Alright, so as some of you may know, I'm in dubai until at least the beginning of summer. So I want a thread where not only I can vent about some stupid things here and talk about how great others are but here you can also ask me questions.
Just remember one footnote: I'm mainly in Silicon Oasis, Black Hole (joke but it's a void type town) so I may not be able to answer everything.
How's it feel being in the middle east?
Hmm...Pretty odd actually. You don't really feel like you're in the middle east until you see actual signs or some of the people around. You feel like you're in some awkward hybrid of a few places like Brazil, New York, San Diego, and so on more so. One of those hybrid's contains the middle east of course.
That's the best way to put it. While you have to respect there laws in Dubai It's not as bad as other places around here.
Do a lot of the people there speak English?
Do they look down upon Americans?
Quote from: Cartman on March 22, 2010, 07:34:47 PM
Do a lot of the people there speak English?
Do they look down upon Americans?
Took my questions.
Ummm, made an friends?
@KJ: Best way to sum up the english part is "It's like how most people speak Spanish and English, except swap Spanish with Arabic and have Arabic appearing much more frequently along with a lesser vocabulary overall"
As for the second it depends on who you're talking to. We have yet to see that many "Up tight" people about it; A lot here have never actually been out of the country. So It's more of a generalization (At least in Dubai) But I can still see how the generalization applies more than others.
@Turok: Does my new TV count? Any friends? Sorta. I'd consider them acquaintances really but yeah; I've met a few people over at my dad's workplace. Now that we have stable internet I don't have much of a reason to be there but my dad's back so I'll just go there for the hell of having more to do around here. :D
And I've met some neat people overall in malls.
Quote from: Third K on March 22, 2010, 06:58:47 PM
That's the best way to put it. While you have to respect there laws in Dubai It's not as bad as other places around here.
Right, you won't get stoned for homosexual activity, you'll only get thrown in the slammer for a couple years. This includes cases of rape. And people think
America is backwards.
Quote from: Guildenstern on March 22, 2010, 09:41:55 PM
Right, you won't get stoned for homosexual activity, you'll only get thrown in the slammer for a couple years. This includes cases of rape. And people think America is backwards.
Yeah; Some of the laws are still very hard to justify here. I really wish they'd break away from culture. If they did probably like a good 30-40% of problems would be removed.
now ask me more questions guys
Do you have someone you think is hawt and want to date?
Quote from: Guildenstern on March 22, 2010, 09:41:55 PM
Right, you won't get stoned for homosexual activity, you'll only get thrown in the slammer for a couple years. This includes cases of rape. And people think America is backwards.
Except Dubai doesn't travel the world trying to spread freedom and democracy and claiming to be a "land of the free." They have no qualms about being an Islamic Republic (or whochever form of government they are, it's theocratic in nature and that enough to be said).
And TK, are you going to visit the Burj Dubai (I know the renamed it but I can't be assed to look it up right now).
Is the Burj Dubai the same as the Burj Al-Arab?
Also, how about The World? Any plans of visiting it?
Quote from: King Richard on March 26, 2010, 12:15:21 AM
Is the Burj Dubai the same as the Burj Al-Arab?
Also, how about The World? Any plans of visiting it?
No, but oh god, that's such a gorgeous building. ;________;
I love how it had rain clouds forming inside the actual building. I could only imagine it. Plus, the fire display out front.
Quote from: Magnum on March 25, 2010, 09:56:08 PM
Do you have someone you think is hawt and want to date?
Even if I wasn't in a relationship right now, so far, no.
@Berj Al-Arab: Yes actually. I've seen it on the beach and ran to it a few times during jobs; It's very awesome on the outside, exactly what you'd expect but not all that on the inside. I may end up having breakfast there with my dad and his boss sometime.
@Berj Dubai: May have. I remember my dad mentioning it in the car once; Probably have just seen it.
@The World: Any plans of visiting it? If I knew what it was maybe. I'll have to check that out.
Burj Dubai is the tallest building on the planet and ever built TK, it's kind of hard to miss. :x
Quote from: Friendly Hostile on March 26, 2010, 03:37:56 PM
Burj Dubai is the tallest building on the planet and ever built TK, it's kind of hard to miss. :x
OH THAT; I've actually had it from my view in my apartment
and my hotel. Every day.
I've actually seen it up close but I've never been inside of it yet. It looks amazing and shockingly stable; I just have a hard time believing that due to my fear of heights but even then it was neat to see. I may go inside it one day and see a few floors for sure, but don't expect me to take pics from the highest floor.
Quote from: Third K on March 26, 2010, 03:43:28 PM
OH THAT; I've actually had it from my view in my apartment and my hotel. Every day.
I've actually seen it up close but I've never been inside of it yet. It looks amazing and shockingly stable; I just have a hard time believing that due to my fear of heights but even then it was neat to see. I may go inside it one day and see a few floors for sure, but don't expect me to take pics from the highest floor.
Get a relative to do so then. I want to visit that building so bad. >:(
FH is jealous of TK.
Also, TK, the World is basically a view of the globe in man made island form. Dubai is increasing their shore line by making sand islands (that are habitable) all over the place...The World is the premier one, while the palm trees are becoming pretty popular.
Quote from: Third K on March 26, 2010, 03:43:28 PM
OH THAT; I've actually had it from my view in my apartment and my hotel. Every day.
I've actually seen it up close but I've never been inside of it yet. It looks amazing and shockingly stable; I just have a hard time believing that due to my fear of heights but even then it was neat to see. I may go inside it one day and see a few floors for sure, but don't expect me to take pics from the highest floor.
I have the same fear of heights but if i get soo high up, it doesn't see to effect me as much in some weird way. The only thing that would really freak me out is that it sways in the wind. All tall sky scrapers have to so the incident in that happened in Boston when the Glass fell out of the windows in the JH building doesn't happen to any other tall sky scrapers. Not only that, but also so it doesn't have as much stress put on the main supports of the building.
Quote from: Friendly Hostile on March 26, 2010, 12:14:14 AM
Except Dubai doesn't travel the world trying to spread freedom and democracy and claiming to be a "land of the free." They have no qualms about being an Islamic Republic (or whochever form of government they are, it's theocratic in nature and that enough to be said).
And TK, are you going to visit the Burj Dubai (I know the renamed it but I can't be assed to look it up right now).
Quite frankly, compared with the vast majority of nations, we are a pretty darn open country. And please don't bring up Europe; I hardly consider countries that are positively hogtied with bureaucratic intercourse waddery in the lives of its citizens and which are being overrun by ethnic minorities with diametrically opposed cultural behaviors as strong examples. "They have no qualms" implies that everyone in Dubai is perfectly happy with the social order there, an assumption that I'd generally be very hesitant to use.
Also, all I have to say about the Burj is that someone is compensating for something (dohohoho). Though it is a gorgeous building.
Quote from: Shakespeare on March 26, 2010, 12:21:06 AM
I love how it had rain clouds forming inside the actual building. I could only imagine it. Plus, the fire display out front.
That sounds amazing.
The vidya. Is it true that certain videogames are not allowed to be sold as they violate cultural taboos? Same with the blocking of websites? Which major sites did they block? Can you import videogames (especially the banned ones) legally?