A few months ago, a YouTube video called “Sh*t Dubai expats say” scored 54,000 hits. Made by Henrik Friberg from South Africa and Hermann Venter from Sweden – both long-term Dubai expats – it poked fun at the quirks of life in the emirate, offering gems such as “Hi, can I order a delivery please? Yeah, one small bottle of water,” and “No champagne? Pfff!” as well as an amusing attempt to describe a location on Sheikh Zayed Road (which is lined with high-rise buildings) as “by that new tower… no, not that one. Not that one, either. The one that looks like a golden eagle.”
I was reminded of this video this week as a thread developed on popular expat forum ExpatWoman. Started by a poster calling herself Mrs Potato Head, it asked readers to add things that they’d never said before they moved to Dubai. With grateful thanks to the ladies who contributed their ideas to the thread, I’d like to share with you some of the best, along with a few of my own – some of these phrases really do give you an insight into life in Dubai:
“Where’s the ladies-only queue?”
“Does the hospital have valet parking?”
“Is your school for profit or not-for-profit?”
“Sorry, children, it’s too hot to go swimming.”
“Put your shoes on or you’ll burn your feet.”
“Don’t lock the door – it’ll be fine.”
“Where’s the iron kept?”
“Where does your driver sleep?”
“Can I pre-order a blanket for the cinema?”
“Where can I get ice blocks for the pool?”
“Can you call maintenance to change that light bulb?”
“Children, look: Clouds!”
“Give me best price, not tourist price. Do I look like a tourist?”
“That hotel’s so old. It opened at least five years ago.”
Of course, living in a country with a population that’s made up of over 100 different nationalities, it’s understandable that languages adapt as we try to understand each other. In the UAE, common words take on different meanings. A few examples:
Expire: To die. “My uncle expired last night.”
Genuine fake: A really good copy of a branded item.
Issues: Children. “How many issues do you have?”
Mamsir: Compound noun for Madam or Sir. “Good morning mamsir, how can I help you?”
Off: Noun used as verb. “Please can you off the air-conditioning?”
Paining: Hurting. “My tummy’s too much paining.”
Pre-pone: To bring a meeting or event forward.
Rounding: Driving around the block. “I’m rounding – there’s no parking.”
Today itself: Urgently. “Not tomorrow. I need it done today itself.”
Got any more?
Annabel Kantaria is a journalist who moved to Dubai long before most people knew where it was. She doesn’t ride a camel to work; has never seen a gold-plated golf buggy and only rarely has pink champagne for breakfast. Follow her on Twitter: @BellaKay
REF [telegraph]
I was reminded of this video this week as a thread developed on popular expat forum ExpatWoman. Started by a poster calling herself Mrs Potato Head, it asked readers to add things that they’d never said before they moved to Dubai. With grateful thanks to the ladies who contributed their ideas to the thread, I’d like to share with you some of the best, along with a few of my own – some of these phrases really do give you an insight into life in Dubai:
“Where’s the ladies-only queue?”
“Does the hospital have valet parking?”
“Is your school for profit or not-for-profit?”
“Sorry, children, it’s too hot to go swimming.”
“Put your shoes on or you’ll burn your feet.”
“Don’t lock the door – it’ll be fine.”
“Where’s the iron kept?”
“Where does your driver sleep?”
“Can I pre-order a blanket for the cinema?”
“Where can I get ice blocks for the pool?”
“Can you call maintenance to change that light bulb?”
“Children, look: Clouds!”
“Give me best price, not tourist price. Do I look like a tourist?”
“That hotel’s so old. It opened at least five years ago.”
Of course, living in a country with a population that’s made up of over 100 different nationalities, it’s understandable that languages adapt as we try to understand each other. In the UAE, common words take on different meanings. A few examples:
Expire: To die. “My uncle expired last night.”
Genuine fake: A really good copy of a branded item.
Issues: Children. “How many issues do you have?”
Mamsir: Compound noun for Madam or Sir. “Good morning mamsir, how can I help you?”
Off: Noun used as verb. “Please can you off the air-conditioning?”
Paining: Hurting. “My tummy’s too much paining.”
Pre-pone: To bring a meeting or event forward.
Rounding: Driving around the block. “I’m rounding – there’s no parking.”
Today itself: Urgently. “Not tomorrow. I need it done today itself.”
Got any more?
Annabel Kantaria is a journalist who moved to Dubai long before most people knew where it was. She doesn’t ride a camel to work; has never seen a gold-plated golf buggy and only rarely has pink champagne for breakfast. Follow her on Twitter: @BellaKay
REF [telegraph]
No comments:
Post a Comment