It's artificial.... you feel like you're a gigantic shopping mall that smells like fresh paint!!!

you just can't shake that "let's pretend it's a city" feeling off when you're there!!

I never worked there though...

Thank you so much for the information, much appreciated.

I agree with Andy and Reka. In addition, when you meet people there, they often stay a few years and then they leave for another country.

Hi. I lived in Dubai for 13 years, met my husband and had three children there. So you can guess that I liked it well enough! At the end, I was tired of friends leaving, and of the artificiality..

But..why did I stay so long? I think it's a great place for a young woman. It's not restrictive, party atmosphere, loads of restaurants and places to go. Loved the sun and the beach, and most apartment blocks have swimming pools. Found it easy enough to meet people there. Life is very easy; carcleaning is cheap, most people get a cleaner at least once a week, laundry services are cheap. It's very international, so you can meet lots of people from different places. While saying that, it can be quite racist. Eg there are a lot of indian/filipinos in service industries, and they work long hours for little money.