hospital which in addition to its brilliant emergency unit, has a very caring, understanding child care and gynaecology department.
While above mentioned hospitals have American / European board-certified physicians we found that physicians at the American Hospital are better detectives.
Government hospitals / health centers in Dubai are no less competent than the private hospital and are generally centers of excellence.
In our experience, emergency care is provided at a nominal charge (at Government hospital / clinics) to tourists too. As mentioned before, we recommend you to have an active travel / health insurance cover during your stay in UAE.
For the second part of this post please click here
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If you’re interested in being interviewed for this series, or want to see a certain place featured email me at rubitah@beingrubitah.com or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook @beingrubitah.
Found this post useful? Check out the other countries in these series and other posts too!
Indian Expat Life series- chapters till date
Moving to Bahrain- first thoughts
You will relate to this if you’re an Indian in Bahrain
A tale of two birds in Bahrain
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