Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi

I did not know what to expect before I arrived in Abu Dhabi. Truthfully, I had not even heard of it or had any idea where it is located until I met Harvey. He had told me that I needed to wear conservative clothing, that drinking in public could get you deported, and other stories that made me wary of visiting. After spending just a day here, I realized how lucky I am to visit this amazing place.

To give you a bit of history, Abu Dhabi is located in the UAE. UAE stands for United Arab Emirates and is located on an island. There are 7 emirates that make up the UAE although Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most populated. UAE nationals make up just 20% where the other 80% of people here are foreign.  Abu Dhabi was a pearling industry before the 1930’s when oil exploration began and a potential oil field was found here. The United Arab Emirates formed in December, 1971 after Britain decided to leave the country in 1966 and the ruler, Sheikh Zayed, saw the opportunity to become independent. Since the 40 year anniversary of the UAE was this year, houses around Abu Dhabi are covered in the UAE flag. Abu Dhabi nationals are also very loyal to Sheikh Zayed who died in 2004.

The first time I went to the British club, Gerry showed me pictures of the club before it became “the club.” Just 40-45 years ago, the club was only a hut surrounded by sand with a few men in front of it. Now, it is a full service facility with a pool, restaurants, gym, tennis courts, etc. In 40 years Abu Dhabi has completely changed from a small desert city to an industrial and economic giant. It is truly astonishing.

The nationals here have a lot of money. Well, more than a lot, they have a stupid amount of money. The nationals drive beyond amazing cars. They have boats. The Sheikhs, or royal family of Abu Dhabi, have more money than they can spend. They have palaces. Really large palaces.

Abu Dhabi is very westernized. In the grocery store at the villa where Harvey’s dad lives, there are many American and British products. Mostly though, it is mostly American. The roads basically the same as they are in America. There is Subway, Coldstone, Mcdonalds, Popeyes, KFC, etc. There is also Taco Bell in some places, but I have not been lucky enough to find one yet.