Job Discussion Forums

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

cycling in 50C (120F)+heat is doable I suppose. You also have to take into account that the word cyclist is a synonym for "target". Cyclists have no "road rights" they are generally ignored and if involved in any accident (and the chances for such are extremely high) they will be blamed.

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

bhoove · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 30

Male and female buildings... hmm. Many of us coming in this round are married- including me. Although my husband will only live with me part of the year because of his work.

I'm glad to hear that the "Women's days" do not mean other days are "no women" days.

I'm not too worried about the heat, I'm actually more concerned with the *lack* of humidity. I'm used to 70-90% humidity with 90 F temperatures. I'm going to be buying a lot of lotion and chapstick. My skin hates me when it gets below 50% humidity. (I know this sounds crazy--but it's what I'm used to)

Laundry- do most people use a laundry service? is it expensive?

Do you know if there are basic appliances in the ADEC housing? (stove and fridge)

Thanks again for all the great information!

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

bhoove · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 30

I know 45+ heat is not the same as 35 c heat. I'm just being optimistic Wink

Thank you for all your help. I know I'm being needy! I will keep in touch when I get to Abu Dhabi City. I'll be there for training for the first week of September.

Any suggestions on what I should buy before i get to see my apartment? (definitely a humidifier)

Are there places to buy appliances in MZ or will I have to get them in abu Dhabi city?

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

bhoove · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 30

I was planning on buying a mattress/bed in MZ per the original post by MT.

I am thinking that I'll only buy the bed and the appliances when I first arrive, and then decide on how to spend the rest of the cash. I'd rather live a little frugally than settle for furniture I'm not going to be happy with.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some stuff second hand in Abu Dhabi. I hate buying things new.

Would it be terribly expensive to rent a pick-up truck to transport furniture myself?

Also, about how much can I expect to pay for a decent mid-range fridge and stove? (I prefer gas cooking-even if it means getting a propane tank)

I have 20,000 Dirhams to spend.

anaxiforminges · Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 136 Location: UAE

[quote="veiledsentiments"]

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

anaxi... it all depends on your heat tolerance. Perhaps not the first year, but eventually you will acclimate and be able to expand your riding months.

bhoove... forget the renting a truck and doing things yourself. You will find that getting things like this done is quite cheap and easy because there is... sadly to say... a resident "slave" labor pool. If you go to a shop that sells appliances, they will normally beat you to your place with the stuff... usually for no extra charge. Check into the ease of getting the cooking gas, as it is a tank that sits in your kitchen... how do you replace it in MZ?

That said... I agree... buy the basics. And IKEA is the reasonable place to go. You will have to get a wardrobe because closets are pretty much only an American thing. You can get a cheap bed frame there. (one of them is like $45 even here in the US) You will want at least a chair (a foot stool?) and a lamp and an end table and a bedside table and a little lamp... and seriously... IKEA is one of the cheapest places (in the world) to get acceptable stuff in one stop!! Go with another new teacher and surely you will have enough to get the 'free' delivery and unlike the US, they put it all together for you... for free. Which is a lifesaver when it comes to putting together a wardrobe.

Stove, Fridge, Washer, and basics above should leave you with plenty of your 20,000 left.

AND... it's not difficult to sell stuff when you leave.

VS

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

If you have a contact in HCT they have a country wide accessible buy/sell on the college intranet. You can get some reasonably priced items that have been treated fairly well (usually) - especially helpful for whitegoods.