Life in Dubai - A Reflection
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After a long term career in the Exploration & Development function of a large multinational oil company, Roger Thornton phased across to consultancy roles. More recently he was based in Papua New Guinea for 5 years working on that country’s new LNG project. Faced with retirement he was offered the opportunity of a role on an oil field in Southern Iraq. The concept was to live in Dubai with regular visits to the operations. |
“Why not”? Roger and wife packed up and moved to apartment living in the marina in Dubai. Suffice to say, like most constructions in Dubai this was “mostest” in the world, i.e. this marina is the biggest having an 8 kilometre circumference. Recall too the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building.
What followed was a fascinating travelogue coupled with some personal insights on Dubai and life there for a western expat. In short, it was “not a bad place”, was “exciting” and was a “wonderful insight to Muslim culture in a westernised environment” and he remarked that had he been twenty years younger he would have loved to stay for many years.
The audience was reminded that the United Arab Emirates an amalgam of 7 States was a series of sand islands which gained independence about 40 years ago and has transformed from a sparsely populated nomadic based region to a thriving country of 7 million inhabitants (75% male) about 85 % of whom are expatriates from for instance India, Pakistan and The Philippines. Dubai city is the capital. Roger felt that this progress derives from “a do rather than plan culture” characterised by the drive of the current Head of State, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Sheikh is better known to the racing fans as a principal in the Godolphin stables.
Clearly there are no democratic planning committees in Dubai and the UAE as in our society to stall progress.
The constructions arising out the desert underpinned by revenue from 2.5 Millions barrels of oil equivalent daily hydrocarbon production ( @ $100 per barrel that is $1 Billion every four days!) were remarkable and dramatic architectural achievements . Roger cited examples of shopping malls with self contained ski fields and massive aquariums. He described lush green race and golf courses all watered by desalination plants. {One was prompted in thinking that here was evidence to a reality behind the science fiction parallels of settlements on the Moon or Mars.}
Subsequent to the GFC it was noted that there were indications(with incomplete buildings) that the development bubble in Dubai like in all countries had needed tempering.
Roger described the pleasure he had in just lying on the beach, shopping in all its forms, meeting Emirati families and the accepting (to Westerners) nature of the country. His outline of the Camel Dairy was vivid.
There are 3 Rotary clubs (he was a member of Jumeirah). These clubs needed to be careful in their charitable focus, and one major continuing effort was the support of severe physically deformed children. Roger thought that in the small Emirati population the gene pool was narrow and exacerbated the problem.