The Real Dubai

The recent Oprah show featuring a doctor from Dubai has caused quite a commotion here in Dubai. So, let me tell you our experiences...

Electricity and water are not free. Maybe "special folks" get their utilities covered - but this would be to be the exception rather than the rule. In fact there is a bit of an uproar about the DEWA bills lately in that many people are complaining about a rise in costs. We live in an apartment, so our bills are very reasonable (less than $100 per month). We have heard of people in villas paying over $1500 a month - especially in the summer when cooling costs are so high.

Dr. Lamees was definitely correct when she said that some people are very wealthy and that others struggle to make ends meet. There are some pretty spectacular looking villas in some areas of town. The Emiratis often live in family compounds. And many have very large families - I know students that have 12 siblings. So, large houses and vehicles are a necessity. At the other end of the spectrum there is poverty here as well. We have seen some pretty run down homes in our travels around the UAE. Even though university is free for Emiratis, we have students who require financial aid for the transportation and school supplies. I won't even get into the standard of living for the labourers and other workers.

Most people here have maids/nannies. We have seen people out with one nanny for each child. I can imagine how many servants they have at home! As extravagent as that sounds, salaries for domestic help are less than $500 a month for a live in. (Notice that you can pay 3 times as much for electricity as you do for a maid!) We however do our own housecleaning and child minding - and we are definitely a very small minority.

Even with all the help in the home, the service industry is huge here. There are laundries on almost every block - not laundromats actual laundries where they wash and press the clothes - and then return them to your door. There is a grocery store in almost every apartment building too. We often see the clerks from our local grocery helping customers across the street,even hailing cabs. If you aren't up to getting your own groceries, just call down and they will deliver. Virtually every restaurant delivers - even McDonald's! You don't do anything for yourself here. They pump your gas, bag your groceries, wash your car...

There are security guards everywhere here - every store, every apartment, schools.... The ones in our apartment will do whatever you ask - change light bulbs, bring up the groceries, deliver water and you can pay them to wash your car and clean your apartment.

For the average resident of Dubai, life is not the lap of luxury that was described on Oprah. On the other hand, it is very different from middle class life in Canada.

Oprah has apologized to the residents of Dubai for what she aired on her show.