10 telltale signs that you live in Dubai

Top Stories

Dubai: Sheikh Mohammed announces Dh30-billion rain drainage network

Paid parking in Dubai: Residents face up to Dh4,000 extra yearly costs when new rates kick in

UAE: Worker wins Dh1 million in National Bonds draw after saving Dh100 every month

10 telltale signs that you live in Dubai

Dubai - .Or you've been here for too long

By Keith Pereña

Published: Mon 30 Jan 2017, 2:29 PM

Last updated: Tue 31 Jan 2017, 9:55 AM

Living, or rather staying in Dubai is exciting. It's a city built upon the dreams and vision of a better city and it already is. There are many expats who consider Dubai their second home, even their home itself. But how do you know when you've been here for quite some time? Here are some obvious signs.

The Sheikh Zayed Road you remember had only two things.

You regale your friends with a story that always begins like: "Back in the day, Sheikh Zayed Road only had Dubai World Trade Centre and the Toyota building." And they respond with a look of disbelief especially when they see that the road today has skyscrapers dotted around it.

Taking tourist friends out to Burj Khalifa is a chore.

You've seen the fountain and the world's tallest building for more than you could count. You instead become relegated to the position of "Our Dubai friend who takes photos for us".

You don't step out of your car to buy groceries

Because "grocery-thru" is a thing here. Some stores have dedicated staff that will go beside your car when you pull up to buy a bag of Oman Chips and laban.

Your Arabic is on point

Yalla, habibi and other frequently used Arabic words are now part of your dictionary and your fellow expats here don't mind. They might even greet you marhaba!

You know where the cheapest goods are

Clothes? There's DSF! Gadgets? There's Gitex! Everything else? There's flea markets, dirham stores and dubizzle! Your experience in shopping for virtually anything in Dubai gives you the insight to find the best bargains from hotel vouchers to tourist souvenirs.

Instead of waterproof, you become 'heatproof'

Summer months in Dubai don't faze you anymore. You can even take this a notch higher when you think about the times you walk a fair distance in 50 degrees heat.

You are your own GPS

You don't need Google Maps to tell your cab driver where you want to go. You just tell him "Okay, go straight, then left, then roundabout right, and then signal right."

You get excited when the weather says "chance of rain"

Even a slight chance of rain pops up in the weather report? You go pack an umbrella and a jacket and you enjoy every moment of it. Because you know rain here is precious as it comes seldom.

You have attended events such as.

Diwali, Eid, Christmas, a cricket game between India and Pakistan. Thanks to Dubai's multicultural population, you celebrate events from the entire world and have grown to be more culturally sensitive than most people.

You have a 'Dubai family'

Sure blood is thicker than water, but you have friends here that you treat like siblings. They have your back and you have theirs. And who doesn't want someone who calls them out when they've had one too many brunches right?