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Zoot
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 408
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 Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:12 am Post subject: |
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| meggiebea, make certain you have all your documentation attested and you bring your local drivers licence with you for the changeover here. You'll either pick up your Employment Visa at the airport on your way through or you'll come in on a tourist visa after which your employer will take care of all the 'business' and then you can get your drivers licence. It's all very simple. |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:31 am Post subject: |
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Johnkg - you can pay FEWA and SEWA bills online now? Great! Used to be only DEWA and ADEWA.
Meggiebea - you don't say if you and your friend are both women, a woman & a man or both men. If this is a SO relationship and the SO does not have a job, you can't sponsor them if there is no attested marriage certificate - nor is it advisable to live together - there have been several high profile cases lately of people being arrested (granted, these have been acrimonious marital relationships, but vindictive neighbours can be as dangerous). |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:28 am Post subject: |
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| johnkg wrote: |
| veiledsentiments: a lot has changed in the decade or so you left. Things that used to be inefficient are now efficient, including drivers license issuance. They have computers here now - doesn't always lead to saved time though. My most liked efficiency is that utility bills can be paid online (from about 5 years ago) which means no more waiting in the horrid water/elec company halls. |
Interesting... I never waited in any lines to pay electric or water bills... perhaps they were included in my rent... phone company used to have lines, but as a woman, I just walked to the front and paid.  I remember that I always had to read, interpret and explain my fellow teachers bills for them since they were in Arabic.
As to the driver's license, the problem wasn't ever efficiency, it was always quite efficient... it was each clerk doing his own paperwork interpretation. Like for me... he decided that the translator was not acceptable... even though three other teachers who had done it the day before with that translator had zero problems. Having an Arabic speaker with me didn't even help. So, off we went to another translator who provided exactly the same translation and I went to another person the next afternoon and it was fine. 
And I know a Westerner in the last couple years who was made to take driving lessons because there were less than two years to run on her home license. I forget which Emirate she was in...
VS |
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meggiebea
Joined: 15 Dec 2006
Posts: 25
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| helenl wrote: |
Johnkg - you can pay FEWA and SEWA bills online now? Great! Used to be only DEWA and ADEWA.
Meggiebea - you don't say if you and your friend are both women, a woman & a man or both men. If this is a SO relationship and the SO does not have a job, you can't sponsor them if there is no attested marriage certificate - nor is it advisable to live together - there have been several high profile cases lately of people being arrested (granted, these have been acrimonious marital relationships, but vindictive neighbours can be as dangerous). |
My friend is a woman. She is moving to Abu Dhabi and I'm moving to Dubai. Which brings up the subject of transportation between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. i've heard that the bus takes about 2 hours to drive between them, however they are only about 75 miles apart. Are they any other faster ways to travel from city to city. Which brings me to my NEXT question, in terms of insurance and gas and parking, what are average expenses for owning a car? Which brings me to my NEXT question, if you were a car what color would you be? Think about it. |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:51 am Post subject: |
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A small car (corolla, civic, mazda3) would probably cost around AED55-60,000 new. Insurance is a %age of the car's value - maybe around AED1500 for full insurance(?) someone else may be able to be more specific - I've bought used and have 3rd party insurance.
Gas is cheap, parking can be extremely problematic - especially if your building does not have assigned spaces, which would probably be the case.
As for 2 hours for a 75 mile drive - that's probably not much better than a private car depending on where point A & point B are and the traffic encountered. |
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johnkg
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| johnkg wrote: |
| veiledsentiments: a lot has changed in the decade or so you left. |
...phone company used to have lines, but as a woman, I just walked to the front and paid. |
As I said, things have changed in the decade or so since you left. You don't even have to walk to the front any more, you can pay online.
helenl - ADEWA is now ADDC (Abu Dhabi Distribution Company) - Are you another in absentia poster? maggiebea and her friend will be pleased to know she and her friend can pay their water and electricity bills online, and won't even have to recourse to heading to the front of the line No idea whether or not FEWA / SEWA have an online payment facility - Anyone out there know? |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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How about the post office Johnkg... I bet it still has lines. Can you buy stamps online now. (that would be wonderful)
Also... as to car buying... do insurance companies still give big discounts for "no claims" letters. If so, meggie should get one from her current insurance company.
VS |
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johnkg
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| How about the post office Johnkg... I bet it still has lines. Can you buy stamps online now. (that would be wonderful)VS |
Come now veiledsentiments. You must know we now communicate by e-mail and have no need for stamps. My grandmother still uses stamps.
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Also... as to car buying... do insurance companies still give big discounts for "no claims" letters. If so, meggie should get one from her current insurance company. |
Yes do that meggibea. Especially the big international insurers will give no-claims discounts. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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| johnkg wrote: |
| Come now veiledsentiments. You must know we now communicate by e-mail and have no need for stamps. My grandmother still uses stamps. |
Many of us have elderly relatives that don't and won't use email. Then there are documents that must have a valid signature that can't be scanned or faxed. Those are the two things for which I still use stamps in the US and it would be the same over there. About once every three months or so I would have (and still have) to make the trek to the post office... but at least over there, I got to go to the front of the line. 
VS |
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johnkg
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Many of us have elderly relatives that don't and won't use email. Then there are documents that must have a valid signature that can't be scanned or faxed. Those are the two things for which I still use stamps in the US and it would be the same over there. About once every three months or so I would have (and still have) to make the trek to the post office... |
Thank you. A very interesting report on your philatelic habits veiledsentiments but shouldn't this be on the USA forum |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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I've only paid utility bills in Sharjah and Fujairah and Dubai John, so does that make me an in absentia poster. I've managed to enlighten Adorabilly as to what FEWA stands for (he lives in RAK and FEWA is their utility provider - or at least their bill collector).
Sorry I wasn't as accurate as I could have been, thanks for the update. To date, FEWA does not have an online payment system (have been out of Sharjah for a few years but I don't think they've advanced that far yet either, at least none of my colleagues there have mentioned it). Perhaps those in other emirates RAK UAQ and Ajman can advise for their particular providers? |
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johnkg
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| helenl wrote: |
| I've only paid utility bills in Sharjah and Fujairah and Dubai John, so does that make me an in absentia poster. |
Oh... OK then... you're not an in absentia poster  |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:17 am Post subject: |
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| johnkg wrote: |
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Many of us have elderly relatives that don't and won't use email. Then there are documents that must have a valid signature that can't be scanned or faxed. Those are the two things for which I still use stamps in the US and it would be the same over there. About once every three months or so I would have (and still have) to make the trek to the post office... |
Thank you. A very interesting report on your philatelic habits veiledsentiments but shouldn't this be on the USA forum |
No, because I was not talking only about the USA. Let me see if I can simplify this post down to a level where you are able to read and comprehend...
...actual teachers in the Gulf at this VERY moment will likely have elderly relatives that don't use computers... thus they will have to go to the post office... in the UAE... in order to buy a stamp to mail a card or letter to that elderly relative. That could also include legal documents that require an actual signature that can not be scanned or faxed. This too will require a legal UAE stamp in order to get it to their home country.
You will note that my comment referred to the fact that what has to be done in the UAE in order to mail something is the same circumstances as I now encounter here in the US.
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johnkg
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:05 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
...actual teachers in the Gulf at this VERY moment will likely have elderly relatives that don't use computers... thus they will have to go to the post office... in the UAE... in order to buy a stamp to mail a card or letter to that elderly relative. That could also include legal documents that require an actual signature that can not be scanned or faxed. This too will require a legal UAE stamp in order to get it to their home country. |
How absolutely fascinating veiledsentiments. Thank you for this analysis.
You learned a lot in your time in the UAE.
Thank goodness you now have time to put it to good use. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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Yes... we can both be snotty... one just wonders why you take the time to bother rather than just offering your advice to posters. Especially considering how the vast majority of your stalking of my posts is dead wrong... just like this time.
VS |
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