The Expat Bubble

I like to go for a walk in the morning; early, when the day is at its coolest. The only people around at that time are maids. I know they’re maids, not just because they are almost all Filipino, but they all call me ‘sir’.

“Morning sir,” ...and they say it like I’m taking attendance in a Grade 5 classroom; polite and practiced.

We've never had a maid in Calgary, Canberra or Cardiff (may I add at this point that we don’t have one here!), yet a lot of people, the majority maybe, have one here; some have a nanny as well. The houses are all built with a maid’s room – a small bedroom with a washer & dryer installed and a toilet with shower off to the side, often under the stairs. Every morning I see them washing the family car, walking the dog, going to the corner store, or even at 6:30 in the morning playing with a small child in the grass. And, I didn’t mention the pool boys and gardeners…

Mall of the Emirates - Luxury Brands

A friend of mine said: ”We live in an Expat bubble.” Expat means ‘voluntarily working away from their home country’ and the maids are expats too, but the term is generally understood to mean Westerners. We live in our air-conditioned apartments or villas, drawn in by our huge Western-style malls; shopping at UK or US –stocked supermarkets with their non-Muslim sections (ham, bacon, sausages and other foods we can’t live without), and nearby liquor stores supplying beer, wine and spirits from all over the world. And, with our servants…

Dubai Mall - Fashion Show

When you go to the supermarket a guy takes your cart from you at the checkout and puts the food on the conveyor belt. Then he packs your bags, puts them back in the trolley, and takes them to your car – just try and stop him! All for a modest tip.

If you want to eat out, there are wonderful licensed restaurants in the Western hotels (Rotana, Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Radisson); so many to choose from.

Grand Mosque from Shangri-La

I took Carol for dinner at the Emirates Palace Hotel. You drive up the ramp into a courtyard. As soon as you bring the car to a standstill you are surrounded by uniformed staff that open the doors for you to step out then valet your vehicle away before you’ve even stepped into the hotel. This hotel is more opulent than most but the same principles of service apply at most of them. See the links below.

Our personal favourite is the Shangri-La. We both agree that our best meal ever was in the Pearls and Caviar restaurant there. This is set on an island behind the hotel sitting across the water from the Grand Mosque. As soon as they valet your car, a driver takes you from the courtyard to the restaurant, by golf cart…

Then, at the end of each day the maids gather in the park in small groups, with or without ‘their’ children and dogs, to grab a bite and share news of home.

http:/www.kempinski.com/en/abudhabi/emirates-palace/welcome/

http://www.shangri-la.com/abudhabi/shangrila/

https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/burj-al-arab/

Lobby of the Emirates Palace Hotel