Dubai through eyes of 'Jumeirah Jane'

Dubai - The comic-style book was penned by French-Swiss writer and former journalist Kyra Dupont Troubetzkoy.

A light-hearted new book on the lifestyle of Western expatriates in Dubai takes aim at the pampered nouveau-riche "Jumeirah Jane" of stereotypical fame.
Entitled My Fantastic Life in Dubai: The Oh-So True Story of Jumeirah Jane (The Ultimate Expat), the comic-style book was penned by French-Swiss writer and former journalist Kyra Dupont Troubetzkoy, who first arrived in the UAE in 2012 after stints in Cambodia, France, Switzerland and the USA.
In the book, which was sponsored by the Alliance Francaise Dubai, Troubetzkoy describes the carefree but expensive Dubai life of Jumeirah Jane, complete with a Ferrari, yoga teachers, maids, and evenings spent living the high-life among the Emirate's well-heeled Western expats. "Expat women have a unique lifestyle in Dubai, that's so Dubai," she told the Khaleej Times.
"Jumeirah Jane, who we call JJ, is the best spokesperson for our lifestyle here in Dubai."
"Dubai is very special in the sense that it's becoming a super-modern state, but with some aspects that are still very much developing."
Troubetzkoy noted that Dubai is unique in that many Western expats tend to stick to one another, while at the same time living up to some of the common stereotypes of life in the Emirate.
"We live all together in this multicultural melting pot. We still don't really mingle. But I think people are quite connected to their native communities," she said.
"Also, there are a lot of stereotypes to Dubai, and when you come here it strikes you that you see yourself doing things that are over the top, because it is a bit over the top here.
"There are places that maybe don't even exist back home. There are all these extremes and all these paradoxes."
"When people come visit here, you're proud, and you're a bit ashamed, because you know it's a bit over the top," she added.
Troubetzkoy, whose previous book, Pearls of the Emirates, was a deep examination into the lives of Emirati women - says she hopes that readers recognise some of the tongue-in-cheek portrayals of typical Dubai characters in her book.
"I've never wanted to be offensive or hurtful," she said.
"JJ is capable of laughing at herself. There's a bit of me, there's a bit of you, and there is a bit of everybody. At some point you'll realise that you've gone through similar situations."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com 

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